A Whole New Perspective

L

ast week, I passed another milestone in life, reminding me that I am not getting any younger. A visit to the eye doctor confirmed what I already knew; I needed a new pair of eyeglasses with a stronger prescription.  While this came as no surprise, the fact that the new prescription was written for bifocals definitely gave me something to think about.

I left the optometrist’s office, prescription in-hand, and entered a store specializing in prescription glasses.  One of the ladies working offered me some assistance and we began the process of finding suitable frames.  After thirty minutes, I decided on the frames and she proceeded to complete my transaction by placing an order for the lenses.  Since the lab was on-site, she informed me my new glasses would be completed in a little over an hour and a half.

I took advantage of the time to do some shopping and 90 minutes later, I returned to pick up my glasses.  Another lady waited on me and fitted the new glasses to my face, making all the necessary adjustments so the glasses fit just right. Since I had never worn bifocals, she took a few minutes to explain the changes I was about to experience.  Finally, I put on the glasses and in an instant I gained a whole new perspective on the world around me.  What had been fuzzy came into sharp focus and the small things I could barely see just a few minutes before stood out as clearly as if I weren’t wearing glasses at all.  Near or far, whatever I looked at was clear. What a difference those new lenses made!

My experience parallels a similar story found in the New Testament.  Two men asked Jesus to touch them and restore their sight.  These two men, however, weren’t near-sighted or far-sighted; they were completely blind.   What they wanted, what they needed, was the ability to see clearly.  The story of their incredible healing is found in Matthew 20:29-34 and is the focus of our devotional today.  

This passage of scripture reads, “As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two 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!" The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. "Lord," they answered, "we want our sight." Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.”

Three distinct truths should jump out at us from this passage.  First, the men knew they were blind.  How many days they had been by the roadside, how many times they had begged for money, how often they had asked passersby to help them, we do not know.  But we do know is that these men understood they were lacking the ability to see.  While the sun rose high in the sky, these men lived in total darkness, unable to enjoy the wonderful blessings of sight.

Second, these men knew Jesus could give them what they did not have.  When Jesus asked them what they wanted, they did not hesitate but answered boldly, “we want our sight.”  They did not try to hide their blindness, they did not beat around the bush, and they did not make excuses for their request.  They simply told Jesus they wanted to see and they knew that only he could make this possible. 

Third, these men refused to be denied.  They steadfastly pursued their desire to see and would not let anyone or anything stand between them and Jesus.  Notice that the people around them encouraged them to be quiet.  In fact, their peers were very indignant toward these men, doing all within their power to squelch their cries for help.  The more the crowd tried to quiet them, however, the more determined these men became to make themselves heard.  Can’t you just hear their voices growing louder with every request, ending in a crescendo of determination as their requests caught the ears of Jesus? And Jesus responded to their faithfulness.

Today we need to learn the lesson these two men taught their peers on that day so long ago.  As long as we refuse to come to Christ we walk and live in blindness.  We cannot see the light of God’s word or understand His truth because our eyes do not respond to the light of that truth. All around is darkness, and we are left on the side of the road.  We must recognize that only Jesus can give us the sight we need and that only through our continued, daily prayer are we able to see clearly.  The more we pray, the more we seek God’s will, the more we ask for clearer sight and understanding of God’s truth, the more we see and learn about our Heavenly Father.

Wherever you are in your walk today, I trust you are asking God to improve your spiritual sight.  What we need is a whole new perspective, a perspective we cannot secure on our own.  We can only see God’s truth when we allow Him to correct our vision.  When was the last time you had your spiritual vision checked?  How about making an appointment for corrective spiritual lenses today?