in respect to our Lord Jesus "passing by". Oh, what a glorious, red letter day it was, when, as a poor

blind lost sinner, He passed by our way. However, I see a greater paradox in this wonderful passage.

Verse 32 records that "Jesus stood still". I know that critics and skeptics probably would describe

this statement as simply being descriptive of the Lord's mannerisms. But the Bible scholar and the

truth seeker will quickly understand that this must have been an unusual occurence, for the writer to

record these words. The Word of God never records these words in relation to the Pharisees or the

politicians of that day, but it was recorded on this occasion, when our Lord was alerted to these two

blind men. Probably no other passage simplifies and describes the way of salvation as this passage

does. What a great doctrinal statement we have, in that the Lord of glory, the Word made flesh, and

the only begotten Son of God would cease all other actions and activities, and stand still and listen

to the helpless cry of a poor, begging and blind sinner. In our Christian world today, very little is ever

done without the expectation of something in return. Even in the preaching ranks, rarely do we find

those who give of themselves, especially to those who have nothing to offer in return. The scene

before us is in direct contrast ot what we see today. These two blind men had nothing, nor did they

have anything to offer the Lord. The hallelujahs begin to run through my soul, when I read that He

stood still and gave an audience to these two men. As we examine these verse, let us see:

A) Situation ("blind")

In Biblical days, physical blindness was very common. In our day, spiritual blindness trumpets

physical blindness by a mile. Satan's desire is keep people blind to the things of God, there-

fore, he can also keep people bound. The physical blindness of these two men rendered

them trapped within a sealed environment. They were prisoners within their own bodies. This

is precisely where a lost sinner exists. That person is a prisoner of their own depraved nature,

and are hopelessly and helplessly doomed to destruction.

B) Occupation ("begging")

Their's was a pitiful condition. There were no "welfare programs" or Obama handouts then.

Their lives were dependent upon the genorsity of others. If noone showed them mercy, they

would die in this pitiful situation. This is a picture of where a lost, blind sinner exists. They

are prisoners, and unless someone shows them mercy and compassion, they will die in their

sins.

C) Provocation ("heard")

Blind peole can's see, but they can hear. Scripture tells us that "Faith cometh by hearing".

Spiritually, we must first hear then we will see. As we dig deeper into this passage, we must

ponder as to how many years and how many voices these two blind men spent and heard

while on the roadside begging. We wonder how many quick cures and faith healers they

might have heard about. However there was something different and special in this announce-

ment that "Jesus was passing by". These words alerted and aroused more than simple

interest, fascination or curiosity. It brought, maybe for the first time ever, hope that there

was a solution for their situation.

D) Solicitation ("cried out")

It becomes imperative in properly expositing this verse, that we understand that their only

means of communication was their voice. They were blind and could not see how to get to

the Saviour. Even if they could walk, they didn't know what direction to go in. Is this not

a picture of where a lost sinner exists. Our state of spiritual blindness is a helpless situation

that prevents us from even the most simple of operations, such as determining which

direction the Saviour is in. Crying out to the Lord Jesus was their only recourse, and it re-

mains the only recourse of a lost sinner. They could not go to him, so He came to them

E) Acceptation ("Lord, thou Son of David")

Proper interpretation of scripture, will reveal to us that God is only approachable on the

ground rules that He has established. When the Philippian jailor asked, "Sirs, what must

I do to be saved?", the answer was "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be

saved. Notice in this reply, that all the names attached to our Lord was used. This honors

Him not only as Saviour, but as Lord also. When the blind men cried out and said, "Lord,

(which honored Him as Lord), thou son of David (honored Him as Saviour). This is not

something that can be taught, but is something that is wrought in the soul by faith. When

a lost sinner comes to God for salvation, that sinner will never see Jesus in any capacity

less than what and who He is.

A) In Spite of a Display of Discord (vs 31a)

Very little has changed in the attitude of the crowd from that day to this day. Discord

sowers are still with us today. Perhaps the crowd thought that these blind men were too

"low life" for Jesus to be bothered with. But the real truth is that the crowd didn't want to

be bothered with them. This thrill seeking crowd would rather see someone supposedly

get healed of an ingrown toe nail, than to see a sinner plucked out of hell. If the "name

it and claim it" crowd really believes that garbage, why don't they "name and claim

lost sinners to be saved?

B) Included in a Display of Desperation (31b)

These two blind men had become desperate. Undoubtedly, they now realized that their

only hope of ever having sight rested in gaining an audience with the Lord. Apparently

they were not going to let this bunch of naysayers discourage them because the scrip-

states that they "cried louder". We cannot overlook this glorious picture of a desperate

sinner. They were willing to exhaust all their available means to get the attention of the

Lord. They realized that He probably would never pass this way again. They had deter-

mined not to become victims of a missed opportunity. I recall, several years back,

at the end of a service, following the invitation, I felt someone tugging on my pants leg.

It was my granddaughter, Holly. She looked up at me with those beautiful blue eyes

and said, "I want to be saved". As I always do with small children, I told her to think

about it until the next service. As I started to walk away, she jumped in front of me,

and said, "You don't understand, Paw Paw, I've got to get saved right now. This was the

cry of desperation and deity always honors desperation. It was the cry of desperation

that God said He heard coming out of Egypt.

C) Involved in a Display of Deity (vs 32a)

"Jesus stood still". What an amazing display of the love and concern of deity for a

desperate person. The word "still" is the same Greek word used in the passage where

the Lord commanded the wind and waves with, "Peace be still". The use of the word

in this particular passage might indicate that not only did Jesus stand still, but every-

thing and everybody around Him stood still as well. Is it not a glorious, hallelujah

thought to realize that right in the middle of our noizy and busy world, a sinner can cry

out to Jesus, and not only will He pass by, and hear us, but He will stand still for us.

It seems that the writer of this gospel worked diligently to not leave out the smallest of

details. As a result, we are privileged to gaze upon one of the most conclusive portraits

of the process of salvation that is present anywhere in the Bible. Verse 34 is jammed

full of doctrinal precepts that are ours for the taking.

A) Notice the Tenderness of the Saviour's Compassion ("Jesus had compassion

The word "compassion", as is used in this verse, leans more to being a verb than a

noun. We mortals are limited within the confines of the action of this word. While we

can have and show the affection side of compassion, many times we fall short of

the action side, either due to reluctance or inadequacy. Only deity can display both

the affection and the action without limitations. Also, notice that Jesus "had" com-

passion, and that the verse did not say "He showed compassion". Mortals show

compassion, but deity owns and has compassion. The Saviour's compassion for

these men was an affection, but greater still, was an action that eliminated their

problem of blindness.

B) Notice the Touch of the Saviour's Conversion ("touched their eyes")

The request of the sinner had been made, the restraint of the crowd had been voiced,

but now the redemption of the Saviour was being displayed. Salvation is a "hands on

salvation". The song "He touched me" probably describes this glorious experience

the best:

He touched me, oh, He touched me

C) Notice the Truth of the Sinner's Completeness ("immediately their eyes received sight)

No matter how many steps we interpret that are necessary in leading a sinner to

salvation, the fact remains that the touch of salvation from the Master is an immediate

and instanteous passing of that saving virtue from the Saviour to the sinner. Also,

notice the word "received", which indicates that the cure was from an outside source

only, and could not be attributed to any work or qualification on the part of the sinner.

D) Notice the Totality of the Sinner's Conforming ("they followed Him")

The doctrine of our conforming to the new nature within us, is taught throughout the

New Testament, but is never displayed in a more simpler, but complete picture than it is

in these three words. True faith always follows the object of that faith. Faith also always

ends in sight. The very first thing these two blind men ever saw in their entire lives, was

the face of the one who had touched them and made them whole.