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.”
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!”
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: 35-42
I like to go off roading in a 4×4. Once in a while I will go down a trail that others have left a huge rut in. I usually make it but sometimes I get stuck. Being the self confident (stubborn) man I am, I will do my best to get out of this rut by rocking the truck back and forth, even get out and get all muddy by placing sticks under the tires, all the while digging deeper and deeper until the only way out is to call for some help.
I have been stuck in a spiritual rut for a while now. I was reading this morning and this simple phrase made me stop and think. How powerful a statement it is: “Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him.” Even though this dude is blind and disabled, he calls out to Jesus for help and Jesus says: if you want me to help you, then get your butt over here. A few things that grip me are:
- Even though Jesus is busy He stops to hear the cry of the blind man.
- The blind guy is discouraged by some of his peers but calls out even louder.
- Even though this dude wasn’t capable of walking to Jesus on his own, he still had to do the foot work if he wanted the blessing.
- It took faith for the man to be healed.
- He praised and followed Jesus as did others who were a witness to the blessing.
I consider everything in life as a lesson no matter how small. What is the lesson to be learned from this situation? Have you ever been content with mediocracy? Do you have any stories of overcoming an obstacle? Are you in a rut now? I would like to hear from you.