Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Henry Drummond
Giving Sight to the Blind
When John the Baptist was thrown into prison, he asked about whether Jesus was really the One Who they expected to come, so Jesus told his disciples, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight” (Luke 7:22). Interestingly, we too were blind, but blind to the gospel (2nd Cor 4:3), for those who are still blind, “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2nd Cor 4:4). That’s reason to pray for the lost.
Healing the Lame
There are too many accounts to cover in one devotional about the many people that Jesus healed. Some were lame, but spiritually speaking, we were all lame and unable to walk with God. We had no feet to our faith that we could follow Christ with, but when we received the Spirit of God after repentance and faith, we could finally walk with God, but not before then.
Cleansing the Lepers
Leprosy is symbolic of sin and lepers had to be quarantined because they could infect others, so in a similar way, we were all unclean before God, being separated from Him by our sins (Isaiah 59:2), however Jesus’ righteousness was attributed or imputed toward us so that now we are seen as having the same righteousness as Christ (2nd Cor 5:21). Jesus told John the Baptist that the “lepers are cleansed” (Luke 7:22), and so are those who have trusted in Him.
Making the Deaf Hear
Jesus once said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:9), but until God opened our minds, hearts, and ears to the truth of the gospel, we were as deaf to the truth as someone who can’t hear a thing. Jesus wanted John the Baptist’s disciples to tell him that now “the deaf hear” (Luke 7:22). Believer’s have ears to hear, but we do more than hear; we act on that hearing, however many might know some of Jesus’ teachings, but it seems, few really hear what He is saying because they don’t have ears that listen.
Raising the Dead
Jesus raised many people from the dead during His earthly ministry, and so He wanted John to know that “the dead are raised” (Luke 7:22), and keep in mind, we were once dead in our sins (Eph 2:1), and unable to raise ourselves from a spiritual death. We were just as helpless as Lazarus who was four-days-dead.
Preaching the Gospel to the Poor
Finally, Jesus wanted John the Baptist to know that “the good news is preached to the poor” (Luke 7:22). To those who are poor, essentially, poor in spirit (Matt 5:3), Jesus brought the very best of news and that is they can be saved by repenting and trusting in Christ. Now, they have the unlimited riches that are not found in this world but found only in Christ.
Conclusion
Have you noticed all the things that Jesus did while here on earth? He spent His life doing kind things like, “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor” (Luke 7:22). We may not be able to make the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers be cleansed, the deaf hear, or raise the dead, but we surely can do kind things for others, and the kindest thing we could ever do is to see that “the good news is preached to the poor.”
