By
Allen White
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men
followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
When he had gone indoors, the blind men came
to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they replied.
Then
he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to
you”; and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one
knows about this.” But they went out and spread the news about him all over
that region.
While
they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was
brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute
spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in
Israel.”
But
the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”
Matthew 9:27-34
Jesus had a knack for making wounded
people whole. He healed the two blind men. Could you imagine if the first face
you ever saw was Jesus’ face? He instructed them not to shout about it. They
couldn’t help themselves. They were blind and now they could see.
Jesus drove out the demon and opened
the mouth of the mute. Were his first words, “Thank you, Jesus”? I’m sure that
he couldn’t quit talking about it. After all, he had a lot to say on that day.
The religious leaders had to rain on
the parade. “He’s using the power of Beelzebub.” Most of us would be excited to
witness the blind men seeing and the mute man talking, we would just shout for
joy. We wouldn’t question the source of Jesus’ power. And, as far as Beelzebub
goes, when do we ever think of that name, except when we hear Bohemian Rhapsody.
It seems ridiculous for the Pharisees
to equate Jesus’ work with the prince of demons. Or, is it?
Think about this – someone does
something out of the goodness of their heart to help another – what kinds of
things do we hear about them?
“He’s trying to make a name for
himself.”
“She’s trying to get attention.”
“He’s a savvy entrepreneur drumming up
business.”
“She must feel guilty for something.”
“He’s just overcompensating for his
childhood wounds.”
“She’s just trying to prove something.”
“He just thinks he’s better than
everyone else.”
Jealousy has been around for a very
long time. The people weren’t buying what the Pharisees were selling. People
didn’t want the heavy burden they had to offer. Jesus didn’t come to sell
anybody anything. He came to give life in abundant proportions.
Jesus operated out of His love for us.
The Pharisees depended on guilt and fear. They needed a God of wrath. They
needed the threat of demons to keep people in line. Jesus didn’t need any of
that. In fact, the wrath of God is part of the goodness of God. Huh?
The punishment for our sins is only to
motivate us toward the Forgiver of our sins. He doesn’t want us to embrace
things that will harm us. God desired a relationship with us. God doesn’t want
anyone to perish, but for everyone to come to repentance (2
Peter 3:9). Jesus knew that the key to motivating people is loving them, not
regulating them.
Generosity, serving, caring, helping
and encouraging reflect the heart of God. How do you feel when you see others
serve well? Do you celebrate with them? Do you encourage them? Or do you become
a Pharisee?
Dragging down the God-motivated service
of others does not reflect God’s character. In fact, if we feel negative about
other’s good work, maybe it’s actually conviction to get motivated ourselves.
If we’re going to outdo each other, then let’s compete with generosity,
serving, caring, helping and encouraging. Leave Beelzebub to the Bohemian Rhapsody.
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