A scripture in Matthew 9 talks about two blind men who followed Jesus for some distance. Apparently, they knew He was in the area and so when they heard he was passing by, they began to call out to Him. “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” they called. They pursued Him until they finally came close enough to talk as Jesus entered the temple. Jesus paused and turned to the two men. “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” he asked. They replied with a resounding, “yes!”
It’s interesting that the two men pursued Jesus even though they likely had no experience with him. They simply had heard stories, incredible stories about what He could do. As the blind men followed after Jesus, it’s interesting that they didn’t shout that they’d like to be healed, that they would like to receive their sight. They simply asked for mercy and let Jesus interpret that thought for Himself. I don’t know, but it seems to me that I would have been more direct, more anxious, more inclined to say, “I want to see! I want to see you!” Whatever their reasoning, they knew one thing. They were determined to get His attention and they would not stop until they got it. Somehow, they knew it was important to follow Him.
Most of us like to know things. We like to trust that we know enough about life and how it works to make good decisions. We like to believe we’re smart enough to put things together in a way that makes sense and that we have an inside track when it comes to knowing things. The ancient biblical world didn’t have the benefit of AI resources, or even Wikipedia and so people didn’t know things because they were able to research every nuance on the internet. They didn’t know things because they listened to the voices of strangers across the globe who told them what to believe and how to live.
They knew things because somewhere deep inside their own spirits, they recognized truth. They understood that there were things far greater than themselves that made a difference in the universe. They knew that what they needed was not necessarily what they wanted. They might want their sight back, but what they really needed was simply to be granted mercy. Mercy would mean that they were not alone to endure whatever they suffered. Mercy would mean that someone cared and that they were known.
When Jesus asked the blind men if they believed He was able to have mercy on them, able to help them, able to heal them, they knew deep down that He could. They knew in that unshakeable, amazing way that all of us must know, feel, and understand when we come to faith.
Sometimes we want things in our lives because we believe they will make a difference or make us happier. Our wants may not actually do that, however. What makes a difference is knowing that when we call out to God for mercy, He will turn and face us. He will only then ask, “What do you know? What do you believe? Do you think I am able to do this?”
Only you know the answer.