Kudos to them

What kind of blindness do you have? Jesus is the True Healer that removes all infirmities.

27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied.

29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; 30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” 31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.-matthew9:27-31

I was struck by the two blind men. Despite being "blind," they were able to follow Jesus and were still able to approach Him when He had gone indoors. Could it be that there were people who helped them? But if we take the Biblical account literally, it seems that the blind men knew where they were supposed to go. Could it be that they have a different kind of blindness? Perhaps a 'blindness' that eats the soul?

Notice that Jesus asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" in reference to the healing they were asking for. But why did Jesus ask them? If it is simple healing, why is it that Jesus had to ask them if they believed He can do it? Could it be that they were asking for a 'healing' beyond physical blindness?

As I reflected, one word came to me - Brokenhearted. There were many people who experienced being brokenhearted - from losing a loved one, separation, failure, rejection, bankruptcy and so on. Some rise above it. While others drown on it to such an extent that they commit suicide or lost the will to live. I remember the movie 'Dark Knight Rises.' It took Bruce Wayne eight (8) years to move on. But hanging the batsuit doesn't mean giving up the will to live.

Kudos to the blind men who believed that Jesus can heal their infirmities! If they were blind within - assuming they were brokenhearted and lost the will to live (remember, if a person loses the will to live, no doctor can heal such a case since from the start the patient is not fighting) - kudos to them for being brave enough to ask Jesus to heal their infirmity and believing the He alone can heal them. Kudos to them for believing that with Jesus, all pain and infirmity can go away even with His words alone.

Image courtesy: El Greco (Jesus heals the man born blind), Dark Knight Rises, artist

Give it a try!

Conquer your fear and you will see victory with God.

35 As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging;

36 and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant.

37 They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."

38 And he cried, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

39 And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

40 And Jesus stopped, and commanded him to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him,

41 "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me receive my sight."

42 And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."

43 And immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.-Luke18:35-43

The previous Gospel reading spoke of the fear of the third servant. Because of his fear of his demanding master, he hid the talent. Because of that, what he had was taken from him. Worse, he was thrown "outside in the darkness, where there is wailing and grinding of teeth."

In contrast, the blind man conquered all his fears just to be healed. Perhaps there was a tug-of-war between asking help from Jesus or not. But he conquered the possibility of rejection by crying out loud, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" The blind knew that he had nothing to lose when he asked for help. He knew that it is much better to try, than not try at all and regret it for the rest of his life. Yes, one of his fears came true because instead of the people helping him and encouraging him to call on to Jesus, they shushed him, rebuked him, told him to be quiet. Talk about empathy! But all his efforts paid off because Jesus heard him and healed him right then and there.

The things that we ask from God are actually granted already. Sometimes we just have to be bold enough to give it a try, or be bold enough to ask. Sometimes Jesus is asking us to be brave for Him.

Image courtesy: El Greco (Healing of the Blind), Dreamstime