Posted on by Pastor Poet

And the Blind and the Lame Came to Him

It’s Holy Week.

After Jesus expelled the moneychangers from the temple, the blind and the lame came to Him there—and He healed them.

There is something striking about the order of events in the text. Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. He goes straight to the temple. And only after the temple has been purged—only after the clutter and corruption have been confronted—do the blind and the lame come forward, and Jesus heals them.

It’s amazing what kind of healing becomes possible when distractions are removed. How often the very things meant to mediate God’s presence instead obstruct it. How often clutter crowds out compassion. And yet, when space is cleared, when barriers are dismantled, those who were once blind begin to see, and those who were once unable to walk find their footing again. Amazing grace, indeed.

What begins as a bold and prophetic act—Jesus overturning tables—quickly becomes an occasion for ministry. Real help. Real healing. The disruption is not an end in itself; it makes room for restoration.

In ancient Israel, the blind and the lame would not have been welcomed in the temple. The rules, the rituals, the systems meant to order worship had become stumbling blocks rather than steppingstones. Look at what Jesus does. He does not reinforce the barriers; He removes them. And when He does, those who had long been excluded are finally able to come near.

This is not just a word about the temple, per se. It is a word about our hearts and our lives.

What things must Jesus disrupt in us? What needs to be dismantled, decluttered, overturned, so that healing might take place? Where are we struggling to see—to stand—to walk? What is obscuring our vision or hindering our steps? What is leaving us unsteady, unstable, unfulfilled, and unhealed?

May God disrupt anything that hinders healing—whether for others or for ourselves.

“And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.”
Matthew 21:14

Good morning. I love you all.

ihs,
just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

Give, and It Will Be Given…

Every person we meet carries a story—experiences that shape them, their worldview, and their sense of what is right and true. Sometimes those experiences are traumatic and trigger reactions that can seem odd, irrational, or confusing to those who don’t share them. Often, though, those reactions are rooted in a need to make sense of past hurts and to avoid being hurt again. Anger, withdrawal, and defensiveness are frequently trauma responses to pain, disappointment, and fear.

Pain, disappointment, and fear…

Many of us, right now, are walking around trying to mask old wounds, to manage our fears, and to protect ourselves from yet another letdown. We are hurting, anxious, and afraid—but there is something we can all do about it.

What if we moved through the world with greater sensitivity and compassion?
What if we aimed at understanding as much as we crave being understood?
What if we endeavored to walk in another’s shoes before retreating to judgment and dismissal?
What if we tried to broaden our perspectives and embrace empathy?

I know that sounds risky. I also know there is real potential for being hurt, misunderstood, and disappointed. But there may be no greater sadness than the loneliness we experience when we wall ourselves off from one another. Our desire to protect ourselves can leave us trapped in a prison—a self-imposed solitary confinement that numbs us to everything and everyone, while robbing us of any real hope of joy.

So, I want to challenge us this morning: let’s try to be gracious to whomever crosses our path today. Most people are carrying burdens, trying to get through the day, fighting battles no one else knows about. Let’s aim at compassion, huh?

Sometimes the grace we so deeply crave is the same grace we are called to offer. Sometimes, the thing we need the most is the very thing we need to give the most.

Jesus says,

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam