Job 28, and Luke 18
Job 28:28 tells us that the fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is fundamental understanding. Fear is a powerful motivator. I work because of the fear of losing my possessions. I work on being a better Christ follower, husband, dad, and friend because I want good relationships and a deeper, divine connection.
Every action or inaction will have a reaction. If I don’t keep my eyes fixed on Jesus every day, I can’t be the best I can be. I’m not really good at it, even when I do, but I’m trying. I do fear the wrath of the Almighty God, and not being in a relationship with Christ.
This blind fella hears a ruckus going by. He asked the crowd, “What’s happening?” They told him that Jesus was coming through. So he started yelling, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.”
Then the crowd tells him to shut up! But he ignored the crowd and kept on yelling, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” “Jesus, son of David, he’s proclaiming that Jesus is the Messiah here.”
When Jesus came near him, he asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind fella, says Lord, I want to see. Jesus healed instantly. He followed Jesus, praised God, and all who saw it praised God too.
A couple of things struck me about today’s reading. The crowd initially told the blind fella about Jesus, but when he wanted to get near Jesus, they told him to shut up; they tried to stop him.
Isn’t that like the world, they don’t mind that you have heard of Jesus. They don’t mind that you think he’s a good example or a teacher. But they don’t want you close enough to Christ for him to change you.
I love how the blind fella just kept on yelling for Jesus. He didn’t listen to the crowd; he didn’t get distracted by their instructions, nope. He kept yelling! That reminds me: I can’t get distracted by the things of this world, the crowd, or what people think. I need to ignore the crowd, keep on yelling, and try to get closer to Christ. I need to be persistent in my pursuit of Christ.
I used to believe the crowd; the crowd would say I was a good person and that I didn’t intentionally hurt anyone. But I didn’t go to church, I didn’t read the bible, or even pray daily. I wasn’t seeking God; I would identify as a Christian, but I didn’t want the Lordship of Christ in my life. I was a lot like Tyler, whom Kyle Idleman speaks about.
After the miracle God worked in his life, he began praising God. Now he could hear and see clearly. And the crowd that saw the change started praising God, too. The same crowd that told him about Jesus, who tried to prevent him from getting Christ’s attention, then praised God. People need to see the change in our lives before they can praise and follow Christ.