KJV - Luke 18:35-43 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: (36) And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. (37) And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. (38) And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. (39) And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. (40) And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, (41) Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. (42) And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. (43) And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
NIV - Luke 18:35-43 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. (36) When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. (37) They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” (38) He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (39) 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!” (40) Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, (41) “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. (42) Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” (43) Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
In our last installment of Reflecting the SON, we looked at this same passage. We focused our attention on how the beggar got what he was seeking because he was determined, regardless of the the crowd pressuring him to be quiet. Today, I want to look at this passage from a different perspective.
Jesus after being informed that the man was in need, requested that the Beggar be brought to him. Remember now that Jesus has the supernatural ability to know men’s hearts and thoughts so Jesus surely was able to know this man’s circumstances. With that understood, Jesus asks a bazaar question: What do you want me to do for you? Really? The guy is blind...isn’t it obvious? Not necessarily!
Does EVERYBODY that is hungry want food? Again it would seem obviously yes, but not necessarily. Some people that are hungry are drug addicts and would rather score another hit of drugs instead of a meal. Others might have gambled their food money away and would rather spend five dollars on a chance to get even rather than a meal. The point is, the answer may SEEM obvious but isn’t. The guy may have been blind so long that he had given up on seeing and may have just asked for food or money. He could have heard of Jesus, but may not have believed that Jesus could have made him to see.
Jesus asks us all: “What do you want me to do for you?” What is your answer? The Blind Beggar KNEW what he wanted. He knew what he needed to have a better life. I think too often, people do not know what they need to have a better life than the one they currently have. The fact is, what the world needs is to deal with the problem of sin. But sadly, most do not realize that fact.
So with that concept understood, Does everyone that is lost want to be saved? Again the answer is NO! There are a host of reasons why people may not want to be saved. They may not believe they have a need to be saved. They may rather live in their established life of sin. They may not be willing to pay the price. Some may belieive that a worldly solution has already solved their problem. The list is too long to list them all. However, we need to ask ourselves. Jesus is asking. What do you want? Do you want to be relieved from the burden of sin? Do you want Jesus to pay for them for you. If so, then we have to be willing to be a true follower of him. We must be willing to change our life to be like him. We must deny ourselves. (Matthew 16:24)
What is it that you really want?
Reflecting His SON,
Dennis Hogan
Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ
1804 Sam Stewart Dr.
Radcliff, KY 40160
Questions, comments or further explanation? Contact me at: dennis.hogan@icloud.com
If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward
their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.
No comments:
Post a Comment