Shouting for help in a mass of “hushers”

19. November 2008 by BruceSmith.

Matthew 20:30-34 30Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 31The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 33“Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” 34Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him. Imagine yourself, for a moment, in this scene.  You are one of the two blind persons.  All your life you have lived marginalized, in the dark, frustrated, ignored, and probably a bit sad.  Then at some point in your life you hear rumors of a man who, in the near regions, is one who has a soft spot for the afflicted.  You hear that this man has the desire and the power to actually free people from isolation, darkness, and despair.  You don’t know Him, you certainly have never seen Him (being blind and all), but what you hear of Him is all together attractive and interesting.  Something inside you tells you that if there is any hope for you to be freed from the life you have known, from the prison of darkness, this man holds the only key.  Something deep within you prompts you to take a chance on this guy if He were to ever come your way.  But a doubt remains, “Everyone else has ignored me and told me I will always be this way, why should this guy be any different?” Then one day, the rumors begin to stir again, and people are saying that this healer with a soft spot for the marginalized is coming to town.  Knowing there is but one main route into town, and having made your way there many times before, perhaps to beg for help, you determine that you will find a way there and place yourself front and center so that maybe, just maybe, this Jesus will see you and, by some chance, take an interest in you.  Its a long shot, but what do you have left to lose?  You determine to go for it.The big day comes, you are front and center, all of your past runs through your mind, you imagine what the past would have looked like had you actually been able to see, and you wonder, dream, what life may be like in the future should Jesus open your eyes.  One thing is certain, nothing else has answered your cries.  No one else has ever been able to heal you.  And you are dog tired of living the life you have been living.  Something has to change, either inside you or physically.Here he comes.  You can tell by the crowds activity, whispering, rejoicing, and shouting that Jesus is making His way into town, right down the road you are standing on.  Problem is, you can’t see Him.  If you can’t see Him, you think, He can’t see you.  The thought runs through your mind, “How can I get His attention?!”  You are screaming inside yourself, “Do something!  Don’t just stand here!  This is the one chance you have.  The chance of a lifetime.”  Knowing you can’t run and tackle Him (you may tackle the wrong guy, after all), you decide to start yelling, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus…its me, the blind guy!”  Having experienced Mardi Gras before (work with me here, its a writer’s liberty), you know there are many competing voices.  So, you tell yourself, “Keep screaming, keep yelling, yell louder!”  Then just as everyone else is telling you that you are hopeless, helpless, and forgotten, and trying to hush you, Jesus makes His way to you.  You don’t see Him, of course, but His shadow falls upon you and you sense someone is standing in front of you.  Something is different.  This is no normal shadow.  And like all the shadows before, this one is not just passing by.  The sun’s heat is blocked, your spirit cools, and the crowd, astonishingly, is now hushed.  Your heart just skipped a beat because, against all odds, and awash in this sea of humanity, despite your being invisible, you just heard someone whisper, “He is standing in front of the blind guys”.  Then you remember, “I am a blind guy…maybe He is standing in front of me!”  You whisper now, “Jesus?”  And a voice that bleeds compassion, understanding, caring, strength, and life, speaks to you, “What is it you want?”  Instantly, you know, if this is not some sick joke its the opportunity of my life.  Amidst the fear of rejection and the wounds of the past, you manage to make a request, “Jesus, I have been blind for a lifetime”, pausing here to catch your breath and to contain your emotions, you feel a hand upon your shoulder, and you continue, “I just want to see.”  That is all the explanation Jesus needs.  Unlike all the others he hears all that is unsaid in that request, the life time of pain, self-doubt, insignificance, and longing.  He graciously interrupts you, touches your eyes, and in a way you have never heard words before, He says, “Open your eyes, …and see”.  In an instant the world explodes into view and you experience things you never could have imagined in your wildest dreams.  The textures, and nuances of color and shape, the varying shades and depths, the horizon, and the beauty of the human form all arrest your soul and put you into a strange trance.  The world is alive and your soul is soaring like it never has before.  Still, beyond this, beyond the merely physical reality, as glorious as it is, you feel as if you have encountered something, someone, who now defines your life.  This interaction with this person has been unlike anything you have ever experienced, and you cannot just move on.  For the first time in your life your shouts have been heard.  The naysayers have been hushed, YOU ARE SIGNIFICANT.  You have no choice but to wed your heart to this one who displays compassion, hope, truth, and purpose unlike any other.  As tempting as it would be to stick around and rub your new sight in all the faces of those who rejected you before, you know that your purpose and direction depends upon this One you have met today.  Its time to leave all the past behind.  Its time to experience all things new.  You simply have no choice.  Nothing compares to knowing this guy, and you have only known Him for a few moments.  You want more of Him, you need more of Him in your life, you desire to be like Him.  This is what love and life should look like, you just know it.May we all have such an encounter,Bruce Smithoptimuslife.org 

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