Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." - John 6: 26-27 (NKJV)
But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! Y ou have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity." - Acts 8: 20-23 (NKJV)
The first verse is when Jesus started teaching harder truths to those who were following Him. As we can well imagine, the more miracles He performed, the more people were following Him but they were there for the wrong reasons. They wanted the show. They wanted the performance. They liked being with the "in" crowd." Once Jesus starts talking about them needing to eat His flesh and drink His blood...they walked with Him no more. The second set of verses are from the aftermath of the miraculous feeding of 5,000. Jesus cuts them to the quick by saying that they are seeking him for carnal reasons and not supernatural ones. The third set of verses is from the story of Simon the Sorcerer. The Bible says that Simon became saved. He was baptized and followed Philip. Then Peter came to town and Simon saw that when Peter laid his hands on people they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Once Simon offers money to have this same power he is exposed for being a false follower. He was not in it for Jesus and the advancement of His kingdom but rather for his own personal gain.
So the two blind men ask for mercy and Jesus wants to make sure they know why they sought Him out. When we seek Him we also must understand what it is that we need. For these men their ailment was obvious but maybe it will not be for our situation. The human condition is great at denial. We hear sermons often referring to Christians who circle the same mountain over and over again. Year after year. Saved by the blood but crawling into heaven. Saved by the blood but no victory in the one area they need the most deliverance from. Jesus can open our eyes if we wish them to be truly open. He can remove the demonic shackles from our feet if that is what we truly want. Sometimes I think we want Jesus to forcibly remove from us the things we know we ought not do. It does not work that way beloved. We have our part to play as well. We have to cry out for mercy. We have to press in to touch the hem of His garment. We have to be able to answer the question - what do you want me to do for you?
The last lesson here is that they followed Him. Do we get that today? They followed Him. You see we can tell Jesus that we need His help to overcome alcohol but if we then choose to go back into the bar, we are not following Him. We can ask Jesus to help restore our marriage but if we then go back into flirting with co workers, we are not following Him. We beg Jesus to take the shackles off and then when we think no one is watching, we quietly slip them back on. Keep circling that mountain. It is not enough to know that Jesus is with us all the time. It is not enough to realize that we need to call out to Him. It is not enough to realize that we cannot listen to others trying to keep us quiet. It is not enough to press in. It is not enough to ask in humility. We have a role. We have a part.
What do we want Him to do for us today? Where does this writing find you? What shackles need to come off? What mountain needs to be stopped circling? What demons need to be cast out? Jesus can do it all beloved. There is no question about His omnipotence. He can already see it all as well. There is no question about His omniscience. He is at your right hand, indwelt in you through the Holy Spirit - no appointment necessary! There is no question about His omnipresence. The only question is:
What Do You Want God To Do For You?
