St. Matthew, Chapter 20, verse:31b, They would not be silenced.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The blind men at Jericho) Part 5.  

And so here they were, the two blind men, sitting on the road where Jesus was passing by.  Opportunity knocked at their door.  Fortune came to favor them.  All they had to do was ask for his help.  They believed he would save them.  So they called out.  They shouted out.  They yelled at the top of their lungs.  They wanted him to hear them.  They could not see him.  They did not know where he was.  But they could hear the others calling out his name.

Jesus, they called.  Jesus, Son of David, help us, they yelled.  But there were others calling his name also.  There were others trying to get his attention.  There were others who wanted his help and they were calling too.  And when the blind men called, others tried to stop them.  Others tried to silence them, but they were determined.  They would not be deterred.  So they continued to call him.  And they were told to be quiet to be silent.    But they cried out all the louder, saying, "Lord , have mercy on us, Son of David!"

They knew that their time had come.  They knew that they had the opportunity of their lives come right before their eyes, even though they could not see.  They saw with their minds eye.  They saw with their hearts beating.  They saw with their belief, their faith, and their cries. 

Often times in our lives we reach a point where we want to give up.  We come to think that all is for naught, all is lost, their are no other options left.  We come to what we believe is a brick wall with no other choices left.  Daily life has brought us to a point where our heads are spinning and we don't know what to do.  The bills have piled up and we have no money to pay them.  The mortgage payment is past due and the sheriff is knocking at the door to put us out in the cold.  We have lost our last job and we do not know how we will survive.

It is at these times in our lives that we become open to influence.  Our minds are open to whatever comes to us to turn our lives around.  Some will turn to suggestions that come to mind that will change their plight.  Others will break with themselves and accept evil thoughts to turn themselves around.  The influence of evil becomes present.  But then their is the other choice.  We could cry out to our Father to let him know our pain, to let him know the pressure that we feel.  We could ask him for his help.  Father, please help us!

The two blind men got their opportunity for help.  He walked right past their door.  Will you cry out when you come to your wits end?  Will you ask your Father to help you when you have fallen and do not know how to continue?  He wants to help.  He wants to provide.  He wants to take care of you, if you let him.  Faith is the key.  Trust is the door that opens unto those who call his name.  And knowledge of his love is the foundation upon which you can build the rest of your life.  For we can know with certainty that he will hear us.  We can know without doubt that he will answer.  We can experience miracles in our lives if we are patient in his will for us.  The choice is ours.  Cry out to the Lord and let no one or nothing silence you!

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ.   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.
 

St. Matthew, Chapter 20, verse:31a, Others tried to silence them.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The blind men at Jericho) Part 4. 

Opportunity knocked at their door.  Fortune favored their call.  The word spoke to them and they were overwhelmed with the joy and happiness that comes with the fulfillment of a dream.  For Christ was coming to their village.  He was coming to their town.  He was near and would soon be walking down the road where they sat begging for their survival.  They were blind.

The two blind men knew that this was their one time to ask the one person they believed could help them, Messiah.  They had heard the stories.  They had heard of the miracles.  They believed all were true and wanted to have their opportunity to ask the Lord for his help.  What did they want?  Was it gold?  Was it silver?  What was it that they wanted more than anything else in their lives.  They wanted to see.  More than life itself they wanted to be able to see and this was their opportunity.  They would not be silenced.  They would not cease their begging.  They would not pass on this opportunity to have their eyesight because others wanted them to stop.  "And the crowd angrily tried to silence them." 

What will you do when your opportunity knocks?  What will you want?  What will you need more than anything else in your life?  Will it be fame?  Will it be fortune?  Will it be riches?  Will it power?  Will it be influence?  What is it in your life that you desire?  And what will you sacrifice to obtain your dream?

We live in a world where we are bombarded daily, hourly with the things that make us want.  We make minimum wage and live from paycheck to paycheck.  But we see commercials on TV about owning a luxury car, buying a dream house, having money to buy expensive clothes.  All this comes to us in the guise of advertising.  All these things comes to us through the media that drive us to want, drive us to strive, drive us to be more, drive us to do more, drive us to want more.  We can be all that we want to be, but at what price.

The two blind men sat by the roadside begging, as they did everyday, for their needs.  We sit in our cubicles working in our daily grind to provide for our needs.  We want more because we are given to want more.  We are bored, dissatisfied, unhappy because that is what we are given to be.  We see all the happy people who have it all and that is where we want to be.  And for those who are given to extremes, they will seek to take what they want at any cost.

Christ came to the two blind men.  They did not know, until they heard, that he was coming.  Christ comes to us also.  He comes to let us know that we are loved.  He comes to hear our sorrows, our pain, our wants and our desires.  He cares for us.  He knows what we want, what we need.  But we do not know what it is that will satisfy our hunger.  We do not know what will fulfill our happiness and our joy eternally.  We do not know that we are the children of our Father and he will provide. 

God will provide.  God has provided.  He has given us more than we could ever want.  He has given us his love.  We were once dead.  But now we live.  The life we have is given to us through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.  And it is through his sacrifice that we are blessed beyond imagination.  We recognize the things of the world.  But we need to recognize the things of the spirit.  For this recognition opens our eyes and our hearts to that which is within us.  To know the love that the Father has for each and everyone of us will fill the heart for all eternity.  And beyond his love nothing else exists that  can or will satisfy.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ.   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.

St. Matthew, Chapter 20, verse:30b, They cried out.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The blind men at Jericho) Part 3. 

The word was a powerful thing in those days.  The people did not have television.  They did not have radios.  They did not have books and many did not know how to read.  All they had was what they heard by word of mouth.  And the words about Christ spread like wildfire; all wanted to hear of his deeds.  Even those who were not spoken to directly heard.  They were near to where the words were being spoken.

And then there were the two blind men sitting by the wayside going about their daily business of begging their food, begging for their needs.  This is how they provided for themselves.  Many saw them as sinners because they were blind.  It was believed that someone had to commit a sin in order for them to suffer the fate of being blind.  But the word did not discriminate.  It came to all who would listen.  It came to all who could hear.  It came even to the blind.

The blind men spoke to all who came by.  They begged loudly for a penny, or a quarter, or anything that would help them.  Their voices were heard by all who passed by.  And then they heard that Christ was coming to their town.  They heard that Christ was in their village.  They heard that Christ was traveling the road that they were on.  Their hearts were uplifted.  For surely Christ would hear their plea.  And when he came near, they "Cried out, saying, 'Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!' " 

Fortune shone on them that day.  Their opportunity knocked on their door.  The Lord and Savior of the world walked passed their begging place and they cried out with a loud voice.  They would not be silenced.  They would not speak quietly.  They would not stop calling his name.  They knew that this day was their day to be heard.  All the days of their lives they never thought that they would have this opportunity.   All the days of their lives they never imagined they would be near the presences of the Lord.  They had heard of his miracles.  They had heard of his deeds.  They knew that he had made the cripple walk, expelled demons from the sick, opened the ears of the deaf, and even raised the dead.  Why was it not possible for him to give them sight?

Christ comes to us in many forms.  He may come in an unexpected gift, or through a person, or through an awakening that we have never experienced.  He may even come to us in a life saving event that made us aware of how vulnerable we are in this world.  We go about our lives everyday without acknowledging how fragile we are.  We take our lives for granted not expecting anything to harm or destroy that which we have.  And when tragedy strikes and we come to realize the truth of our existence. 

The world around us is dying, everyday.  Our existence is dying.  Our lives as we know it can be taken in an instant.  Why not be ready?  Why not be prepared?  Why not know who you are inside?  The inevitability of our lives is that death awaits us.  The truth of who we are is that we are eternal beings, the death of the body is not the death of the soul.  For those who believe, God is our Father.  He created us in his image and his likeness and our Father is eternal.  Whether we accept who we are or deny it, the outcome is still the same.  We face a physical death and then the spiritual life within is transformed.  Where we end up is our choice.  Acceptance is the key.  Love is the vessel.  And Christ is our savior.  Come!  His love awaits you!

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ.   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.