Receive your sight; your faith has made you well

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 began with a scene of people bringing infants to Jesus, so that He touches them, but the disciples rebuked these people. Jesus taught that the children were to be brought to Him, "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 by no means enter it." Then, a rich ruler approached Him and asked what he should do to inherit eternal life. After having it understood that the ruler had followed all the commandments all of his life, Jesus told him that he lacked one thing: he should sell his possessions and give to the poor; then having treasure in heaven, he should "come, follow Me." This made the young man very sad, for he was very rich. Jesus then said, "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." The apostles asked in astonishment, "Who then can be saved?" And Jesus told them that "the things which are impossible with men are possible with God." The apostles then pointed out that they had left everything behind, including all family ties and relationship, homes, land, to follow Christ. Jesus said, "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." Jesus has just finished teaching about the little children to be brought to him, and then the young and wealthy ruler who could not give up his possessions to follow Christ. And then He discussed with the apostles their complete sacrifice of their former ways of life, and all that included, to follow Him. We are in the presence of the understanding that all things come after our relationship to God in discipleship: that is, this central love sets in place all else in our lives, puts the rest in relationship and perspective. We are to be like the little children, the infants, in our receiving of this kingdom: that is, we wholly rest ourselves in that trust, and all else is secondary. Here, after the apostles testify to what they have left behind, Jesus introduces the great sacrifice He himself will make, and why, and what for. As the Son of Man, "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 has a note here that reads, "The saying was hidden not deliberately, but because the disciples could not comprehend the reality and meaning of the Passion events predicted by Jesus." My doctor once spoke to me of such a phenomenon he experienced all the time when giving unfortunate and sad news to patients: they simply couldn't take in or comprehend what they'd just been told. Here, Jesus once more takes the apostles further (as we discussed in yesterday's reading). This is the greater sacrifice He will make Himself for the kingdom; and of course, it will be a sacrifice also for the apostles. They have left all behind for the sake of this kingdom and in order to follow Him, and they will lose Him, His physical presence in their lives. How incomprehensible indeed this must have been!

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. My study bible says: "Luke and Mark report one blind man, whereas Matthew mentions two. But the lesson remains the same." We note that Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem for the Passion of which He has just spoken to the apostles. We, and they, are being prepared for what is to come, and a life without his presence in the flesh as Jesus.

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!" A great commotion is happening, and this blind man must rely on the word of others to understand who it is that passes and what is in their midst. From there, he cries out, tremendously desiring to be heard in a prayer that will echo throughout the centuries in this faith: "Jesus, have mercy on me!" The Son of David is the Messiah, the One to come - and the blind man accepts Him as such. It is Jericho, scene of the great shout that tumbled down the walls of the city - and the blind man will not stop his shout for mercy either, for the inheritance of the kingdom signaled by the Son of David.

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?" My study bible notes in the story in Mark's Gospel that this gives us a picture of prayer - and that we must be specific in our prayers. If we take this story building on yesterday's reading, we find this blind man completely relying and dependent in trust on Jesus. There is nothing that stands in the way of this relationship and the desires of the heart. Jesus' question is also specific.

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. In another note, my study bible points out that the man could have prayed for different things, such as the grace to live with his blindness, but he asks for sight. Of course, sight is metaphorical as well. We want to see what we need to see, and the "opened eyes" of this man are those that accept that the kingdom is here, the messianic age is with him, and "in the midst" of the crowd.

If we expand from yesterday's reading about the rich ruler, and the sacrifices made by the apostles, we find an interesting paradox here. First we are given the understanding of the great sacrifice which the Son of Man Himself will make. He will set the example of what it is to truly fully give our whole lives for the sake of the kingdom. We note that the lives of the apostles (and their future careers) and the sacrifice of his wealth asked of the young man are all specific requests given for each person. That is, there is no comparison here for all of us in some specific sense: each person is called to their own discipleship, their own emptying and sacrifices. (This was discussed in Saturday's reading - see Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.) It's not a blueprint that says that every rich person has to sell all their wealth - but a teaching that lets us know that the things we cling to that get in the way of our discipleship will have to create for us a choice of letting go in order to follow Him further. Jesus will do what is asked of Him in order to more fully establish the kingdom, to create the full anointing of the Spirit in the world, to follow what the Father requests of Him. And from there we receive this story of the blind man who receives his sight. He makes a specific request of Jesus, and that which he truly desires is restored to him and he is made whole. Jesus says, as He has said to others, "Your faith has made you well." What is the difference between the young man who was so attached to his wealth, and this man who dearly wishes to see? Why is the one asked to sacrifice and the other given sight? It is clear to me that the blind man in this story is one who already sees: he understands the messianic age is with him, that it is the Son of David who approaches. And, symbolically for us, he has heard and understood through the word of others. This man symbolizes all of us in this present age, whose faith comes not from seeing, but from hearing the word of others. In John's Gospel, the Risen Christ will say, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." So, in this sense, we can count this blind man as one of us, in this age defined by the Passion and the Cross. We rely on Him in faith, and we pray for His mercy. What do we need in order to be made well? Let us consider that question, and our faith and trust in Him, and how it sets forth our priorities. What do we need to truly see? We note, also, the outcome: just as with the Samaritan leper, this man glorifies God - and he also becomes a disciple. He "follows Him." His sight will be used for the kingdom at hand. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God. The restoration of sight has the effect of bringing the people to God, to the kingdom that is in their midst, and their spiritual eyes are opened too. When we set our relationship right with God, we understand a deeper truth and question -- what gifts do we have that serve that relationship, and to bring others into this love and this kingdom? The central relationship sets things in proper order and relationship, and the glory is to God, as Jesus taught the wealthy man in yesterday's reading when he called Jesus "good." The wealthy young ruler was asked to give away his wealth not in order to glorify himself or to fulfill a legalistic demand, but in order to receive the kingdom, to truly see with no obstacle in that relationship. Let us understand this when we pray. How do we need to be made well, in faith?