READING: Matthew 20, Mark 10:32-52, Luke 18:31-19:27
“Immediately they could see.”
Matthew 20:34
I admit that I’m not a very good listener. I get focused on what I’m doing, and I don’t always hear the specific voices of those around me. I’m sure I occasionally miss cries for help because I’m not always as alert as I need to be to my surroundings.
Jesus, on the other hand, heard the cries of hurting people around Him. In today’s reading, He heard the cries of two blind men over against the noise of a crowd and the reality of a cross hanging over His shoulders.
The crowd was not pleased with the cries of the needy men, so they tried to quiet them – but the men “cried out all the more” (Matt 20:31). Their desperation would not allow them to be quiet. Jesus not only heard them, but He also called them forth and healed them: “Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see, and they followed him” (Matt. 20:34).
As Jesus so often did, He instantaneously healed the men and changed their world. The noise around Him did not hinder Him from hearing and healing these men, as His ear was always attuned to the cries of hurting people. I need my ears to be equally sensitive.
ACTION STEPS:
- Ask God to give you ears to hear hurting and desperate people.
- Listen closely to people around you today. Pray for them as needed.
PRAYER: “Father, I need You to give me listening ears.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Review and catch up day