A couple of days ago, some friends and I were reflecting on a passage from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 18:35-42).  The story is about a blind man in the city of Jericho who comes to Jesus seeking healing.  There are a few aspects of the story that I find helpful to me at this unique time in our lives.

The story goes like this: a blind man is sitting beside the roadside, spending his day begging.  As Jesus enters the city, there is a commotion, and the blind man wants to know what’s happening. When he is told that “Jesus of Nazareth” is passing by, the man starts proclaiming, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  And then something really curious happens. Those “who led the way” rebuke the man and tell him to be quiet. To no avail.  The man continues shouting for Jesus to have mercy.

Now before I continue with the rest of the story, I need to stop for a couple of comments. First of all, while all in attendance (and the author himself) recognize Jesus as the phenom from Nazareth, it is seemingly only the blind beggar that acknowledges Jesus as “Son of David.” This was a Messianic title. When the blind man referred to Jesus as the Son of David, he meant that he understood Jesus to be the long-awaited Deliverer, the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. Lesson #1 of the Blind Beggar: so often, it is those in greatest need who understand best who Jesus really is and what he can do for their lives.

Secondly, it is notable that those “who led the way” rebuke the man as he called out for Jesus. Who were these people?  Were they the disciples themselves or, perhaps, other leaders in the community? Whoever they were, they were confident that Jesus wouldn’t have time for the blind man or that Jesus should be about more important matters than a broken blind beggar. Lesson #2 of the Blind Beggar: so often, it is those who have been raised to leadership who misread what is truly important to the heart of God.

Continuing with the story… as Jesus hears the cries of the blind beggar, he stops. Whatever else Jesus has going on for that day, he recognizes that, at this moment, nothing is more important than engaging the blind man.  Jesus asks, “what do you want me to do for you?” The blind beggar responds, “I want to see,” and immediately the man’s sight is restored.  He praises God and joins with everybody else who is following Jesus on the way to Jerusalem.

I want to be like the blind beggar.  When I hear the voice of Jesus saying to me in my heart, “what do you want me to do for you,” I don’t want to respond by pointing out all the ways the world or others have let me down.  I want to respond simply and directly, asking Jesus to heal me, to restore me, to change me so that I may follow in his way with the rest of the faithful.

So many of us feel helpless and hopeless right now.  So many of us wish that the world might be different than it is. So many of our prayers are that God might heal the broken world or alter the ways and the wills of others. Those prayers are all well and good and appropriate. I am wondering, however, whether before saying those prayers, we might first look at the state of our own hearts and lives and ask Jesus to heal us.  That’s what the blind beggar does.  He starts with asking Jesus to fix him before following in the way of sacrificial love. Lesson #3 of the Blind Beggar: so often, it is those on the path of being healed who are most effective in helping God heal this beautiful but broken world.

~Father Art