Title: Jesus' secret compassion (Matthew 20:29-34)
[Matthew 20:29-34]
[29] ♠ As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus. [30] ♠ Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing, they cried out, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David.” [31] ♠ The crowd rebuked them and said, “Be quiet,” but they shouted even more, “Lord, have mercy on us, son of David.” [34] Jesus was moved with pity and touched their eyes, and immediately they began to see, and they followed him.
In today's text, two groups of followers of Jesus appear.
One was a great crowd from Jericho, who followed Jesus as the political leader they had been waiting for.
Another group were two blind men sitting by the side of the road, who were blind, and they cried out to the Lord with a simple belief that only Jesus could heal them.
A small clash between these two groups is recorded in the text.
The two blind men sitting on the side of the road and holding Jesus back were seen as stumbling blocks to a large crowd who thought they should bring Jesus into Jerusalem quickly and establish their political kingdom, so they strongly rebuke the disabled people who are looking for Jesus.
They thought that the wishes of the blind could be ignored in front of their great will.
Nevertheless, Jesus takes an interest in the two people who cry out louder and earnestly ask for help. He has compassion on those who want to open their eyes, and He touches them and heals them.
Hearing the small voices of the two disabled people who cannot help but being buried in the voices of so many people, he turned his gaze to them, took pity on them, and watched Jesus heal them by touching them. do you give I've been thinking about
It is thought of as Jesus' burning compassion for the weak soul. This can be seen in verse 34, where it says that he was embarrassed.
Touching and healing even the leper, whom people do not like to approach, is believed to be an expression of Jesus' compassion and love for one soul.
And in the healing history of Jesus, we see many cases in which the burning heart of love becomes a fuse and ignites power.
You can see that Jesus worked with secret compassion for one soul. Therefore, what we need to remember when we come to the Lord and pray with difficult problems or suffering is the Lord's secret and deep compassionate heart shown in the text. Remembering that He knows our hearts and shares our sufferings, we believe that the compassionate heart of the Lord is revealed to us as a healing power, and we will experience that power when we pray.
And our prayers should be offered as simple as the blind people in the text.
Because the Lord already knows our needs, tears, and pain, if we cry as if we cried out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on us,’ I believe that the Lord will come to us with burning compassion, touch us, and heal us.
If we look at today's sermon from another perspective, which side do I really belong to among the two groups in the text? is to do
Because most put themselves on the side of the underdog, it is easy to project themselves on the side of the blind. But as I meditated on the Word, I saw myself reflected in the crowd.
And I could see where the essence and interest of Jesus' ministry were. Rather than being taken away by the number of crowds following them, or by the cheers or glory that they will receive as they enter Jerusalem, I could see that they were paying attention and paying attention to the two blind people on the side of the road.
These words made me reflect on the nature of the ministry I have been running so far and the essence of what I have been focusing on.
Where my eyes were fixed, where my attention was focused, what kind of people my ears were more attracted to... …
Jesus in the text is a busy man with a long way to go. Since you are on your way to Jerusalem to fulfill the purpose of coming to this earth, no one will blame you if you just pass by.
Nevertheless, Jesus stops in front of the two disabled people. Rather than the cheers of countless people, he listens to the moans of two weak and disabled people. It was because compassion was burning to heal even one more soul.
Let's apply this statement to me.
I wonder if the Lord's burning heart for a soul who is dying because of the glory of the ministry he is doing, or because of his busy schedule, is disappearing.
If my family is broken and I am crushed by the pain of immigrant life, I turn away from the cries of the members who are in difficulty, I consider my ministry more important, and I reflect on what to do if I have neglected them.
I hope that this period of Lent will be an opportunity to humbly reflect on ourselves, imitate the heart of Jesus once again, and reflect on the essence of ministry.
Rather than the cheers of many, we want our hearts to be where the Lord's heart is, where the Lord's pitiful gaze rests, and we want to be able to listen to the groans of the weak who need our prayers.
I need to visit the sick and weary members that I have forgotten, share their pain and pray for healing.
There will be members among us who need my prayers and care, my service, and a warm word.
Today, while thinking of the Lord's compassion for the visually impaired, we want to become the Lord's hands and feet for those in need, touch them with the Lord's heart, have compassion, and pray. I believe that the Lord will have compassion on us and the church through this period and use it as a miracle tool in the midst of shortcomings to spread the light of the Lord's life to those who are dying around us.