Spread the Good News by Sue Wright

Jesus warned [the two blind men] sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.

Matthew 9:30-31

There are three “ocular miracles” recorded in the Bible, according to a site I found on Google. I read the information wistfully because I wished my dad’s eyes could have been added to the list. Dad was blind for the last fifteen years of his life from the accumulated damage of deteriorating retinas, an eventually dead optic nerve, cataracts, diabetes, and glaucoma. He never complained about his loss of sight, but that doesn’t mean he and his family liked it.

I can remember the first time I strolled into Dad’s and Mom’s living room and had to shout, “It’s Sue,” because I could tell Dad didn’t know I was standing directly in front of him. Through the years, he underwent numerous surgeries for temporary fixes, during which time Dad received especially loving support from our church in Raytown. For example, after an operation at St. Luke’s Hospital, John Constantz, our brawny music director, carried my six-foot-tall dad into the house so Dad’s head could remain as stationary as possible.

For sure, Dad’s faith in God was empowered by the many kindnesses he experienced. And to his credit, as I noted before, Dad never complained, his smile always at the ready. Still, if Jesus HAD happened along to restore Dad’s vision like the two visually impaired men in Matthew’s story, you better believe Dad wouldn’t have obeyed Jesus any better than they did. He, too, would have been overcome with joy and wonder, and in naughty disregard, “spread the [good] news all over.”

SUE WRIGHT