WEBVTT 00:00:00.490 --> 00:00:05.750 Good morning, everyone. That response was as 00:00:05.750 --> 00:00:09.630 quiet as my good morning. Good morning, everyone. 00:00:10.490 --> 00:00:15.029 Thank you. Thank you, everyone. It's good to 00:00:15.029 --> 00:00:21.289 see you all today. Good morning. Jake, I think 00:00:21.289 --> 00:00:24.589 you're doing audio today. Guys, I'm getting over 00:00:24.589 --> 00:00:27.149 a cold, and if I sound like I'm about to really 00:00:27.149 --> 00:00:30.940 cough loud, you might want to. Hit mute on that. 00:00:31.420 --> 00:00:35.140 I'll try to do a big lead up for it, guys, so 00:00:35.140 --> 00:00:40.039 you know. This question this morning, I appreciated 00:00:40.039 --> 00:00:42.500 that it hit home for Chris so much because as 00:00:42.500 --> 00:00:44.880 I was thinking about it, I was like, oh gosh, 00:00:45.039 --> 00:00:49.759 this is my whole life. The Post -it note thing. 00:00:50.259 --> 00:00:53.799 Does anybody write Post -it notes with a good 00:00:53.799 --> 00:00:56.219 faith effort that it's going to do the job it 00:00:56.219 --> 00:00:59.390 has set out to do? And the Post -it has held 00:00:59.390 --> 00:01:03.670 up its part of the deal. It comes through every 00:01:03.670 --> 00:01:07.510 time. Unless you leave it up for four years in 00:01:07.510 --> 00:01:09.469 which the sticky wears off and it does fall to 00:01:09.469 --> 00:01:11.090 the ground and picks up all the lint on the ground. 00:01:11.530 --> 00:01:15.409 But the Post -it was not supposed to carry that 00:01:15.409 --> 00:01:17.769 kind of weight. It was supposed to just be a 00:01:17.769 --> 00:01:20.310 temporary solution as a brain outside of your 00:01:20.310 --> 00:01:23.790 own brain to be like, hey, 4 o 'clock tomorrow, 00:01:23.930 --> 00:01:26.790 just remember that thing. And as Chris said... 00:01:27.280 --> 00:01:29.340 That was a year ago, and now you don't remember 00:01:29.340 --> 00:01:31.200 what was happening at 4 o 'clock, and you sure 00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:37.099 hope you showed up. This is how things go. I 00:01:37.099 --> 00:01:41.879 teach piano lessons, and I will often write a 00:01:41.879 --> 00:01:45.640 post -it note and put it on the board. I have 00:01:45.640 --> 00:01:47.739 an upright, and I put it on the board, and so 00:01:47.739 --> 00:01:51.489 I have multiple... I did for a long time have 00:01:51.489 --> 00:01:53.549 multiple post -it notes that would be reminders 00:01:53.549 --> 00:01:56.150 for certain kids, and then they'd show up at 00:01:56.150 --> 00:01:57.829 the house again a week later, and I'd be like, 00:01:57.989 --> 00:02:02.430 I wrote that note about you. Sorry, guys. What 00:02:02.430 --> 00:02:04.930 I have started telling my students to do, because 00:02:04.930 --> 00:02:07.329 this is now what I have to do, because I know 00:02:07.329 --> 00:02:09.689 how quickly something can become what I call 00:02:09.689 --> 00:02:13.830 visual white noise, I will tell them that when 00:02:13.830 --> 00:02:16.189 they see whatever that post -it note is, to move 00:02:16.189 --> 00:02:19.460 it. so that it changes a location. Because otherwise, 00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:25.020 it just becomes a part of the wall. It just becomes 00:02:25.020 --> 00:02:31.219 a part of the whole thing. So I have all the 00:02:31.219 --> 00:02:34.580 best intentions to take vitamins every day. And 00:02:34.580 --> 00:02:38.719 they live on my counter. But they're just decoration 00:02:38.719 --> 00:02:46.699 now. They are just a part of the counter. So 00:02:46.699 --> 00:02:48.259 yeah, what are a couple other things that we 00:02:48.259 --> 00:02:50.500 came up with this morning? I'm sure, who was 00:02:50.500 --> 00:02:54.939 the post -it note? Nobody but Chris and I. Thank 00:02:54.939 --> 00:02:57.340 you. I'm like, sweetie, sweetie's there with 00:02:57.340 --> 00:03:00.759 us. Thanks, sweetie, for not letting me sit out 00:03:00.759 --> 00:03:02.159 there hanging. What are some of the other things 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:07.520 that become just lost in the water bottles? That's 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:11.360 true. Yeah, it's the reason we all have 25 of 00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:19.270 them. And they're all next to our bed. Yes. What's 00:03:19.270 --> 00:03:24.009 that? Stuff in the fridge. 100%. How long has 00:03:24.009 --> 00:03:27.490 the mustard been there, guys? You all have it. 00:03:28.469 --> 00:03:31.969 Yeah. And what's the one thing way at the back 00:03:31.969 --> 00:03:33.810 of the fridge? The fridge one's a really good 00:03:33.810 --> 00:03:37.889 one, Scott. It's frozen. It has. That thing at 00:03:37.889 --> 00:03:41.509 the back of the fridge has now frozen. Shoes 00:03:41.509 --> 00:03:45.479 by the door or coats. They just become like you 00:03:45.479 --> 00:03:49.199 lose those things wherever they just live. If 00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:51.219 it's not in like a closet or something, they 00:03:51.219 --> 00:03:55.120 now are a part of the floor and a part of the 00:03:55.120 --> 00:04:02.900 wall. I have 332 unread texts on my phone. And 00:04:02.900 --> 00:04:06.960 I know. It is not uncommon for me to miss messages. 00:04:07.719 --> 00:04:11.319 Many of you know that. But I also might see something 00:04:11.319 --> 00:04:15.710 come in while I'm teaching. and have every intention 00:04:15.710 --> 00:04:17.550 of getting to it, but four hours later it's already 00:04:17.550 --> 00:04:22.029 been buried. Or what I know a good chunk of us 00:04:22.029 --> 00:04:25.490 do is we will read a message, and then what do 00:04:25.490 --> 00:04:31.370 we do? We mark it as? We mark it as unread, because 00:04:31.370 --> 00:04:34.810 we're going to go back to it. And that's how 00:04:34.810 --> 00:04:39.269 you get 332 unread messages on your phone. And 00:04:39.269 --> 00:04:41.850 here's the thing with that. Your phone will... 00:04:42.379 --> 00:04:46.740 tell you I mean I I went and looked to see but 00:04:46.740 --> 00:04:51.459 um that little alert it is again it is a part 00:04:51.459 --> 00:04:54.779 of the app I don't it's not there it doesn't 00:04:54.779 --> 00:05:00.600 exist right so it's faded it's faded into a place 00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:05.279 I don't know but um I worked my way back from 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:10.480 from a story related to today's um passage to 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:13.439 think about things that like the things in our 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:15.420 everyday life that become visual white noise. 00:05:16.519 --> 00:05:20.199 Because this passage today actually reminded 00:05:20.199 --> 00:05:23.319 me quite a bit of a person or a kind of person 00:05:23.319 --> 00:05:28.360 that might fade into sort of this place of non 00:05:28.360 --> 00:05:34.379 -existence. So it was reminding me, when I was 00:05:34.379 --> 00:05:36.120 reading the passage, we'll get to that part, 00:05:36.220 --> 00:05:40.279 but it was reminding me of a gentleman back home 00:05:40.279 --> 00:05:44.759 in Rochester. For, I mean, I grew up in the same 00:05:44.759 --> 00:05:49.420 house from birth to when I soft launched moving 00:05:49.420 --> 00:05:54.459 out by going to college. And for those six years 00:05:54.459 --> 00:05:57.740 of middle school and high school, I went to the 00:05:57.740 --> 00:06:00.579 same building. It was the same kind of location. 00:06:02.110 --> 00:06:04.470 The bus took me the three miles along South Avenue 00:06:04.470 --> 00:06:08.029 to and from my middle and high school. And the 00:06:08.029 --> 00:06:12.290 bus passed a retirement home. And at some point, 00:06:12.370 --> 00:06:16.529 I realized that there was an elderly man that 00:06:16.529 --> 00:06:19.370 would sit in his wheelchair on the corner of 00:06:19.370 --> 00:06:21.970 South Avenue and Highland and just wave at vehicles 00:06:21.970 --> 00:06:26.089 passing by. And I was riding a bus, so somebody 00:06:26.089 --> 00:06:29.350 else was driving. But, you know, it took me quite 00:06:29.350 --> 00:06:33.439 a while to notice it. But for those on their 00:06:33.439 --> 00:06:35.839 regular commute who were driving their cars, 00:06:35.899 --> 00:06:38.480 I wonder if he just became one of the fixtures 00:06:38.480 --> 00:06:41.540 of the corner, like the light post in the retirement 00:06:41.540 --> 00:06:43.480 building itself and the man in the wheelchair, 00:06:43.579 --> 00:06:46.220 much like he had been for me until all of a sudden 00:06:46.220 --> 00:06:49.319 I just sort of was like, oh, there's a guy that's 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:53.560 waving there every single day. And it wouldn't 00:06:53.560 --> 00:06:58.079 be the first time a person has faded from view 00:06:58.079 --> 00:07:02.459 right in front of us. or faded right from view 00:07:02.459 --> 00:07:07.319 to society. And I hate to think of it this way, 00:07:07.360 --> 00:07:10.959 but I'm not sure I'm wrong. I think people manage 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:15.500 to become visual white noise to us. Something 00:07:15.500 --> 00:07:18.319 or someone becomes part of the landscape long 00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:20.959 enough, they begin to blend in, and eventually 00:07:20.959 --> 00:07:26.339 we just stop seeing them. Our passage today is 00:07:26.339 --> 00:07:29.160 from Luke, and it is about a blind man who sits 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:32.399 by the side of the road to beg for assistance. 00:07:33.019 --> 00:07:37.360 And this is a person that has been a part of 00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:40.680 societies for thousands upon thousands upon thousands 00:07:40.680 --> 00:07:43.980 of years. When a community can't find its way 00:07:43.980 --> 00:07:48.720 to caring for everyone, and not everyone in a 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:51.060 community is able to care for themselves within 00:07:51.060 --> 00:07:55.040 their society systems. Something sets them at 00:07:55.040 --> 00:07:57.939 a disadvantage from what's perceived as the norm, 00:07:58.060 --> 00:08:00.959 and they move out of the sphere of comfortable 00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:06.519 community and can just become a part of, again, 00:08:06.600 --> 00:08:11.220 the landscape. We tend to see things we prefer 00:08:11.220 --> 00:08:14.259 or expect to see, and so we overlook what we 00:08:14.259 --> 00:08:18.339 prefer not to think about. And if we do see it, 00:08:18.379 --> 00:08:21.480 we're not sure what to do with it. can often 00:08:21.480 --> 00:08:24.860 want to silence those things. And so together 00:08:24.860 --> 00:08:28.920 today, I want to open our Bibles to Luke, and 00:08:28.920 --> 00:08:34.580 we're going to be in chapter 18. We'll be in 00:08:34.580 --> 00:08:37.100 verses 35 through 43. I'm going to be reading 00:08:37.100 --> 00:08:39.799 from the New Revised Standard updated version, 00:08:40.019 --> 00:08:43.039 but whatever version you have, you'll be able 00:08:43.039 --> 00:08:45.960 to follow along. You can follow on an app on 00:08:45.960 --> 00:08:48.080 your phone. There are Bibles at your table as 00:08:48.080 --> 00:08:52.559 well. And so Luke 18. 35 through 43. And I invite 00:08:52.559 --> 00:08:54.980 you to take a posture of attention for some of 00:08:54.980 --> 00:08:58.360 you that is standing. But we want to turn our 00:08:58.360 --> 00:09:06.000 full attention to the word. So Luke 18, 35 says, 00:09:06.340 --> 00:09:11.460 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was 00:09:11.460 --> 00:09:14.620 sitting by the roadside begging. And when he 00:09:14.620 --> 00:09:17.720 heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 00:09:18.379 --> 00:09:20.799 And the crowd told him, Jesus of Nazareth is 00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:25.000 passing by. Then he shouted, Jesus, son of David, 00:09:25.100 --> 00:09:28.340 have mercy on me. And those who were in front 00:09:28.340 --> 00:09:31.299 sternly ordered him to be quiet. But he shouted 00:09:31.299 --> 00:09:34.159 even more loudly, son of David, have mercy on 00:09:34.159 --> 00:09:37.620 me. And Jesus stood still and ordered the man 00:09:37.620 --> 00:09:39.899 to be brought to him. And when he came near, 00:09:39.980 --> 00:09:43.299 he asked him, what do you want me to do for you? 00:09:44.039 --> 00:09:47.879 And he said, Lord, let me see again. And Jesus 00:09:47.879 --> 00:09:51.139 said to him, receive your sight. Your faith has 00:09:51.139 --> 00:09:54.879 saved you. Immediately he regained his sight 00:09:54.879 --> 00:09:58.559 and followed Jesus, glorifying God and all the 00:09:58.559 --> 00:10:02.740 people. When they saw it, they praised God. Let's 00:10:02.740 --> 00:10:06.299 pray. God, I ask that you add your blessing to 00:10:06.299 --> 00:10:09.820 these words, that they would be transformative 00:10:09.820 --> 00:10:12.500 for us and that they would find their way deeply 00:10:12.500 --> 00:10:17.120 into us. That we would be people who are not 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:19.539 just hearers of the word, but doers of it as 00:10:19.539 --> 00:10:25.159 well. And that we would be moved to action from 00:10:25.159 --> 00:10:27.980 this today. We pray this in your name. Amen. 00:10:32.899 --> 00:10:35.480 This is a passage that easily preaches for itself. 00:10:35.659 --> 00:10:38.259 I probably don't have to do a whole lot for the 00:10:38.259 --> 00:10:41.360 message to come through. You don't need much 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:43.799 from me for it, but there will be some. helpful 00:10:43.799 --> 00:10:47.620 things I want to spend time with here as we listen 00:10:47.620 --> 00:10:51.960 to God together this morning. So at the time 00:10:51.960 --> 00:10:56.120 of Jesus in the first century Common Era, Jericho 00:10:56.120 --> 00:11:00.299 was positioned to be a place that catered largely 00:11:00.299 --> 00:11:04.220 to the rich and the powerful. It was an ancient 00:11:04.220 --> 00:11:07.259 city even at the time of Jesus. I mean, even 00:11:07.259 --> 00:11:12.470 now it is considered to be Among, if not the 00:11:12.470 --> 00:11:15.529 oldest consistently inhabited city in the world. 00:11:16.250 --> 00:11:20.289 Going back even, they believe they've found evidence 00:11:20.289 --> 00:11:25.070 for even as far back as 11 ,000 years. It is 00:11:25.070 --> 00:11:27.990 down in the Jordan Valley from the Judean Hills 00:11:27.990 --> 00:11:32.090 where Jerusalem sits. And it was home to the 00:11:32.090 --> 00:11:36.450 regional royal class. It's a warmer option down 00:11:36.450 --> 00:11:41.129 in the valley in the wintertime. And so it also 00:11:41.129 --> 00:11:45.389 has freshwater springs that go to it. And so 00:11:45.389 --> 00:11:49.549 it's lush with greenery. And I would imagine 00:11:49.549 --> 00:11:52.809 you could say it's kind of like Florida for us 00:11:52.809 --> 00:11:57.330 in the wintertime. It had become an important 00:11:57.330 --> 00:12:00.250 city. And due to these things that I just mentioned, 00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:04.259 Those that were outcasts often lined the roads 00:12:04.259 --> 00:12:07.259 in and out of town because it was a good place 00:12:07.259 --> 00:12:10.639 to encounter the well -to -do traitors and political 00:12:10.639 --> 00:12:14.419 elites. And so it's not surprising that we find 00:12:14.419 --> 00:12:17.200 our blind man from the story here along the road 00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:20.419 as Jesus and the crowds approach Jericho on their 00:12:20.419 --> 00:12:25.799 way to Jerusalem. The man in Mark's gospel is 00:12:25.799 --> 00:12:30.490 named Barnimaeus. And he asks what's happening. 00:12:30.649 --> 00:12:33.990 And honestly, this seems like a bit of an odd 00:12:33.990 --> 00:12:37.190 question to me because Jericho was not a quiet 00:12:37.190 --> 00:12:39.769 city. What I just told you was that it was kind 00:12:39.769 --> 00:12:44.309 of a hotbed for the political elite and for traitors 00:12:44.309 --> 00:12:50.870 and rich people. And so it was bustling. And 00:12:50.870 --> 00:12:55.090 yeah, it was well populated. So that's one thing. 00:12:56.960 --> 00:13:01.480 More specifically, we are currently at this story's 00:13:01.480 --> 00:13:06.019 point one week out from the Passover. So you 00:13:06.019 --> 00:13:09.799 could expect an increase of a few hundred thousand 00:13:09.799 --> 00:13:14.899 people to this area making pilgrimage to Jerusalem 00:13:14.899 --> 00:13:17.200 for the festival. So by the time they got to 00:13:17.200 --> 00:13:20.200 Jericho, they had one more really difficult road 00:13:20.200 --> 00:13:24.559 to complete the journey up into about 2 ,500 00:13:24.559 --> 00:13:28.179 feet. into the Judean hills. It was a rough road. 00:13:28.259 --> 00:13:32.659 It was about 18 miles. And so Jericho was a great 00:13:32.659 --> 00:13:37.799 place to stop off. So when our buddy here asks, 00:13:38.019 --> 00:13:40.740 what's happening? You want to be like, what do 00:13:40.740 --> 00:13:43.340 you mean what's happening? Everything's happening 00:13:43.340 --> 00:13:47.000 right now. So I think it's worth noting that 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:51.419 for this man, he must have been there often enough 00:13:51.419 --> 00:13:54.340 to know that something was different about this 00:13:54.340 --> 00:13:58.559 time. More different than the normal different. 00:13:59.080 --> 00:14:02.039 He was very tuned in to what was happening around 00:14:02.039 --> 00:14:06.779 him. And the passage even notes, when he says 00:14:06.779 --> 00:14:10.100 to Jesus, I want to see, he says, I want to see 00:14:10.100 --> 00:14:15.259 again. It's hard to know when he lost his sight, 00:14:15.299 --> 00:14:19.460 what he knew, where he was from, what he had 00:14:19.460 --> 00:14:22.200 in mind when he heard things. He had visuals 00:14:22.200 --> 00:14:25.379 to go with it. So something to him today was 00:14:25.379 --> 00:14:29.580 different. So he was tuned into what was happening 00:14:29.580 --> 00:14:32.220 around him. He certainly had to be as somebody 00:14:32.220 --> 00:14:36.720 who was blind, and his life depended on it. He 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:39.980 had to be alert. He had to be alert to the differences. 00:14:40.659 --> 00:14:44.820 And so when the reply came, Jesus of Nazareth 00:14:44.820 --> 00:14:49.960 is passing by, he shouted, Jesus, son of David, 00:14:50.039 --> 00:14:54.649 have mercy on me. And I imagine he didn't even 00:14:54.649 --> 00:14:57.490 have to think, because this sounds instinctual, 00:14:57.490 --> 00:15:01.750 what kicked in. When he heard who it was, he 00:15:01.750 --> 00:15:05.009 immediately began shouting. It wasn't a, oh, 00:15:05.230 --> 00:15:09.950 Jesus is here? Jesus, son of David, have mercy 00:15:09.950 --> 00:15:13.870 on me. Because he knew who Jesus was. Of course 00:15:13.870 --> 00:15:16.950 he did. Jericho is less than 15 miles down the 00:15:16.950 --> 00:15:19.470 road from where Lazarus was brought back to life. 00:15:20.070 --> 00:15:23.000 And we are heading into Holy Week. Jesus would 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:27.740 be arrested soon. We are near. We are nearer 00:15:27.740 --> 00:15:29.620 to Jerusalem than we are to Nazareth. And so 00:15:29.620 --> 00:15:33.740 stories have spread. And Jesus was on people's 00:15:33.740 --> 00:15:36.340 radar. And at this point, the people who had 00:15:36.340 --> 00:15:40.679 control of the systems of orderly things, that's 00:15:40.679 --> 00:15:43.159 the official department name I've decided, the 00:15:43.159 --> 00:15:46.639 systems of orderly things. They had given orders 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:49.399 that if anyone learned of Jesus's whereabouts, 00:15:49.559 --> 00:15:53.049 they were to report it to them. Jesus' name was 00:15:53.049 --> 00:15:58.190 around three times in recent months at the Festival 00:15:58.190 --> 00:16:00.649 of the Tabernacles, at the Festival of the Dedication, 00:16:00.769 --> 00:16:03.529 and after Jesus resurrected Lazarus, certainly, 00:16:03.629 --> 00:16:08.470 these leaders tried to have him killed. And so, 00:16:08.490 --> 00:16:11.409 of course, people who knew who Jesus was, of 00:16:11.409 --> 00:16:14.090 course, people knew who Jesus was. In fact, the 00:16:14.090 --> 00:16:18.509 next story in Luke after this one takes place 00:16:18.509 --> 00:16:21.429 a little further down the road in Jericho. about 00:16:21.429 --> 00:16:23.629 a short king named Zacchaeus who climbed a tree 00:16:23.629 --> 00:16:26.450 in order to see for himself who this Jesus was. 00:16:27.230 --> 00:16:31.529 And so our blind man, on the approach to Jericho, 00:16:31.710 --> 00:16:34.710 had believably heard about the man who could 00:16:34.710 --> 00:16:39.230 heal and bring the dead to life. And he believed 00:16:39.230 --> 00:16:44.090 him to be the Messiah. The son of David being 00:16:44.090 --> 00:16:49.669 an explicitly messianic name. It was a term originating 00:16:49.669 --> 00:16:53.090 in the Hebrew Testament that over time built 00:16:53.090 --> 00:16:56.490 to refer to the one who would come from David's 00:16:56.490 --> 00:17:00.610 lineage to rule God's forever kingdom. He was 00:17:00.610 --> 00:17:03.610 making a declaration like he'd been waiting for 00:17:03.610 --> 00:17:09.549 it. Yes, this man knew who Jesus was. And so 00:17:09.549 --> 00:17:13.670 immediately when he said, when he heard, this 00:17:13.670 --> 00:17:19.799 is Jesus, his... Kicked in response was, Jesus, 00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:28.099 son of David. He called out to him. And immediately, 00:17:28.420 --> 00:17:33.759 verse 39 says, those who were in front sternly 00:17:33.759 --> 00:17:40.539 ordered him to what? Shut up. Be quiet. Where 00:17:40.539 --> 00:17:43.900 have we seen this before? I believe just last 00:17:43.900 --> 00:17:48.369 week. Luke 18, 15 says, people were bringing 00:17:48.369 --> 00:17:50.910 even infants to Jesus that he might touch them. 00:17:51.009 --> 00:17:54.029 And when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered 00:17:54.029 --> 00:17:58.049 them not to do it. People are very stern, guys. 00:17:59.490 --> 00:18:04.109 But this man, when they rebuked him, shouted 00:18:04.109 --> 00:18:09.470 more loudly, son of David, have mercy on me. 00:18:11.079 --> 00:18:14.039 And I wonder if it was out of desperation for 00:18:14.039 --> 00:18:17.279 fear of being passed over and having his chance 00:18:17.279 --> 00:18:22.039 literally walk by. He shouted even more loudly, 00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:25.660 son of David, have mercy on me. I cannot, I cannot 00:18:25.660 --> 00:18:31.380 let him pass. I imagine this blind man in a crowd 00:18:31.380 --> 00:18:36.160 that was not opening his arms to him must have 00:18:36.160 --> 00:18:40.079 felt. His first wave of hope that the man and 00:18:40.079 --> 00:18:45.039 son of God, Jesus, was right there. And then 00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:48.180 immediately followed by a wave of hopelessness 00:18:48.180 --> 00:18:54.500 as he shouts louder only to be found confronted 00:18:54.500 --> 00:18:56.720 with the people who are telling him to quiet 00:18:56.720 --> 00:19:04.880 up. We all know society has an order to it. And 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:08.900 this society certainly did. a very strict and 00:19:08.900 --> 00:19:12.319 clear order. And for many, they were acutely 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:15.160 aware of what happened to those who stepped outside 00:19:15.160 --> 00:19:20.220 of the order. Pax Romana, Roman peace, a period 00:19:20.220 --> 00:19:23.279 of about 200 years from the start of the Roman 00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:26.539 Empire through to nearly the second century, 00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:30.500 this was the message of the empire. Pax Romana, 00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:35.349 the peace of Rome. Romans used the phrase to 00:19:35.349 --> 00:19:37.630 describe their goal and their state of mind. 00:19:37.730 --> 00:19:43.210 It was a propagandized message, but it was, as 00:19:43.210 --> 00:19:46.869 you can imagine, tightly held and enforced peace. 00:19:47.410 --> 00:19:51.890 And so here in Judea, I cannot overstate how 00:19:51.890 --> 00:19:55.670 fragile this area was when it came to its relationship 00:19:55.670 --> 00:19:59.519 with Rome. It was a powder keg for which the 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:02.519 fuse was getting set to be lit within a few more 00:20:02.519 --> 00:20:06.700 decades of Jesus' life. A few decades later, 00:20:06.819 --> 00:20:09.319 the Judean -Roman wars were going to break out, 00:20:09.400 --> 00:20:14.180 and that is when the temple fell. Everyone was 00:20:14.180 --> 00:20:17.799 on edge, and there were those who preferred to 00:20:17.799 --> 00:20:21.259 keep the peace, and there were those who were 00:20:21.259 --> 00:20:25.400 ready for a revolution right now. And it was 00:20:25.400 --> 00:20:27.880 tricky when those folks were all in the same 00:20:27.880 --> 00:20:33.059 spaces. Much like in Jesus' own little band of 00:20:33.059 --> 00:20:35.859 12 disciples alone, where you had Simon the Zealot, 00:20:35.960 --> 00:20:39.160 you had a tax collector who liked the system, 00:20:39.319 --> 00:20:42.779 and you had others that were trying to find their 00:20:42.779 --> 00:20:47.720 place. So when a man began shouting for Jesus, 00:20:47.880 --> 00:20:50.519 it is understandable that some were in the practice 00:20:50.519 --> 00:20:55.130 of silencing any sort of disruption. Maybe because 00:20:55.130 --> 00:20:57.490 it disrupted the system or maybe just out of 00:20:57.490 --> 00:21:01.730 fear. But especially if it came from someone 00:21:01.730 --> 00:21:05.670 lower caste in society, which we can assume this 00:21:05.670 --> 00:21:10.150 man was. He was a beggar. And perhaps as far 00:21:10.150 --> 00:21:13.490 as the crowd following Jesus was concerned, that 00:21:13.490 --> 00:21:16.890 man should stay within his caste. Because that 00:21:16.890 --> 00:21:21.130 is how order is kept. We don't move from our 00:21:21.130 --> 00:21:25.119 layer. It's part of the unspoken and even sometimes 00:21:25.119 --> 00:21:30.000 spoken rules. And so the crowd might have tried 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:34.859 quieting him long enough to get Jesus by and 00:21:34.859 --> 00:21:44.140 past him. But then Jesus stood still. There in 00:21:44.140 --> 00:21:50.279 the middle of the crowd, Jesus stopped. You know 00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:54.579 when your ears start tuning to something that 00:21:54.579 --> 00:21:56.900 is ringing above the noise that's immediately 00:21:56.900 --> 00:22:00.160 around you? Sometimes it can literally be a high 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:01.519 -pitched sound, and you just hear it, and you're 00:22:01.519 --> 00:22:05.000 like, where is that coming from? I need to find 00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:09.819 it. As a parent, you may have some experience 00:22:09.819 --> 00:22:12.640 with listening for your own child's voice in 00:22:12.640 --> 00:22:15.980 a crowd. You can't see them, but when the call 00:22:15.980 --> 00:22:19.829 goes out, you stand still. And you just become 00:22:19.829 --> 00:22:24.690 this sort of oscillating radar. Where is the 00:22:24.690 --> 00:22:29.710 sound? And you tune the dial just right to tune 00:22:29.710 --> 00:22:32.890 in to where that voice is coming from. The man 00:22:32.890 --> 00:22:35.410 was on the ground as the crowd was going by. 00:22:36.250 --> 00:22:39.970 Jesus may never have seen him if he hadn't called 00:22:39.970 --> 00:22:45.829 out. But that man called out louder and stronger. 00:22:46.730 --> 00:22:50.609 when he was told to keep quiet, and Jesus stood 00:22:50.609 --> 00:22:59.890 still and stopped. The man, not having seen that 00:22:59.890 --> 00:23:04.930 Jesus paused, I imagine he kept shouting. It 00:23:04.930 --> 00:23:07.690 was probably uncomfortable, and it was likely 00:23:07.690 --> 00:23:11.789 a scene. And we get the one moment, the man shouts, 00:23:11.789 --> 00:23:14.009 the crowd tells him to be quiet, he shouts back. 00:23:14.289 --> 00:23:16.880 We sort of get this like, This, this, and this. 00:23:17.380 --> 00:23:21.240 But we know how these scenarios happen. They're 00:23:21.240 --> 00:23:24.000 probably just with a lot of shouting. This man 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:26.700 is shouting out, I am going to get my voice to 00:23:26.700 --> 00:23:29.480 Jesus. I am going to have him hear me. And the 00:23:29.480 --> 00:23:33.980 crowd, the louder he goes, the crowd is going 00:23:33.980 --> 00:23:37.640 to try harder to get him to quiet down. It is 00:23:37.640 --> 00:23:45.990 going to be chaotic at a cacophony. And so. Jesus 00:23:45.990 --> 00:23:50.130 asked that the man be brought to him so that 00:23:50.130 --> 00:23:54.869 he can see him. And this is the story of Jesus 00:23:54.869 --> 00:24:00.289 and people. He will see them. He will see the 00:24:00.289 --> 00:24:03.190 blind man. He will see the woman at the well. 00:24:03.490 --> 00:24:07.049 He will see the child. He will see the widow 00:24:07.049 --> 00:24:10.730 that gives the two coins from what she has. Jesus 00:24:10.730 --> 00:24:19.089 sees them all. And the first story of God receiving 00:24:19.089 --> 00:24:24.230 a name from someone like us was in Genesis. Given 00:24:24.230 --> 00:24:28.009 by the Egyptian woman, Hagar, who was a slave 00:24:28.009 --> 00:24:32.569 in the household of Abram. She was also low. 00:24:33.210 --> 00:24:37.170 And she had been left with no hope. And God met 00:24:37.170 --> 00:24:41.009 her and lifted her. And she named him El Roy, 00:24:41.309 --> 00:24:47.559 the God who sees. No one will blend into the 00:24:47.559 --> 00:24:51.640 background as far as Jesus is concerned. No one 00:24:51.640 --> 00:24:57.779 will become white noise. And it will continue 00:24:57.779 --> 00:25:03.380 to be the same for Jesus. However, in our society, 00:25:03.559 --> 00:25:07.240 people do manage to become visual white noise 00:25:07.240 --> 00:25:12.779 to us, don't they? And they know it, and we forget 00:25:12.779 --> 00:25:16.750 it. They know they have become the passed over 00:25:16.750 --> 00:25:21.069 or the invisible. And when they continue to place 00:25:21.069 --> 00:25:24.869 themselves where they might be noticed, society 00:25:24.869 --> 00:25:30.529 gets a little or a lot upset with them. They're 00:25:30.529 --> 00:25:33.410 not staying quiet. They're not staying where 00:25:33.410 --> 00:25:38.849 they belong. And perhaps in their way, they are 00:25:38.849 --> 00:25:44.960 in fact shouting out to be seen by Jesus. And 00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:48.880 perhaps in the way things work, we are also meant 00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:55.559 to respond like Jesus and stand still and see 00:25:55.559 --> 00:26:01.119 them. Jesus stops and then chooses to see and 00:26:01.119 --> 00:26:06.019 responds with hope. And Jesus sees and hears 00:26:06.019 --> 00:26:12.339 those we don't. And he guides us. In fact, calls 00:26:12.339 --> 00:26:15.619 us, I would say, to learn how to tune into those 00:26:15.619 --> 00:26:19.119 people the same way he does, to stop and to see. 00:26:21.180 --> 00:26:23.220 This is one of the reasons why it's really good 00:26:23.220 --> 00:26:25.400 that we pray for the Greenbush neighborhood. 00:26:26.119 --> 00:26:29.099 There's a lot of reasons that's good, but it 00:26:29.099 --> 00:26:35.220 reminds us to see our neighbors. And with everybody 00:26:35.220 --> 00:26:38.519 who brings a unique perspective to how we pray 00:26:38.519 --> 00:26:43.329 for Greenbush, Through their way of seeing, it 00:26:43.329 --> 00:26:47.210 allows us to see too. And this is important. 00:26:49.269 --> 00:26:51.349 Because we're not going to see everything as 00:26:51.349 --> 00:26:55.309 one person, but somebody might see something, 00:26:55.410 --> 00:27:01.890 and we should value and hear how they see, giving 00:27:01.890 --> 00:27:03.910 thanks that God has given them the vision for 00:27:03.910 --> 00:27:08.410 that thing. And so we borrow their sight so that 00:27:08.410 --> 00:27:12.410 we can see too. And this room is full of that. 00:27:12.609 --> 00:27:15.509 This room is full of people doing unique things, 00:27:15.609 --> 00:27:18.829 involved in unique things, experiencing unique 00:27:18.829 --> 00:27:22.289 things with people who need to be seen. And we 00:27:22.289 --> 00:27:24.650 can learn from that so that our own sight can 00:27:24.650 --> 00:27:28.109 be expanded, so we can also be spreaders of hope. 00:27:30.690 --> 00:27:34.910 The people who have become white noise, God does 00:27:34.910 --> 00:27:39.569 see, and we must too. And so for the blind man, 00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:43.339 It would have been the same story that it always 00:27:43.339 --> 00:27:49.480 has been for thousands of years. But then, Jesus. 00:27:50.980 --> 00:27:59.059 But then, Jesus. Let's pray. Jesus, I am grateful 00:27:59.059 --> 00:28:06.400 that you see all of us. And that wherever we've 00:28:06.400 --> 00:28:09.410 been, However we've been, however our story has 00:28:09.410 --> 00:28:15.150 gone, you see us and you see those that we don't. 00:28:16.730 --> 00:28:21.009 And we need to borrow your sight. We need to 00:28:21.009 --> 00:28:24.250 borrow sight from our friends and our neighbors 00:28:24.250 --> 00:28:26.930 and from our community members and our brothers 00:28:26.930 --> 00:28:31.309 and our sisters who see what we don't so that 00:28:31.309 --> 00:28:37.210 our sight can be expanded. That we would stop 00:28:37.210 --> 00:28:46.950 when we hear the calls and the cries. And that 00:28:46.950 --> 00:28:51.390 we would turn and tune in and we would look and 00:28:51.390 --> 00:28:56.950 really, really see somebody as you do. You restored 00:28:56.950 --> 00:29:02.990 that man's sight. You joined the group and praised 00:29:02.990 --> 00:29:06.190 God. And more people praise God because of what 00:29:06.190 --> 00:29:09.529 they experienced when they went on their way. 00:29:10.210 --> 00:29:15.289 You changed his life. And I pray that we can 00:29:15.289 --> 00:29:18.970 hear more stories like that of lives that have 00:29:18.970 --> 00:29:22.710 been changed because they experienced you seeing 00:29:22.710 --> 00:29:29.210 them. But we need your help. And so we ask for 00:29:29.210 --> 00:29:32.130 not just your guidance, but your courage to be 00:29:32.130 --> 00:29:35.829 deep in us. Most of all, we ask that your love 00:29:35.829 --> 00:29:41.890 would settle deeply in us. When the love of you 00:29:41.890 --> 00:29:45.549 increases within us, God, so do these other things. 00:29:46.970 --> 00:29:50.670 And so we ask for your help. We pray this in 00:29:50.670 --> 00:29:52.089 your name. Amen.