Dear Faith Family, 

And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him, Matthew 20:34. 

“I’ll just follow you.”  Famous last words!  Been there?  A friend quickly runs through the 73 turns necessary to get the two of you where you’re going.  Like, “turn left just after the blue pickup truck that sits at the end of the driveway.  Then look for the burner barrel (you can see it in the backyard through the chain link fence).  After the burner barrel look for a road that veers off to the right.  Don’t turn there.  Wait for the next right and take it.”   

At some point, maybe after your eyes glaze over, you look at your friend and say those infamous words.  “I’ll just follow you.”  You know what happens next, right?  In a cloud of dust your friend hits fourth gear before you even manage to get your key in the ignition switch.  Shortly after panic strikes, frustration intervenes.  And then, at some point, your mind simply states the obvious: “It’s hard to follow someone if you can’t see them!” 

What’s the point?  The two men (Matthew 30) were unable to follow Jesus because they were not able to see Him.  What a profundity!  If we can’t see Jesus, it makes it hard to follow Him. 

How’s your vision?  Think about it.  Is distance making it hard for you to see Jesus?  Maybe sin has created a distance?  Confession is a gift that enables us to experience forgiveness and to remove the distance.  Sometimes, “SQUIRREL” (sorry), distractions steal our focus and we lose sight of Jesus.  Can I ask?  Are you focused on Jesus?  Distracted?  Distant? 

Back to the two men in Matthew’s gospel.  They could now see! And I don’t think that Jesus just gave them physical sight!  One of the best ways to “see” Jesus is to recognize what He is doing.  Not what I think He should be doing.  He always works in accordance with His Word.  He keeps His Word.  Those two men saw more than the world around them.  They saw what Jesus did.  They saw Jesus! 

So what then?  They followed! 

Looking to follow Jesus, 
Pastor Karl