Luke 18:31-43 ~ Croatian Rhapsody

Music has become a part of everyday life in our culture. We listen to music in our homes, our cars, and even at work. Music motivates us to work faster, to dream of better times, to remember that special someone, or to inspire us to greatness.

I love how Tom Wright compares this short Bible passage to the tension in a musical piece. My favorite piece of music is Maksim Mrvica’s Croatian Rhapsody. Just listening to it you can feel motivated and inspired. As Wright emphasized in his book, Luke for Everyone, you can hear the tension between the piano, the violins and the rest of the orchestra. It almost feels like I’m watching a tennis match!

In this passage, Luke writes about Jesus discussing his final days on earth while at the same time Jesus gives sight to a blind man. This blind man alone has to fight with the voices around him, yelling for Christ to pay attention to him. You can just feel the tension and urgency of this man’s desire to interact with Jesus. At the same time Jesus is fighting the disciple’s lack of understanding concerning what will be happening to him shortly.

How often do we get do try to get someone’s attention about what is happening in our lives and then we hear about the conditions of another person’s life? Many times I can be selfish about what is going on in my life and then God reminds me that my life isn’t so bad when I see how much someone else is going through. Jesus had a lot on his plate but he continually put others before himself. What a great reminder of how much God has blessed me and that I need to put others first despite my own needs.

~Shannon~