Do you believe?
by Anne Hansen
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Then he [Jesus] touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith let it be done to you’ (Matthew 9:29).
Read Matthew 9:27–31
Magic defies reason. When a magician does a trick, even though you may be watching ever so carefully, you do not see the sleight of hand that makes the trick appear magic. Our eyes see one thing, but another occurs. Is it real? Our reason says no, but we cannot prove it! A magician wants people to marvel at their gifts. What if we could not see it? Would it still be magic? There are the idioms ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ or ‘Seeing is believing’. But what if you can’t see it, yet you believe? Is this a stronger faith?
The two blind men in the story above in Matthew obviously believed that Jesus could heal them from their blindness. Their faith came not from seeing Jesus perform miracles but from hearing the stories about what Jesus had done. These two wanted the mercy of Jesus and so believed in his power to be able to open the eyes of the blind. It seems their faith was the one condition that granted their healing request. It is interesting that this healing happened inside and out of sight of the public – for ‘they went right into the house’. After they were healed, Jesus also told them, ‘See that no-one knows about this’.
While Jesus is all-powerful, his power was used to show his compassion and care and not to show off as a magician would do. He didn’t want to gain notoriety with people who just wanted to see his miracles. In the Gospel of Matthew, we are reminded over and over that following Jesus is about following his commands and words that bring life, health and healing to body, mind and spirit. Jesus, as God, is all about teaching about the kingdom of God and showing compassion to all. This is something we can all do this Lenten season – share about Jesus’ love and care for those around us!
Jesus’ act of forgiveness is not magic – it is a gift of love and grace!
My loving Jesus, you showed me the need for my healing from the wrongs I do. Your forgiveness and love are all I need. I trust you and have faith that you hold me in your hands. Amen.
Anne Hansen has worked as the Lutheran Tract Mission Development Officer for 19 years. She is married to Pastor Mark Hansen (who serves in Noosa Qld), and they have three grown children – Jonah, Christian and Emma. Previously, Anne was a Lutheran school teacher, having taught at Good Shepherd Lutheran in Noosa Qld, St Marks in Mount Barker SA, and Golden Grove Lutheran School in SA. Anne says she loves serving Jesus! Her other roles have included pastor’s kid, Lutheran Youth of South Australia (LYSA) president, Lutheran Youth Encounter (USA) events director, nanny in Wales, backpacker through Europe, puppeteer, musician (touring the USA for two years), Know Your Bible (KYB) leader, Mainly Music leader and children’s ministry leader.
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