Son of David, Don't Pass Me By!

Our day to day life is governed by opportunities. The opportunities for each day are endless! We can do as much or as little as we put our minds to or allow. The fact of the matter is there are plenty of things that we already discredit or cancel out before we even get out of the bed. One opportunity though that we should never pass up, but always go after, is the one to encounter Jesus. I know it sounds cliche but there is always an opportunity for us to encounter God. He simply is wherever we are. He is constantly walking by in our lives so that we might reach out, cry out, and encounter Him.


Take for instance the blind man in Luke 18:35-39:
"And it came to pass, that as he [Jesus] was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:  And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passed by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace:  but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me."


This guy was blind, on the side of the road begging, and discerned something different about his surrounding. He heard a commotion that was not familiar. Who knows how often he heard multitudes coming down his familiar road, but he knew there was something that was not the same. When the people, who could see, told him it was Jesus of Nazareth something went off on the inside of him. Jesus' name had preceded Him so this blind man knew who He was. He may have even entertained the thought that if one day he met this Jesus that he would believe to receive his sight. He was in a position where his encounter with Jesus was passing him by and he cried, "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me!" He literally said, "Don't pass me by!" He was at a point where he didn't want to continue the way he was. He knew that one encounter with Jesus would change his life.


So at the point of interception the blind man was ready.  He had probably been meditating on this day since he first heard of a guy from Nazareth healing the sick and giving sight to the blind. He had been anticipating his encounter. Are we anticipating ours? When we have the opportunity to intercept Jesus are we ready to say, "Don't pass me by!" The blind man knew that he couldn't miss this opportunity because he didn't know when the next time, if ever, he would encounter one like Jesus again. He knew that the change he experiences this time may not be the same as the next time. He was so moved to inquire of Jesus that he didn't care who was around him. Those beggars close to him, with sight, were discouraging him from bothering Jesus, but they already had their sight. He wanted something miraculous.


So as the blind man cried louder, "Thou Son of David, have mercy on me," Jesus then told the people with Him to bring him closer.  He asked him, "What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?" and the blind man answered, "Lord, that I may receive my sight." The blind man already had an expectation in the nature of the encounter he wanted and just told the Lord that he wanted to see. What Jesus said next was the breakthrough for the man's miracle.  Jesus then said, "Receive thy sight:  thy faith hath saved thee."  The man immediately "received his sight, and followed him." (Luke 18:39-43)


This is the thing, Jesus told him that "his faith hath saved" him or made him whole. It was his anticipation of the encounter that caused the change in his life. Are you anticipating an encounter or will you let Jesus pass you by? Is your need to intercept Jesus so great that you will cry out today, "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me?" After the man received his sight he continued his encounter with God because he "followed him, glorifying God:  and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God." (Luke 18:43)  So not only did he have one encounter but he made it his priority to have continuous encounters with Jesus after he had his initial encounter that made him whole. He went out and affected so many because people knew who he was and they saw who he had became; all to the glory of God.


So today are we ready to cry out for our encounter? Wherever we may be in our lives we are never above the endeavor to encounter. We always need more of Him so why not let today be the day that you meet him in your bedroom, at your job, on the beltway, in the elevator, or even at the grocery store. I know that I want everything I need from Jesus on the occasions that I have the opportunity for an encounter. I don't want to stifle the next time or miss out on anything this time. I want the one encounter to help facilitate multiple, continuous encounters with His presence.  Son of David, don't pass me by!




Be More. Hear More. See More. Do More.
You can do anything [through Christ]