Do you believe?
by Pastor Jim Strelan
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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?’ (Matthew 9:28a).
Do you believe? Now that’s a question! Yes, I believe. I believe in God. Every Sunday, I stand up in church and say, ‘I believe’. Facts. Facts about God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. But to know facts is one thing. To trust those facts and act on them is another. I know at night, when the room is dark, if I go over to the wall and flick a switch, the lights will come on. But knowing that fact and acting on it is something else.
We actually don’t know the depth of belief that these men had. They did call Jesus ‘son of David’, so they did have some concept of who he might be. They knew some facts about the One who had been promised. But those facts didn’t just stay in their heads, it led them to trust that this Jesus could bring them sight, and they acted on it. When Jesus asked them whether they believed that he could heal their eyes, their response was simple and categorical: ‘Yes, Lord’ (verse 28b). That was enough for Jesus.
Recently, I took the funeral of someone whom I described as having a ‘simple’ faith. That wasn’t putting her down or criticising her faith. I was saying that for her, believing was uncomplicated. She just did. She may not have had all the answers to the big questions about God, but she trusted him in her life and death.
What about you? Do you believe in simple, childlike trust that Jesus can bring you out of the darkness that wants to smother you, and take you into a place of light? These two men show us the way. They follow after Jesus, they persevere, and they ask quite simply. And their sight is restored.
Jesus, I call you ‘Lord’, which means I believe you are Lord over everything and every aspect of my life. Reach out your hand and heal where I am most sick. Amen.
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