Daily Devotion for March 18, 2026

27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you have faith that I can do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith, let it be done to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly ordered them, “See that no one knows of this.” 31 But they went away and spread the news about him through all of that district.

32 After they had gone away, a demon-possessed man who was mute was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed and said, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees were saying, “By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons.”

I like to think of myself as an intelligent person. I like to learn, and I seek to utilize what I know in ways that benefit my family, my community, and myself. But I always pause when I read of the interactions between Jesus and the Pharisees. The Pharisees were intelligent people. They knew the Law of Moses inside and out and sought to live it out fully in their lives.

These wise believers, however, had a blind spot for Jesus. He did not mesh with the knowledge and understandings they clung to so dearly. Jesus lived and taught outside of the boxes that they had erected around their lives and their faith. For these devout men, knowledge became more important than love. So much so that they perceived the miraculous blessings of Jesus as works of demons.

It is easy to take the beauty of faith and twist it into something unrecognizable. This is why we must always go back to the basics. In those instances where I start to feel my faith becoming a weapon or wall between me and others, I stop and remember Jesus’s words. When Jesus was questioned on the greatest of commandments he spoke simply the following:

‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ - Matthew 22:37-39

When the love of Christ is our lens, it becomes much more difficult to not see the beauty in other.

Dear Jesus, help me to love God and to love my neighbors. Guide me to use your blessings to glorify God. Amen.

Chad Ryberg Cryberg@livinglord.org

Prayer Concern: Hope for the hopeless.