Their Eyes Were Opened

Friday of the First Week of Advent

By Melanie Rigney

On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book; and out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see. The lowly will ever find joy in the Lord, and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 29:18-19)

The Lord is my light and my salvation. (Psalms 27:1)

When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they said to him. Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” And their eyes were opened. (Matthew 9:28-30)

Piety

Shackled by a heavy burden ‘neath a load of guilt and shame. Then the hand of Jesus touched me, and now I am no longer the same. He touched me, Oh He touched me, and oh the joy that floods my soul! Something happened and now I know, He touched me and made me whole. (Written by Bill and Gloria Gaither)

Study

Jesus didn’t have to touch the two blind men to heal them, of course. All they had to do was believe, and it would have been done. He told them as much. But Jesus, being both fully God and fully human, knew the power of human touch. He knew that two blind men probably hadn’t experienced that touch often. And so he touched them, because that sort of human connection is something we all crave. A Psychology Today article notes:

More recent studies have found that seemingly insignificant touches yield bigger tips for waitresses, that people shop and buy more if they’re touched by a store greeter, and that strangers are more likely to help someone if a touch accompanies the request. Call it the human touch, a brief reminder that we are, at our core, social animals.

Jesus often touched those he healed and healed those he touched who had not even asked for healing. By touching them, he said, “I acknowledge your existence.” It was something many Gentiles had never heard from a Jew. It was something that prostitutes, tax collectors, and others had never heard from someone outside their own circles. And that acknowledgment opened their hearts and souls to allow the healing.

Action

Do something in Jesus’ name today that involves touching someone you typically don’t. Shake hands with the homeless person to whom you give a dollar. Hug a friend you don’t see often. Pat a coworker on the shoulder.