“And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.” –Luke 18:42-43
As Jesus went from town to town he encountered so many different people. Some of the people he encountered wanted to simply see him as he passed through their community. They followed him like a modern-day celebrity. Others sought after Jesus because they wanted to hear his intimate religious knowledge. Often, when Jesus entered a community, he would encounter people who were eagerly waiting on him because they needed healing and they had heard that Jesus was capable of great miracles.
That is what happened on the road leading into Jericho. A blind man was sitting along the road. He had heard that Jesus was passing by so he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The blind man was persistent and caught the attention of Jesus. Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The mercy he wanted was to see. Luke tells us that Jesus offered mercy that day and gave the blind man sight.
When this former blind man received mercy he, “Immediately” began to follow Jesus and giving thanks to God for His wonderful gift. This amazing encounter reminds us that God is at work offering his gracious love and mercy to all His people. He comes to us and gives us so many blessings. When we receive this mercy, Luke reminds us of the proper response to such a wonderful gift…gratitude.
God has blessed me in so many wonderful ways. That is one of the many reasons why I follow him, glorify God, and offer encouragement to you praise God and offer Him your thanksgiving.
Rev. Keith King, Online Campus Pastor
