Are You Grateful And In Sync With The Spirit’s Guidance?
Good Morning Friends,
Because God has been His people’s provider, helper, and deliverer from all their woes, they should respond to Him by a confident trust and joyous praise. For those of us grafted on to the promise we too, whether we are part of the choir or not, should join in preparation for the Kingdom to come, rejoicing in how God leads us. So, Are You Grateful And In Sync With The Spirit’s Guidance?
Scripture: If it had not been the Lord who was on our side—let Israel now say—if it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when our enemies attacked us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us; then over us would have gone the raging waters. Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth. We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 124 (NRSV)
Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again. Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, “My lord Moses, stop them!” But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!”
Numbers 11:25-29 (NRSV)
Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you. Your riches have rotted, and your clothes are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you, and it will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days. Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous one, who does not resist you.
James 5:1-6 (NRSV)
John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.
Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 (NRSV)
As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
Luke 18:35-43 (NIV)
They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’
Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
Mark 10:46-52(NRSV)
As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, ‘Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!’
The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, ‘Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!’ Jesus stood still and called them, saying, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, let our eyes be opened.’ Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.
Matthew 20:29-34 (NRSV)
Message: Today’s Psalm has the theme of deliverance. It is one of the Songs of Ascent. The people of Israel sang it and others as they journeyed to Jerusalem on feast days. Who knows maybe Jesus would have even sung it to Blind Bartimaeus in Jericho or at the last supper? The beauty of the song is that it opens the eyes of our memories of how God not only intervened in Israel’s past but in ours as well for we are grafted on to their election as children of God. What a mess we would be in if it were not for God being involved in our lives too, even as Gentiles, but moreover as Christians. But for the grace of God in the gift of Christ our lot would have been a curse…. Thankfully the song is responsive with an invitation to join in the praise of having been delivered. Thankfully we have been asked to join in the work of the called-out assembly of God as a witness to God’s power. However, it comes with a disclaimer. You see, the life of a follower of Christ is hazardous. Salvation and damnation are hinged on the filling of the Holy Spirit. Without that guidance no amount of wealth is going to set us free for an abundant life. We must be vigilant so as not to stumble. We must not deny the Spirit but join with it in the work God would have us to do. So, as you read today’s stories in scriptures about the blind receiving sight consider the roll of the Holy Spirit invoked in the Psalms. They are stories about how Jesus carried out His mission, how He invested His time and focus… how He opens our eyes to His ways. But it is also a joyous Psalm in the telling through music. Appreciate that the setting is on the road to Jerusalem. Jesus is in the final week of His ministry. Observe the crowds and how they love Him because they believe He will soon deliver them from the yoke of the Romans. Consider what the Holy Spirit is telling you in its rhythm.
And So, knowing when to pause and when to go is critical in life and the music of life. In today’s scripture the pilgrimage to Passover parade stops. It stops at the crossroads of kingdom and community, and we are told three similar stories of healing. And here we have to make some choices. The challenge to getting it right is that almost everyone in the stories is blind. The challenge is understanding how music helps us to see the story in new ways. And yes, maybe we are blind to but in learning when to pause we learn how Jesus would have us to act. As we approach Jericho in the story from Luke, there is a nameless blind man healed. Then in the middle of town Jesus calls Zacchaeus down from a tree and goes to his house, where He remains during the night. In Mark’s story the blind man is healed on the way out of town, we presume the next day. He is given a name Bartimaeus, which means Son of Timaeus and may be a reference to Plato’s dialogue of that same name on gaining sight through knowledge. Also, the two blind men in Matthew are placed as Jesus is leaving Jericho on his way to Bethany and Jerusalem. Knowing the number may or may not be important. But realize this, the list of who is blind does not stop there. Jesus’ disciples are blind. The crowd is blind. Thank God Jesus is present with vision to lead people to hear. For it is here that we see Jesus invoke the high art of stopping. As in a Psalm with Selah, there is a pregnant pause. Here Jesus gives recognition and respect to other human beings. Here we learn to see the difference between our agenda and His. Jesus is not focused on meeting our goals and building our kingdom but wants us to trust completely in Him as he directs the music of our lives for a greater good. Helen Keller put it this way: “Better to be blind and to see with your heart, than to have two good eyes and see nothing.”
Pray we recognize our need for divine help. Pray we realize that God has agreed to help us with the challenges of life. Pray we realize that we were not meant to live life at the shallow end of the pool. Pray our lives reflect the image of Jesus. Pray we rejoice in the name of Jesus. Pray we live in the power of the promise and an abundant, amazing life in Christ. Pray therefor we are grateful for our life. Pray we are thankful for our family. Pray we are grateful for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray we are thankful for our mind and strength. Pray we are grateful for the courage we have so that we might risk loving God and others. Pray we are thankful for life’s lessons including our mistakes. Pray we are grateful for our emotions…our happiness and disappointments…our laughter and pain. Pray we are grateful for our body and the body of Christ. Pray we are grateful for the privilege of our right to choose and the hope we might choose wisely. Pray we are grateful for our identity but moreover the identity we have reflected in the name of Jesus. Pray we sing to the glory of God.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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