August 10, 2025 -Open Minded Faith
- brooks16055
- Aug 10
- 4 min read
JEREMIAH 16:1-18:23
JEREMIAH 35:1-19
Jeremiah 17:10 “I the Lord search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.”
Just before reading this I was listening to the Exploring My Strange Bible Podcast.
Tim was talking about when the friends of a crippled man lowered him through the roof of a house for Jesus to heal him.
Matthew 9:2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
Matthew leaves out the lowering him through a roof but it's the same story. He talked about the faith of the man and his friends. "When Jesus saw their faith". This is not faith as in what religion do you practice. Jesus is talking about what they believe in their hearts. What gives them the ability to trust that Jesus can and will heal. Their faith was evident by their actions. Our faith is the same. If we have a faith in our hearts that result in a trust in Him, it will show in our deeds. This is a faith that leads to action. That is the faith the Jesus responds to. These men were rewarded "according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve" because their deeds came out of their faith.
Jeremiah 17:14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.
When I read this I see it as it is up to you Lord to decide if you want to heal me and save me and if you do then nothing can stop it. Which is true but then after reading and picking out these scriptures I listened to the next episode of the podcast I mentioned above. Also, in Matthew 9 An Open-Minded Faith - Gospel of Matthew Part 17 - Exploring My Strange Bible | Podcast on Spotify
Here Tim talks about the healing of the 2 blind men. So much good stuff. Pretty much everything to follow comes from him but there is so much more so take a listen.
Matthew 9:27As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they replied.
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; 30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.”
First of all, it is the blind men who first see Jesus for who He really is. The Son of David is the Messiah. The blind are the first in the gospel stories to see Jesus as the Messiah. Then Jesus asks about their faith. He's asking do you trust me? Do you trust in my ability to heal you? Jesus does heal them according to their faith. According to their trust in Him it was done. Don't be tempted to believe that the burden falls on us to have enough faith to access Jesus' power. Can Jesus heal us if He wants to even if we don't believe? Yes, of course He can. "Heal me Lord, and I will be healed". It is not about us and our faith Jesus is the key to everything. This is a picture of Jesus and how He works with people. When you look at all the stories of Jesus and His interactions with people there are all kinds of different levels of faith and Jesus works with all of them. He meets them at exactly the level of trust that they have. He goes to each person and works with them where they are at. Jesus can only do so much for people who don't trust Him. He "honors where people are at and he honors their choices." "The degree to which the presence of the Kingdom and the presence of Jesus, the degree to which it will transform people is precisely connected to the degree that they trust Him".
I am so grateful that as long as our minds are open to Jesus He will come and meet us where we are. Tim described 3 different responses to Jesus that we can have. Because he says you cannot remain neutral when you meet Jesus. You are either open minded, blown mind, or closed minded.
First response the blind men - see Jesus as the Messiah - Open Minds
Second response the crowd - amazed - This is the first time in Jewish history that a blind person's sight is restored. They don't see Jesus for who He is yet, but their minds are blown and they are open to Jesus and what that might mean. - Blown Minds
Third response the religious leaders - Jesus must be evil because He doesn't fit into the box that they have put their understanding of God and the Messiah. He They call Him evil because He is leading the people astray. - Closed Minds
Faith is the difference in these responses. Faith is open mindedness. In fact, you can't follow Jesus unless you are open minded and at whatever level your mind is open to He will meet you there.
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