Jesus knew that he was heading to Jerusalem where he would be killed. Despite what was ahead, he still had time for people, and when he heard a blind man call out, he stopped and gave him his full attention. From the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he had declared that he had come to bring sight to the blind, in fulfilment of Isaiah 61. That didn’t mean he had come to impose his healing – he’d come to offer it, and that’s what he did when he met this blind beggar in Jericho.

Jesus never barges into our lives telling us what’s best for us and imposing his will on us. He simply offers himself. On the face of it, it seems strange that Jesus would ask a blind man what he wanted him to do for him. We know nothing of the circumstances of this man, but we might presume that his blindness was connected to his begging. He lived a life of complete vulnerability, so it was surely obvious that he needed to receive his sight. However, Jesus respected him as an individual and let him make the decision.

All of us need the loving touch of Jesus on our lives. We need his forgiveness, his peace, his love and his joy. We are all in desperate need of him, but he refuses to impose himself upon us. Today, as Jesus knocks at the door of our lives, he leaves it to us to decide whether we will open it or not.

Will you open the door to Jesus today?

Loving Lord Jesus, thank you that you offer me your life today. I welcome you and invite you to fill me with your Spirit. Amen