We want our sight

Matthew 20:29-34 The Two Blind Men Receive Sight

29 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. 30 And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!”
31 Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!”
32 So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
33 They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” 34 So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

This little passage, six verses in all, is so awesome. I just love how it has all the elements of Jesus. It talks about what it means to follow Jesus. It talks about healing. It talks about the nature of Jesus. It talks about prayer. It talks about Christology.

It has everything.

These two blind men were begging outside the city of Jericho. It says, “As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho.” They had just left Jericho and were on their way to come into the city of Jerusalem so that Jesus could have his “triumphal entry.” When we read Jericho, immediately our minds go back to Sunday school and the Joshua and the wall of Jericho song. And it says that they were leaving Jericho. Jericho, as we know from the book of Joshua, was one of the first places that the Hebrews conquered on their way to the Promised Land. These disciples and Jesus were also on their way to the Promised Land. They were en route to Jerusalem.

But even though they were on a mission to Jerusalem, Jesus still has time to heal. It says that the crowd rebuked those begging. They tried to silence the men because they had work to do. Jesus needed to go to Jerusalem, and he couldn’t be bothered.

But Jesus listens to the cries, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

These blind men could see Jesus for who he really was. Jesus was Lord, the kyrios, and the Son of David tracing back to the lineage of David, obviously, and the messianic promises given to him (2^nd Samuel 7:12-13). This Christological assertion by the blind men affirmed both Jesus’ link to God and humanity. This text alone speaks to the fact that Jesus was more than just some good dude. He was Lord. He was the Son of David.

And the way that these men talk to Jesus is kind of unreal and hard to even imagine. These two were on the outskirts of a city, and more importantly, they were on the margins of society. They had been forced into begging because of their circumstances. But when they had the chance to ask Jesus and his disciples for money, they instead asked to be able to see. They wanted “their sight.” Money would have sufficed, but it would only treat the symptoms. They wanted to be fully restored.

Jesus then had compassion on the two men and healed their eyes. Immediately, these men received their sight and then followed Jesus. They would join in the crowds going with Jesus to Jerusalem.

So we can learn from this story the need to be direct with God. When we pray, we shouldn’t just ask for symptomatic help, but we should get to the root of our problems. When I pray, I shouldn’t just ask God for joy or for happiness or peace. I should instead ask Jesus to remove depression from my life. I shouldn’t just cope and try to fix the situation. I should ask God to take this away from me. I want to be well.

If God doesn’t take depression away from me, it’s not anyone’s fault. It’s not my own and definitely not God’s. I can’t and won’t be angry with it staying, but I can still continue to persist and continue to be direct with God. So I ask you, God, my Lord, take this away from me for I want to be well. I recognize that you are the God of my life and that you alone have the capability to take this from me. I cannot do it on my own, and I know this truth more and more each day. I’m tired. I’m worn out. I want to be well, Jesus. Comfort me, and also remove the chains of depression on my life. Cleanse me. Wash over me. Take this away. I love you. Amen.