Matthew 20:29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. 30 And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32 And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 33 They *said to Him, “Lord, we wantour eyes to be opened.” 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him. Have you ever wanted to really see and understand something, so you think deeply about it, almost abstractly to other people. Such it is for those seeking God’s truth with open minds and open hearts. Those who seek truth in this way are what we call “thinking out of the box.” The box they are thinking out of is a box that has been packaged and processed through numerous hours of letting someone else study the Word for you and then relying on their impressions of it. In reality these “out of the box people” are just seeking truth without restrictions from preconceived notions or doctrines that have been drilled into their thinking. If we seek out truth through other people without researching it ourselves we are “the blind.” And if you ever have the chance to have God open your eyes to really see the Word without the restrictions on it, it is a great thing and you will want to do it more.
And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” The two blind men on the road cried out to Jesus for sight and mercy. The crowd wanted them to be quiet, but their desire to see was far greater than worrying about the crowd. Jesus heard their cries and asked them what they wanted….specifically. They were seeking His help and His healing and knew in their hearts that Jesus was their only hope. Oh to seek God’s Word in this way!!! I believe many of us are blinded to the truth of God’s Word and the filtered version we accept is filtered through other people’s impressions of what it says. I sometimes think that all of our learning is filtered by someone else’ s commentary on a scripture, when we have the capacity to understand the deep truths of God’s Word ourselves and apply it to our lives. We should come to the point to realize that the Holy Spirit is in our lives and we are totally capable of coming to our conclusions about the meaning of scripture without having to go from someone else’s thoughts on it. In Matthew 6:33 Jesus says 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Early in my Christian walk and early in my ministry I would listen to “learned” men’s impressions of what they thought about a certain scripture and make that my standard for the truth. I have quickly learned that I need to have my own convictions about God’s Word and let that truth be what guides me. I’m sure these men were all good resources for one opinion of what God’s Word is saying, but without studying it myself and learning from what God is teaching me is like “living blind.” Take the blinders off your eyes and seek first His kingdom and you will find it. Just like when the two men were asked by Jesus, “what do you want me to do?” You can tell Jesus, “show me Your ways.” The Psalmist in Psalm 25:4 said it like this 4 Make me know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.
I believe the only way we can experience God’s truth from His Word is to let it open our individuals eyes of understanding and then live our lives from the expression of His truth to us. I have seen the most uneducated (secular schools) people have the most profound understanding of God’s Word. And since our public education is indoctrinated with a very liberal way of looking at life it is probably best to get our wisdom from the only wise source, God’s Word!! If you feel blinded to the truth and you have been living your walk through the eyes of someone else, isn’t it time to go directly to the source and get your eyes opened to this great life of walking with God? I believe it is and you will not be disappointed when you go to the source. Blind eyes WILL be opened and darkened hearts WILL see the light and the light is GOOD!! Read the story below and think about it.
In the early 1900s George Riddell acquired the sensational London newspaper The News of the World. Meeting British journalist Frederick Greenwood one day, Riddell mentioned that he owned a newspaper, told Greenwood its name, and offered to send him a copy. The next time they met, Riddell asked Greenwood what he thought of The News. “I looked at it and then I put it in the wastepaper basket,” said Greenwood, “and then I thought, ‘If I leave it there the cook may read it,’ so I burned it.”
No more second-hand truth that is filtered through someone else’s impression of what it says. God to the source….Jesus. I highly recommend reading the Gospel of John along with Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, and then progress from there. C’mon, you can do it and be just like the two blind men on the road who cried out to Jesus. If you cry out to Him for understanding and help He will open your eyes to the truth in His Word and you will get lasting, eye-opening, pure truth. That truth is what we are all really looking for in life.
The p pilgrimage continues….
David Warren
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