Daily Reflection – 12/2/2022
Sacred Scripture
And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed [him], crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!” When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they said to him. Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread word of him through all that land. (Matthew 9:27-31)
Reflection
“Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord.”
There it is. That’s all we really need to know. That’s the key to determining whether we can ever truly have faith.
Faith is a gift freely given by God to help us know God personally, to understand his truth, and to live in the power of His love. For faith to be effective it must be linked with trust and belief — an active submission to God and a willingness to do whatever he commands. When two blind men approached Jesus, he questioned their earnestness in order to test and strengthen them in faith and trust in his power. Their faith grew as they responded to his word with confident hope. He restored their sight — both physically and spiritually to the reality of his kingdom.
We have to step out in faith to know faith. The preceding sentence is not a mind twister. The issue is that many are blind. Some want to see the proof before they commit. Some are too self-sufficient and don’t know how to be dependent. Some want to have faith but are not willing to take the steps to have faith. Are there any blind-spots in your life that keep you from recognizing God’s power and mercy?
Jesus demonstrates that by trusting in Him we will, as a result, be guided to the light. In this case Jesus guides the two men to being healed from blindness, but the same concept can be applied to the bigger picture. Jesus’ goal during his life was to heal the blind; not necessarily the literal blind, but those who have yet to encounter God’s love. Many of us out of ignorance may think that we can do everything on our own, but if we allow God to guide us, our lives will be elevated to new meaning, escaping the blindness, just like the two men in this passage did.
God wants to change and transform our lives to set us free to live as his sons and daughters and citizens of his kingdom.
The Lord Jesus wants us to live in the confident expectation that he will fulfill his promises to us and bring us into the fullness of his kingdom – a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).
Do you know the peace and joy of God’s kingdom?
Prayer of The Day
“Lord, help me to draw near to you with confidence and trust in your saving power and mercy. Free me from doubt and unbelief that I may approach you confidently and pray boldly with expectant faith. Let your kingdom come and may your will be done in me.”
Daily Note
Reaching out to Jesus and following him is not about physical sight alone. It is also about hope and faith. The two blind men hoped in divine healing and knew it would come from the Messiah. It is no coincidence that they identified Jesus as Son of David. That was his messianic title.
Advent is about hope and faith in the Messiah’s coming and action among us. We must not lose hope in Jesus entering into our world and into our lives. Like the two blind men we have to trust that we are not waiting in vain.
