Two Blind Men

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance. In the Saints Ephesians one eighteen. Loving Father, your word is a beacon of light, guiding us to discover the immeasurable greatness of your inheritance. In the Saints, with hearts aglow, we thank you for this journey of faith, where each step reveals more of your grace and the glorious future you have prepared for us. Instill in us hope so jubilant that it illuminates the darkest corners of our lives than the lives of those around us. May this hope be the anchor of our souls, keeping us steadfast in both trials and triumphs. Grant us a light hearted spirit that finds joy in your presence and the wonders of your creation. Help us to see the world through the eyes of hope, recognizing your handiwork and the mundane and the magnificent. With gratitude, we embrace the journey ahead, confident that the best is yet to come, all because of your love and faithfulness. In Jesus joyous name. We pray Amen. Thank you for praying with me to day. You are listening to the Jesus podcast Gospel Saugus brought to life through cinematic story telling. If this podcast has blessed you, share it with a friend. Doing so will help us build a following of people fill with hope. Night fell and the snowy moon rose above the city. Jesus walked the dusty road in the twisting, narrow streets. He and his friends passed home after home with windows lit by candlight. Above, laundry was hung to dry, and a great spider web between the houses and the torch lights reflected the dewy surface of the strings so that they glistened in the night. That glow it was so warm and welcoming. Inside, Jesus watched the silhouettes of life, families eating, cooking, talking, and playing. They passed a dark alleyway covered in shadows, devoid of the moon's light or the lamp's warmth. For some reason unknown to the disciples, Jesus paused and looked at the alley. He found himself absorbed in it. His companions chattered on, making jokes about something taking witty jabs at each other. They walked on ahead and leaving him behind. Jesus stood in the street, staring at the empty, dark, shadowy alley with every muscle in him, until his friends called him from down the road. 00:03:32 Speaker 2: Jesus, what's wrong. 00:03:34 Speaker 1: Simon stepped closer to the house, redirecting his gaze to match Jesus. We have company, he said, pointing to the alley. The others tensed up, preparing for the worst. 00:03:48 Speaker 3: Where do you turn to in your pain? Sometimes when we experience pain, it's really easy to turn away from the Lord. We feel like he's robbed us of something, or that it's his fault somehow, so we turn, we run, we hide. But what ends up happening is a compounding of our pain. We suffer once in our trial, and then we suffer again because we're far away from the comfort of the Lord. The prophet Joel encourages Israel with these words, return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love Joel two thirteen. Remember Jesus in your time of need. Sometimes when we're experiencing pain and anguish, it could be hard to turn to God. But take comfort in this, my friends, when you do decide to turn to him, he is in far behind. Welcome to the Jesus Podcast, a year's story showcasing the depth of Christ's love through storytelling and the glory of God's truth through honest reflection. I'm Zach, your host from pray dot com, and you're here for another heartwarming story of Jesus's compassionate love. As we begin, be sure to follow the podcast so you can hear more miracles of the Messiah and stay tuned for other little seasons that we have coming in head. Our miracle today is a heavy one, especially if you're a parent. Will begin by entering into any parent's worst nightmare, caring for your sick child on the verge of death. 00:05:12 Speaker 1: They could hear the sound of footsteps approaching from the shadows. They looked at the dusty stones, the dancing shadows, and the two shapeless gray masses hobbling toward them. 00:05:25 Speaker 3: Enough lurking in the shadows, show yourselves. 00:05:29 Speaker 1: The shadows stirred, and then two silhouettes emerged, followed by two voices shouting. 00:05:35 Speaker 3: Have merciless son of David. 00:05:38 Speaker 1: The men stepped forward into the moonlight. Their eyes were wrapped in old bandannas. Each held a walking stick in one hand, and their arms were linked with each other. 00:05:53 Speaker 2: Belind men. 00:05:54 Speaker 1: Simon sighed to Jesus. 00:05:55 Speaker 3: They probably couldn't approach you in a large crowd, dangerous. 00:06:00 Speaker 1: What are you going to do? I'm going to enjoy a meal with him, Jesus replied, raising his voice to the men. 00:06:07 Speaker 2: My friends, where do you live? Let's sit down for a meal. 00:06:11 Speaker 1: The two blind men bowed to Jesus and led him to their home. Jesus slowly ducked under the portico into the house. It was impossibly dark, dusty, and quiet. Not a single candle burned, not a lamp was in sight. The only light was that of the moon, edging everything in a fine silver mist against the dusty air. Jesus stepped further in, slowly churning up more dust with each step. Jesus sat down at a table and unwrapped a cloth with bread. He gave some to the men and asked them to sit. They sat face to face with him. Jesus friends hovered in the cramped doorway, clinging to the sides. The disciples looked around the dark and cobwebbed home. The house was a glimpse into the life of a blind person, devoid of color, lost in a haze. Jesus took a bite of bread. 00:07:17 Speaker 2: Eat up, friends. 00:07:19 Speaker 1: Jesus didn't look at the blind men with pity, but with hope. He spoke to them as people, not issues to be fixed, and then moved on from. 00:07:30 Speaker 2: Do you believe that I am able to do this? 00:07:33 Speaker 1: Yes? Lord, they breathed, and the second man leaned forward and closer. We know you are the son of David, the promised one. Jesus removed their bandannas and brought his hands to the first man's eyes, letting his thumbs brush the wrinkled eyelids. 00:07:50 Speaker 2: According to your faith, may it be done to you. 00:07:54 Speaker 1: He turned to the next man and touched his eyelids as well, as though clearing with a simple hand motion, and to you as well. Each of the men opened their eyes. They made a sound like that of an infant, half way between a sob and a shriek of joy. The disciples slowly piled in. Matthew dug into his satchel for a small old candle, and just for fun, he fastened it on their table, lighting it to the flint. 00:08:26 Speaker 2: Here you'll be needing this now. 00:08:28 Speaker 1: He looked over his shoulder at them, and the two grown men went wide eyed like children. They came close to it, eyes wandering, mouths hanging open, watching the candle glow, like little children looking at fireflies. The light colored their world and animated the darkness. They walked around their home with the little candle, touching the same objects they'd grown so used to, but now with life, texture and form. 00:09:04 Speaker 2: Thank you Lord, our world is color again. Your faith has made you well. Now, please see to it that nobody knows what's happened here. Keep it close to your hearts, Jesus told them firmly. They nodded vigorously. But the following day, the men went to buy candles at the market, and people noticed. The men told the people about the miracle worker Jesus, the son of David, how he touched their eyes, how he was caring and kind, how he didn't step away from them. They walked along the river, discovering this color they had never seen, which was calming, brilliant, and mild blue. For the very first time, they saw the faces of the friends who had helped them their entire lives, and they held them and told them everything Jesus had done. They cooked dinner for themselves, and we're not afraid to light a flame. And at night, when a passerby walked the streets, they noticed the blind men had candles and lamps in their home. 00:10:24 Speaker 3: Jesus healed many throughout his ministry, but only a fraction of them are recorded in detail throughout the gospels. And while they're all noteworthy in play significant part in developing our understanding of Jesus's character, few stand out quite like this. This miracle includes Jesus bringing somebody back to life. We can shake our heads and scoff at some of Jesus's miracles, but I want you to consider for a moment the marvel that is scientific innovation. We can rebuild muscles, we can cure diseases, we can even restore sight in some instances. Why is it so absurd to think that these things are possible? But something we as people can never manufacture is the ability to bring somebody back from death. If there was anything that was a definitive way to show that Jesus was the son of God, it was by giving life and showing beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus can conquer death itself. While Gyros may not have known at the time he came to Jesus that this would be the miracle he would perform, Jesus did perform it. If we didn't know the end of this story, we might think that Jesus's timing was unfortunate from a human perspective. When Gyros left his daughter, she was fighting for her life. All Gyros needed to do was get to the healer to his house before it was too late. Yet, knowing how close the young girl was to death, Jesus stops in the middle of the commotion over the synagogue leader's home. We might blame the woman with the issue of blood for being the reason for this speed bump, but in reality, it was Jesus that created the delay. God's timing is often different from our timing. We see things through a far perspective. We know the past, observe the present, and we can only guess at the future. But God is in constrain to time. He exists across time, knowing the past, present, in future, which means that his understanding what is best at any given moment is far greater than our own. It's likely that You've had times in your life where you've questioned what God was doing, or it felt like he was delaying at a response to your earnest prayers, and maybe that's been frustrating for you. But to see this miracle in its fullness, it reminds us to trust in Jesus's timing. If God seems to be delaying and doing what you're asking of him, it's a good sign that he's just preparing something better. Peter gives an example of this as he relates to Jesus's return in Teco Peter three nine. The Lord is not slow to keeping his promise as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. If you're a believer, you might have asked yourself why Jesus can't just come back now and create a new heaven and earth. And while it would be better for us, we understand why God wants to delay a little bit. He desires for more people to come to repentance, more salvation. When you're ready to move things forward, but it seems like God isn't. There's probably a good reason for it. Trust that his timing is good and that he has what's best in mind. Before entering into the house, Jesus responds to the news that Gyrus's daughter is dead. He looks at the synagogue leader and tells him not to be afraid. He tells him to believe. Even when it seems like all hope is lost, Jesus maintains hope. Before Jyrous was able to learn this lesson, he must first learn another. When he arrived at home, those that met him to tell him his daughter was dead told him to stop bothering the teacher Jesus. But Gyros needed to understand that he wasn't a bother to Jesus. The Lord was the one who came to the disciple to perform a miracle. Nobody forced him there. He was willing to wade through the crowds and sacrifice his time for Gyros in his family, So why would Jesus consider him to be a bother now, Gie Jesus wants us to come to him and know that we're not a bother to him either. After Jesus feeds the five thousand in John chapter six, the disciples meet him and the Lord tells them all those the Father gives me, will come to me, and whoever comes to me, I will never drive away. Jesus came to earth in the fullness of humanity. He is Immanuel God with us, so we don't have to wonder if he wants to be around us. This was the reason he came. He came for unity with us. He came to walk side by side with us and our trials, our struggles, and our heartache. He calls you to draw closer to him. You are not a bother. He loves it when you declare dependence upon him. Before entering the house, Jesus responds to the news that Gyrus's daughter is dead. He looks to the synagogue leader and tells him not to be afraid. He tells him to believe. Even when it seemed like the task had failed and the others doubted and laughed at Jesus, Jyris was called to continue to believe. Maybe you can relate to this. Maybe God has given you assurance even when it seems like there's not a lot of hope, and maybe others have looked down upon you, thinking that your hope is an empty one. Perhaps they've even dissuaded you from hoping in God with good intentions, not wanting you to wind up disappointed. But when God makes a promise, he's going to keep it. When he puts a plan into motion, he's going to complete it. Don't be afraid when it seems like things have gone wrong, continued believe in the power of God, and don't be afraid. Our God is with us. And now it's time for Jesus to do one of his most miraculous acts. He leaned down to this girl and he said, talitha kumai, little girl, I say to you, get up and rise. Jesus spoke to this girl with a tenderness. Jesus is tender to us in our heartbreak. Jesus is attentive to our needs. Perhaps today there's an inner child in you that is in need of healing or resurrection. There's been a loss of innocence, there's been a loss of a childlike faith. You've been jaded through your trials and the world has left you callous to any sort of hope or any sort of feeling of joy. Maybe you've spiraled into anxiety and depression. Maybe the responsibilities of life have weighed you down. The childlike faith in you has been snuffed out by any sort of tragedy or heartbreak, familial dysfunction, bad relationships. But I want to speak to you. My friend. Jesus is tenderly leaning in and saying, Talitha Kumai, little child, Get up, the child that is within you. The innocence within you can be rekindled. Jesus wants to speak to the exuberant, life filled child within you and say, live this life. Live this life to the fullest. There's still potential. Hope is not lost. There's still a future for you to experience. There's still joy for you to be had, there's still laughter for you to exude, and there's still this beautiful future for you. My friends, Talitha Kumai. Arise. Allow the childlike faith within you to ignore as you read more about the ministry of Jesus, as you pray and lean into his character, as you act out his commands in real life. Arise, my friends, don't lose heart in this broken creation. Come to him trusting in his plan. Believe and do not be afraid. Be filled with the Holy Spirit and hope in Him as the giver of life.