Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

Matthew 21 is a huge turning point in the Gospel story. Jesus and His followers march into Jerusalem where the stage will be set for His arrest and crucifixion. Before we get there, however, Matthew includes a seemingly insignificant story at the end of chapter 20. I think it is anything but insignificant, however.

Two blind men were sitting by the side of the road outside of Jericho. No doubt they were there to beg travelers coming in and out of the city for money. This was probably the only thing their life consisted of. Sitting outside the city begging. No real hope of improved quality of life. Winning looked like simply surviving another day.

That is until they heard about Jesus. Maybe it was the commotion of the crowd following Jesus. Maybe it was a random passerby. Somehow these two blind men heard that Jesus, the Son of God, would be passing by their little corner where they barely carved out an existence of life.

Even though they could not see it, they heard hope was coming. Even though they could not see it, they acted upon that hope. They began crying out for forgiveness and for healing with no real way of knowing if they would be heard or seen. They couldn’t even really know that they were shouting in the right direction. I’m sure on some level they felt foolish shouting into the darkness. But how could they not give hope a chance?

Maybe you think that simply surviving another day is the best life you will experience. Stuck out in the cold feeling like nothing is ever going to change. You want to see hope, but truthfully all you see is darkness. Even if you can’t see hope coming, I want you to hear about it.

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6.

If it ain’t good, God’s not done. Even if you can’t see it, hope is here.

Reflections:

• Is there a place in your life where you need hope? Spend time praying that God will help you see the good He is working.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Family Application: Humility & Contentment

Author: Scott Strahan

Jesus communicated with people in different ways; at times He would tell a parable (a story with an underlying message or principle); at other times He would simply talk straight with them. Regardless, His goal was to speak clearly to those around Him so they would understand God’s purpose for their lives here on earth and throughout eternity.

In one of the parables, Jesus spoke of a farmer who often hired people in the community to work the fields. On one occasion, the man hired some workers early in the morning to work all day for a certain amount of pay they agreed to. Later in the day, the farmer hired some more workers to work until the end of the day, at which time he would pay them what he thought was right. At the end of the day, all the workers received the same pay, some having worked all day and others only part of the day. The workers who had worked all day complained because they did not think it was fair. The farmer reminded them that they had agreed to work for a certain amount, so it was in fact fair. Jesus was teaching the people two principles of life: 1) life may not always seem fair, but we are to always do what is right, regardless of the circumstances, and 2) we are to be content with what we have. You can read more about contentment in Hebrews 13:5, Philippians 4:11-12, and 1 Timothy 6:7.

Later, the mother of James and John (two of the disciples) asked Jesus to give her sons positions of authority in His kingdom. Jesus used the opportunity to help her and all the disciples understand that His purpose on earth was to serve others, so following Him would sometimes require that they make sacrifices. In making these sacrifices, they were serving others. We also learn in Matthew 25:31-40 that when we serve others, we are actually serving God.

• Prayer: God, thank You for teaching us about life; how we should live on earth, how we are to treat others, and how we can follow You. We love You, and we ask You to guide us in our thoughts and in our actions. Amen.