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Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again." But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.
Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, "What do you want Me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight." Then Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
- Luke 18:31-43
In yesterday's reading, we read that Jesus was brought many infants that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will be no means enter it." Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother.' " And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth." So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." And those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?" But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." Then Peter said, "See, we have left all and followed You." So He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life."
Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again." But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken. My study bible teaches that "the saying was hidden not deliberately, but because the disciples could not comprehend the reality and meaning of the Passion events predicted by Jesus." Although Jesus has been preparing them on this way toward Jerusalem, although He has taught about the cross ("If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it." - Luke 9:23-24), they can't grasp what He is talking about. The news is too great, it makes too much of an impact to take in, it is incomprehensible. This is a very common human phenomenon. In today's Epistle reading, St. Paul teaches, "Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, 'He catches the wise in their own craftiness' " - 1 Corinthians 3:18-19. My study bible teaches, "The saying was hidden not deliberately, but because the disciples could not comprehend the reality and meaning of the Passion events predicted by Jesus."
Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Again Luke's gospel gives us the prayer of the Church, "Have mercy on me!" (See also last Wednesday's reading about the ten lepers who were healed by Jesus.) My study bible says, "Luke and Mark report one blind man, whereas Matthew mentions two. But the lesson remains the same." Most immediately, we are struck by the persistence of the one who cries out, and this is a lesson to us about prayer and persistence -- again, something Luke's gospel has already emphasized to us in the words and teachings of Jesus (see Friday's reading and parable about the Widow and the Unjust Judge.) The wisdom of the world here, too, is foolishness (they warned him to be quiet), and the persistence of the prayer is the wisdom of God.
So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, "What do you want Me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight." Then Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God. "Your faith has made you well" was Jesus' teaching to the one leper who returned to Him to thank Him, who was a Samaritan (again, see last Wednesday's reading). This time, the healed man becomes Jesus' disciple, following Him, and glorifying God. Jesus' healing compassion creates relatedness, family, a new circle of faith, the Church.
There's a depth to this reading not immediately clear, and that's in the ways in which we grasp the good news of God. How can Jesus' Passion, His suffering and death in Jerusalem, be part of the good news? This is an important question to ask. But in the paradox and mystery of faith and God's work in the world there is a great challenge for us to truly see what we have been given. And there we find a deeper parallel and hidden meaning in today's Gospel reading. The Twelve find it impossible to comprehend what Jesus is teaching them, what is going to happen to Him in Jerusalem. But a blind man wishing to see, impertinently and persistently cries out, "Have mercy on me, Jesus, Son of David!" We note the language here: Jesus is called "Jesus of Nazareth" and the blind man identifies Him as "Son of David." But we know Him as the Christ. To truly open his eyes, to truly see, this man will have to understand Him as Christ, and the Apostles will have to come to see and know the meanings and the reality of the events which will transpire at Jerusalem, and what they mean for all of us and for the world. And there our eyes are truly opened more deeply and more powerfully, and it is this spiritual sight to which Jesus calls us, which is in His healing for us. How can we grasp the realities and mystery of God? How can we know and understand the intervention and condescension and grace of God at work in our world? These will be mysteries that call us forward, out of our worldly wisdom and into God's wisdom as it is revealed to us in ways that seem paradoxical and foolish, as St. Paul teaches. The foolish blind man insists on the mercy of Christ, to the admonishment of the crowds. But he is the one who is wise, whose impertinence, persistence and foolishness leads to all the people giving praise to God. So, too, let us ask Christ for our own sight, our ability to see and grasp the things of God. Let us be persistent in our demand and relationship to Him. Let us follow Him as did the formerly blind. In yesterday's reading, we spoke of the way of the Cross as exchange. Let us exchange our worldly wisdom -- our lack of sight -- for the foolishness of God, for a healed vision of what truly is, and the powerful gift of love and grace we're given. In His Resurrection, the powerful exchange will be complete, for all of us. Jesus' question, "What do you want Me to do for you?" takes on a far more transcendent meaning in light of that Cross and what is to happen for us all.
