THE BLIND AND THE LAME
"And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them."
Matthew 21:14
Have you ever had a WOW moment—a moment when you see something in Scripture you have never seen before? I had a WOW moment in Israel as our guide took us to the City of David. Here is what I learned.
DAVID AND THE JEBUSITES
When the people came to David at Hebron, they asked him to reign over all twelve tribes of Israel. Previously, he had been king over the tribe of Judah alone. But now, Israel wanted to be one people with one king. By assuming the kingship over all twelve tribes, the big question for David was this: where would he set up headquarters? What city (and tribe) would house his capital? This would be a key decision as friction between the tribes was never far removed from the people.
David set his sights on the undefeated city of the Jebusites, called Jebus, to be his capital. When he came against the city, the Jebusites were not afraid in the least. None of the Israelites before David had ever been able to take this fortified, seemingly impenetrable city. The Jebusites were so confident in their safety behind their city walls that they mocked David as he mounted his attack, saying, “You shall not come in here, but the blind and lame will turn you away” (2 Samuel 5:6).
David used the “blind and lame” taunt as motivation. He entered the city through the water tunnel and defeated the Jebusites. From that day forward, Jebus was renamed Jerusalem, the City of David. The “blind and lame” became a metaphor for the enemies of David who were “hated by David’s soul” and not allowed in the city.
THE TIME OF JESUS
The earthly ministry of Jesus was replete with miracles. He healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out the demons, walked on water, calmed the stormy sea, and fed five thousand men with five loaves and two fish. Interestingly, the vast majority of his miracles were done outside of Jerusalem in the region known as Galilee. In fact, Jesus performed only a few miracles inside the holy city. However, the few miracles of healing done in Jerusalem were very significant.
John tells us He healed a lame man at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5) and a blind man at the Pool of Siloam (John 9). Just days before going to the cross, Jesus cleansed the Temple for the second time (He did it the first time at the beginning of His ministry) and healed more blind and lame people—"And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them” (Matthew 21:14).
Only the healing of “the blind and the lame” are mentioned as miracles done in Jerusalem. The Scripture does not record Him casting out demons in Jerusalem or raising the dead in Jerusalem or cleansing the leper in Jerusalem. It exclusively speaks of Him healing “the blind and the lame” in the city. Do you see the connection?
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the masses hailed Him as the Son of David, the Messiah of Israel. He illustrated His rightful claim as King by dealing with “the blind and the lame.” He didn’t “hate them” (as the Scripture metaphorically said of David); He “healed them.” In so doing, He identified with His father, David, and made it crystal clear that Jerusalem was His city —“the city of the great King” (Psalm 48:2).
THE BLIND AND LAME TODAY
The Lord is still in the business of healing the blind and the lame. Whenever a spiritually blind and lame sinner comes to the Savior in repentance and faith, he is forgiven, set free, and welcomed into the city of God.
Furthermore, this lesson teaches us that no matter how insurmountable our problems may seem—like the invincible walls of Jebus—the Son of David is more than able to bring about a great victory in our lives that produces joy, peace, and a new beginning.
Are you blind and lame today? Come to King Jesus and find what you’ve been looking for!
Love,
Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries
Dr. Jeff Schreve believes that no matter how badly you may have messed up in life, God still loves you and has a wonderful plan just for you. From His Heart provides real truth, love and hope on over 700 radio stations each day, in 182 countries each week on TV, and is always available online. Pastor Jeff takes no income from this ministry. All donations go to furthering the broadcast outreach. As a listener/viewer supported ministry, we thank you for joining with us to help speak the truth in love to a lost and hurting world. Go to www.fromhisheart.org for more information.
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