Dear Explorer,
Read Matthew 20:29-34
How many blind men were there?
Who told them to be quiet?
What was Jesus' emotional response?
Read Mark 10:46-52
How many men did Mark report?
What was the blind man's name?
Who told the blind man to be quiet?
Read Luke 18:35-43
How many men did Luke report?
Once again, we are faced with a discrepancy. I see three possible reasons for it.
#1 Matthew was present and reported two men. But Mark and Luke were not present and therefore wrote what other people told them. They may have forgotten the other man. Or
#2 Mark and Luke deliberately left out the other blind man because he didn't continue to follow Jesus after he was healed. Or
#3 This could have been two different incidents. Jesus healed so many people that it's possible that Jesus would encounter 3 blind men along the road from Jericho to Jerusalem.
I lean toward #2 but have no proof. Another question we'll have to leave for Heaven.
Who told the blind man to be quiet according to Luke?
You will encounter followers of Jesus who are in active ministries who are not tuned to Jesus' plan. You may encounter whole churches who are formed without obedience to Jesus' commands.
I got to sing at a church in St. Louis when I was in college. It was a lovely group of people, but I didn't feel God's presence there. As our group was leaving, the ushers unlocked the doors to let us out. We asked why the doors were locked – wondering if there was a safety issue that we should know about. The ushers told us that the neighborhood children would come in and disturb the worshippers if they left the doors unlocked. We were told that they weren't dressed appropriately for church and they were often dirty and unkempt. So, they locked the doors to keep them out.
What do you think Jesus would say to this church?
What did Jesus mean when He said, “your faith has healed you”?
Was it the man's faith that healed him – or the One he placed his faith in?
Make sure you distinguish between the two. Our faith cannot heal us if we place our faith in something other than Jesus! The “power of positive thinking” is good, but it's not enough without Jesus.
In His service, dale
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