Following, an evidence of sight.

“And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.” Matthew 20:30-34 KJV

Imagine if the two blind men in Matthew 20:30–34 had simply stood up and tried to follow Jesus despite being blind. Their journey would have been filled with struggles as they attempted to follow Him without sight. Their experience of following Jesus would have been shaped by the difficulties they encountered along the way, and they might eventually have concluded that following Him was impossible.

These men could hear Jesus, yet they were blind. This suggests that a blind person is not necessarily someone who cannot hear Christ. Spiritual blindness is not limited to those who have not heard the gospel or received salvation. This raises some important questions: Who, then, is a blind person? What are the implications of spiritual blindness? How does a blind person receive sight, and why should the blind seek to regain their sight?

In the context of Matthew 20:30–34, we will define blindness as the inability to follow Christ as a result of a lack of sight. The phrase “as a result of a lack of sight” is deliberately included to identify the specific cause of the inability we are examining. This is because there are other causes of an inability to follow Christ, which we can explore through other passages of Scripture.

For instance, the condition of being lame may represent a different kind of limitation: one may hear and see what Christ wants them to do but lack the strength or capacity to carry it out. In such a case, the problem is not necessarily a lack of sight but a lack of strength to act on what has been seen. Today, however, our focus is specifically on the inability to follow Christ because of a lack of sight.

TWO CATEGORIES OF THE SPIRITUALLY BLIND

We can broadly categorise the spiritually blind into two groups.

1. Those Who Have Not Received Christ

The first category is perhaps the most obvious: those who have not received Christ into their lives.

The experience of salvation is, in itself, a form of spiritual eye-opening. It is the first opening of the eyes that must take place so that we can begin to access and explore the resources available to us in the Person of Jesus Christ. Through salvation, we are introduced to a new life in Christ, from which we can continue to grow in knowledge, understanding, and spiritual perception.

Salvation, therefore, is not the end of our journey into spiritual sight; it is the beginning. Having received Christ, we must continue to grow in our knowledge of Him so that we can see more clearly and understand more deeply the realities of the life we have received in Him.

1. Those Who Have Received Christ but Still Lack Sight in Certain Areas

The second category is illustrated by the two blind men in Matthew 20:30–34.

These were men who recognised Jesus and cried out to Him for mercy. They knew enough about Him to call upon Him, believing that He could do something about their condition. Yet, despite this recognition, they remained blind until Jesus intervened and restored their sight.

This presents an important picture for the believer.

Perhaps the areas of my life in which I struggle to follow Christ are the very areas in which I still lack sight. Perhaps my difficulty in obeying Him in certain matters is connected to something I have not yet come to understand or perceive clearly.

If I receive sight in those areas, if I come into the proper knowledge and understanding of God's will, perhaps what once seemed difficult to follow will become clear. Just as the two men followed Jesus after receiving their sight, I, too, may find myself following Him more readily when the eyes of my understanding are enlightened.

This is not to suggest that every struggle in the Christian life is caused by a lack of understanding. There are other limitations we may need God to address. However, where the problem is a lack of spiritual sight, receiving sight becomes essential to following Christ in that area.

THE PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL SIGHT

This understanding gives us a prayer point that should continually find expression in our hearts:

Lord, open my eyes in every area of my life where I lack understanding. In Your mercy, bring me into the knowledge and revelation I need to follow You faithfully. Let me see what I have not been seeing, understand what I have not been understanding, and recognise what I have not yet recognised. Grant me sight so that I may follow You in every area of my life.

We must continually ask the Lord to enlighten the eyes of our understanding, bringing us into a deeper knowledge of Him and His will. We need Him to expose the areas of our lives where our understanding is deficient and grant us the spiritual perception required to walk in obedience.

THE FRUSTRATION OF FOLLOWING WITHOUT SIGHT

Following without sight is an adventure in frustration.

Without sight, one may repeatedly stumble into the same ditch, struggle with the same issues, and make the same mistakes. One may sincerely desire to follow Christ and yet continue to experience difficulty in areas where understanding is lacking.

But when sight comes, perspective changes. Things that once appeared complicated may suddenly become clear. Challenges that once seemed overwhelming may become easier to navigate, not necessarily because the circumstances have changed, but because the understanding required to respond to them has been received.

There are things we struggle to do simply because we have not yet seen what we need to see. There are instructions we find difficult to follow because we have not fully understood them. There are patterns we continue to repeat because we have not yet recognised what needs to change.

This is why we must not only pray for the willingness to follow Christ; we must also pray for the sight required to follow Him well.

The goal is not merely to desire to follow Jesus, but to receive the sight that enables us to follow Him with understanding.

CONCLUSION: LORD, GRANT US SIGHT

The two blind men in Matthew 20:30–34 cried out to Jesus for mercy, and when He restored their sight, they followed Him.

Their story reminds us that there is a connection between receiving sight and following Jesus. We must therefore be willing to acknowledge the areas in which we lack understanding and continually seek the Lord for the light we need.

May we never become comfortable with blindness in any area of our lives. May we never assume that because we can see in one area, we can see in every area. Rather, may we continually depend on the mercy of the Lord to enlighten the eyes of our understanding.

Our prayer is that the Lord Jesus Christ, in His mercy, will grant us sight in every area where we are lacking, bring our unnecessary frustrations to an end, and enable us to follow Him faithfully, clearly, and with greater ease. Amen.