Jesus Is Near
Christmas has now passed. And It is interesting to observe how much anticipation and excitement people have leading up to Christmas Day. We go to great lengths and travel great distances, to connect (through gifts and our presence) with those we care about. And we won’t let Christmas pass by without making the effort to make that connection. In Luke 18:35-43, a blind beggar hears that Jesus is near. And because of his faith and his persistence, he insures that Jesus does not pass Him by without connecting with him and blessing Him. I pray that in faith, and with great anticipation and persistence, we would call upon Jesus to stop by and give us the blessing we need. Amen
As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” (Luke 18:35-37)
Jesus was passing by. For the faithful who are suffering, hurting and in need of a blessing, the realization that Jesus is near energizes their faith and fills them with anticipation. The last thing any of us wants when we know that we need to see Jesus, is for Him to pass us by and we miss Him.
He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:38-39)
So this blind beggar called out to Jesus. Not Jesus of Nazareth, but Jesus, Son of David. In faith, this blind man recognized that Jesus was the Messiah that God had promised king David would reign forever. The people tried to shut this beggar up, but when you beg for a living, you are not ashamed to ask for what you need! So the man shouted even louder to make sure that Jesus heard him. When your need is great, you don’t just wait in anticipation of Jesus arrival, you make sure that He knows that you need Him to stop and see about you! And you don’t stop until He answers your cry.
Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God. (Luke 18:40-43)
Despite the clamoring crowd around Him and the urgent destiny in Jerusalem that lay ahead of Him, Jesus stopped to attend to this man’s need. Jesus asked this man a penetrating question… “what do you want me to do for you?” And the man’s response was, “Lord, I want to see”. The beggar who for years had asked for food or money or a helping hand to help him get from here to there, now asked Jesus, in His mercy, to address his deepest and most fundamental need. Beyond the temporal things of this world, we need Jesus to address our deepest need… mercy to pardon us from our sins and faith to see and follow Him. Jesus responded to this blind beggar’s faith, by restoring his sight and healing him. Because the healing that Jesus gave him was not just physical, but spiritual!
A blind man saw what others did not. Jesus, the Savior was near, and the blind man saw his opportunity to be healed. And he refused to let anyone or anything stop him from getting Jesus to stop by and see about him. Thus, this blind beggar had a lesson for us all. Jesus is near, and we have an opportunity to reach out to him in faith. And while some may try to dampen our faith, we need to be persistent in calling out to Jesus. He hears the cry of those who come to Him with persistent faith that He can provide the blessing that we so desperately need. He hears our cry, and He responds to our circumstances with mercy. Jesus is near…. call out to Him in faith and be blessed!
Blessings, Rev. Glenn
