Crowds in the thousands flocked around Jesus as he engaged with rich and poor. They brought the lame, blind, crippled, mute and others suffering to Jesus and asked for his help. The Bible simply states he healed them.

Something was up. Beggars blind from birth reveled in color. The deaf turned their heads at the laughter of a child. Those with never-before heard voices sang in the choir. Matthew, an eye-witness to these happenings, tells us the crowd wondered when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

As the Jesus phenomenon solidified, thoughtful people took notice. They wondered, could this be the long awaited Messiah? Evidence surrounded them, a wild cacophony of laughing, leaping, freshly-healed devotees of Jesus.

Watch Jesus and you’ll begin to wonder. Read about him in the gospel books of the New Testament. Look to the lives of his followers, not the bombastic, but quiet disciples sticking to his ways. Find a still moment to give Jesus some thought.

You’ll be intrigued and you’ll start to wonder, Who is this man?

Matthew 15 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Daiga Ellaby