He Cried So Much The More

Towards the end of the Savior's earthly ministry, Christ and His disciples were traveling to Jerusalem.  As they passed through Jericho, they encountered large crowds of people wanting to see Jesus.  The following account of a faith-filled blind man and the Savior, Jesus Christ, has become one of my very favorite stories!

Luke 18: 35-43

And it came to pass, that as he (Jesus) was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:

And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.

And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.

And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,

Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight thy faith hath saved thee.

And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

I LOVE, love... LOVE this man!  He is an amazing example of fierce focus on the ONE who is mighty to save!  At the moment he realizes that the Savior is present... the contempt and scorn of his peers fades away to it's proper place on the heap of meaningless, periphery opinion.   He pursues the Savior, who in reality means everything, with indomitable tenacity!  Because of his clear vision he arrives at the feet of the Savior and receives healing not only of his physical... but more significantly of his spiritual self.  I love the picture the words in this account paint of his character... "immediately", "received", "followed", "glorifying".  I especially love that those who had sneered at him also had their vision enlarged.  As they witnessed the fruits of this man's faith and determination they too were led to praise God.

When we lay our trust squarely at the feet of the Savior... not only are our own lives infinitely blessed by His presence...  our very existence becomes a witness to others of the glory and goodness of God.  For this, I praise His most holy name!!!