So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.’  Luke 7:22 (NIV)

A couple of inquirers come from John the Baptist to see Jesus.  They are here to find out the truth about Jesus.  They want to know if Jesus really Is the One sent from the Father.  So they come right out and ask Him.  But does Jesus give them a straight answer?  Or does He ask them to work it out for themselves?  Can anyone really just tell us anything?  Do we always need to experience something for ourselves before we ever have any real understanding of it?  So what does Jesus do?  Does He gently shepherd them along?  He reminds them of what they are seeing.  He tells them of the wonders God is performing all around.  Is He leaving it up to us to open ourselves to God?  Rather than forcing His issues above ours, is He giving us the opportunity to step a little closer to that mysterious Spirit who reaches out to us?

Where do we go with what we see of Jesus?  What are we allowing to reach deep into our hearts?  Those who hear Jesus teaching can take whatever course they choose.  Are there Pharisees who step back skeptically and cling to their own interpretations?  Is there form of worship more satisfying to their earthly desires, esteems and motives?  At the same time are there souls who hear and recognize that distance exists between them and the Lord?  Are these honest hearers opening themselves to the unlimited possibilities that Jesus presents to us?  Are their frail hearts expanding to let eternal and boundless wonders flow in?  Are they taught on levels they never before imagined could exist?  Are they experiencing the Presence of the Divine?

So what kind of hearing are we doing?  When we go to Christ to learn Who He will be for us, how do we read it?  When we read “The blind receive sight,” do we understand that God can heal people who have lost sight with their eyes?  Or does the Spirit whisper to our hearts that we too may see into spiritual truths?  Does it perk our curiosity to look closer at what Jesus really wants us to know in this very moment?  When we read, “the lame walk,” do we think the Lord can cure our hurts?  Or are we hearing that we who have come to a stand-still can find in Him a Way to move again?  When we read “those who have leprosy are cured,” do we think God can heal us of diseases that inflict us?  Or is our understanding lifted to know that although what we humans suffer is terminal, He has a Way and is there to restore us for all eternity?  When we read “the deaf hear,” do we limit his words to people that can hear music again?  Or do we realize that even we are beginning to actually HEAR what Jesus wants us to hear of His words?  When we read “the dead are raised,” do we picture open graves?  Or do we feel our hearts quickening within us?   And when we read “The good news is preached to the poor,” do we think of the ragged people on the street?  Or are His words burning into our souls?  Are we lifted higher and nearer unto God?  Do the clouds of Heaven part a little more as we read on?  How are we reading His words today?

Dear Jesus, can we come to You today?  How would You have us read what is going on?  Is there something You would have us know?  What is it?  Help us to open ourselves to actually Hear You!  Lift us in understanding.  Part the clouds.  And prepare us for what we may discover today!

Amen!