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Advent Devotional for Wednesday, December 22
So there we were, out in the middle of the lake, and we
were all hungry, but whoever was supposed to bring the lunch had forgotten it. Then Jesus started going on about the bread of the Pharisees. Well, we knew what he meant — he was talking about their teaching. He just couldn’t let go of that. There wasn’t a Pharisee within miles, but if one had rowed up right then and handed me a sandwich, I would have taken it. Then Jesus started calling us blind and deaf, and started talking about the miracles he had performed. Okay, fine. But he didn’t seem to be about to perform another one, so all we could do was sit there and wait until we got to shore.
We landed and walked into town, and there was the usual blind guy waiting for him. Just like always, Jesus decided it couldn’t wait until after lunch, so he grabbed him and led him back the way he had come, motioning for us to follow.
When we got out of town a little bit, Jesus spat on the guy’s eyes and touched them, and asked him what he saw. “Looks like trees walking around,” the guy said. So Jesus did it again, and the guy could see.
That was weird. It didn’t usually take Jesus two tries. It made me wonder. There are lots of things I don’t get. Jesus called us blind, and maybe we are, in a way. He can be maddening, sometimes, but maybe a little more time with him and things will come clearer. I watch the guy who used to be blind run down the road, and wonder what he sees, and think about how many times it might take for Jesus to heal me.
Lord, you alone know how much we need to be healed, and how long it will take. Be patient with us, we pray, and teach us to be patient with ourselves. Stay with us until we see face-to-face, even if it takes a lifetime. Amen.
David W. Johnson
Director of Ministerial Formation
For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.
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