Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!

 

 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 

 

On Saturday we read Jesus was casting out a demon and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.  Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."

 

  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.   Today the lectionary skips ahead from our last reading (Luke 11:14-23; see above) to chapter 18, as Jesus is on the road to Jerusalem and is now approaching Jericho.  This is the third warning in Luke's Gospel that Jesus has given to the disciples about what will happen to Him after they reach Jerusalem.  But this saying was hidden not by God, my study Bible says, but because the disciples could not comprehend its meaning until after the events of His Passion had taken place.  

 

 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.   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!"  This road going past Jericho on the way toward Jerusalem was a notorious stretch to travel, that made its way through a deep canyon to elevations below sea level.  Jericho was known as a place for sin, but this route was popularly marked by its treacherous dangers because of bandits and robbers who could hide in caverns and attack travelers.  It is this road which gave the setting for the parable of the Good Samaritan (see this reading).  The blind man greets Jesus with a title associated with the Messiah, 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?"  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.  Note that Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him.  My study Bible comments that, although Jesus knows what we want before we ask, He calls us to ask freely so that we might learn of His mercy.  There is also in patristic commentary a spiritual interpretation to this miracle.  In St. Matthew's version of this story (Matthew 20:29-34), there are two blind men.  In that interpretation, they symbolize future generations who would come to faith only by hearing, without the benefit of seeing Christ in person (see John 20:29).  The ones who try to silence the blind man symbolize persecutors and tyrants who, in each generation, try to silence the Church.  But nonetheless, under persecution, the Church all the more confesses Jesus Christ. 

 

It's easy to see this notorious road (St. Jerome called it "the Bloody Way") as a place synonymous with sin and all of its dangers.  A place that sloped to 1,000 feet below sea level (while Jerusalem is 3,000 feet above), it was an extremely steep mountain road with blind turns, and rocky narrow passes -- so travelers were easy prey for bandits.  So we come to another analogy for a life steeped and mired in sin -- blindness.  The blind man is an easy symbol for those of us so used to a way of life, or a particular environment, that we only see things one way, and we have no idea of what a different life we could be living, or what aberrations pass for normal in what we know.  We can see what the environment is like for this blind man in the responses of the people who surround him.  In the spiritual interpretation cited by my study Bible, we see an understanding that the people who try to silence the blind man have been historically seen as stand-ins for tyrants and persecutors who try to silence the Church and her faithful.  But we can broaden this understanding to include a possible interpretation of an entire environment steeped in denial of faith, where people prefer that others remain blind and silent, and oppress to the extent that those who do wish to seek Christ find it very difficult to do so.  If we look at the blind man as an individual seeking to grasp any hope of making his way out of his blindness, we can see the image of social forces that would suppress these urges in those who would seek Christ and His Kingdom for themselves.  The pressure to shush and to be quiet in that perspective is a pressure to silence our internal demands for safe spiritual space, the save haven of the kingdom of God as Christ gives it to us through His gospel message.  The urge to reach out to Christ is met here by Jesus, who clearly always knows what we want and need, as He knows our hearts more deeply than we know them.  But in the story, His standing still on the road, commanding that this blind man be brought to Him, shows His own will to engage those who recognize they need Him.  His engagement is made clear in that He does not simply give to the man what he needs, but makes him ask, by first asking the man, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  This explicit question demanding an explicit answer is perhaps our best testimony as to how Christ wants to engage us:  direct, personal, and knowing what we want in our own hearts.  In some sense, it gives us the truth that what He offers is a precious gift, on offer to all the world, but not given to all without the depth of knowledge of how badly we need it, and how priceless it truly is.  As Jesus says Himself, "Many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14).  The blindness in today's story also extends, significantly, to the disciples, who cannot "see" or discern the meaning in Christ's warnings of what is to come in Jerusalem.  Perhaps it is that they are so fixed on their own expectations of a material kingdom manifesting, that they simply cannot take in what He's warning them about; perhaps they are afraid to do so.   As is common with many of us hearing shocking or dread news, they can't take it in and comprehend what it means to them.  The people on the road who shush the blind man represent another kind of blindness, common to social crowds today, as it was in Christ's time when so many in the crowds get Christ completely wrong and fail to understand who He is (Luke 9:18-19).  Perhaps it is true, in some sense, that it is this blind man who is the one who can truly see, as it is he who not only reaches to Christ -- despite the oppressive efforts of the crowd to silence him -- but knows what he needs and who can give that to him.  "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" is a cry for help, for what we need, made to the One who can give it to us, if we but understand His truth.  So it is that it finds its way to the prayer we reach to, the one that permeates our liturgies and worship, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me!"  It's worthy to say at any time, any moment, even in the midst of crowds that deny its importance.  If we know our own blindness, and have a sense that we need spiritual sight, we may call on Him despite the noisy crowds that would drown out our needs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 

 

On Saturday, we read that people brought infants to Jesus 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 by 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 hard 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.  This is the third time Jesus has taught the twelve about what will happen when they come to Jerusalem, about His Passion, death, and Resurrection.  My study Bible comments that the saying was hidden from them not by God, but because the disciples could not comprehend its meaning until the events of the Passion had taken place. 

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.  This blind man greets Jesus with a Messianic title, Son of David.   Let us note his persistence, like that of the widow in the parable Jesus has recently told to the disciples, in this reading.  My study Bible comments that even though Jesus knows what we want before we ask, He calls us to ask freely so that we might learn of His mercy.  Note also that the blind man, in contrast to the nine lepers in this reading, responded by glorifying God, and in return, the people who had previously told him to be quiet, gave praise to God.

Today's story of the blind man gives us a number of teachings to consider.  First of all, Jesus is coming near Jericho.  Jericho was associated with sin (see, for example, the parable of the Good Samaritan, set on this road from Jerusalem to Jericho).  So in this Scriptural sense, the blindness of this man could also be associated with sin.  Blindness gives us many associations.  In the Scriptures it is associated with a lack of light in the eye, and light is synonymous with God, and specifically with Christ (John 1:4-9).  In its association here with Jericho, sin is a kind of blindness to the word or will of God, a lack of spiritual "enlightenment" in this sense.  In Matthew 4:16, we're given a quotation from Isaiah:  "The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned."  Here blindness, tied to Jericho, is symbolic of darkness.  But this blind man perhaps has an advantage over the others.  For he can actually see what others don't necessarily see.  His perception is with something other than his eyes, something other than appearances.  He knows Jesus is the "Son of David," the One who has come to save and to deliver.  Quite appropriately, in keeping with a knowledge perceptible spiritually, he says the prayer that would punctuate Christian worship more than any other, "Have mercy on me!'   From such a prayer, one would presume also a perception of Christ's compassion, the virtue that Jesus will exalt more than others.  See Christ's parable of Judgment, found at Matthew 25:31-46.  In these senses of his intuition of Christ. this blind man has a perception that others do not have.  Again, we go back to Jesus' teachings to find Christ's emphasis on the truth that is hidden from those who live for appearances.  Jesus' criticism is most greatly given to the religious leaders for their hypocrisy, a way of life for which He quoted from Isaiah yet again, "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me" (Matthew 15:7-9); for their hypocrisy, Jesus offers plenteous woe (Matthew 23).  In John's Gospel, we're told that even among the religious rulers, many believed in Christ, but would not speak of it for fear of being put out of the synagogue, "for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43).  This kind of social conformity for public praise is yet another form of living for appearances, something this blind man clearly does not do, as he will not stop his pleas to Christ, although the people tell him to be quiet.  Today's lectionary reading also includes St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 10, in which he asks them, "Do you look at things according to the outward appearance?"  Apparently, Paul did not make a great impression by appearance, as "his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible."  In that same letter, he writes, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God . . .."  Perhaps the blindness of this man begging outside of Jerusalem allowed him a perception of these weapons of warfare distinguished by gentleness, kindness, and mercy in the One who is "gentle and lowly in heart," who gives us "rest for your souls," and who taught that "My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).  Perhaps there is an advantage for this particular blind man who begs by the road, for he is not taken in by his environment, and knows precisely how to approach Christ despite it. Let us endeavor also to such insight, and blindness to the standards that keep us in darkness.

 

 

Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!

 

 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 

 

On Saturday we read that infants were brought to Jesus 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 by 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 says that this saying was hidden not by God, but because the disciples could not comprehend its full meaning until after the evens of the Passion had taken place.  

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.  This blind man begging by the road greets Jesus as the Son of David, which is a title associated with the Messiah.  "Have mercy on me" is the refrain of the Jesus Prayer practice, and also the repeated interjection in worship in the Church.  Note the blind man's fervent desire, repeatedly asked, and asked all the more after being told to be quiet.  That Jesus stood still is an indication of God's response to frequent, repeated, and fervent prayer.

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.  My study Bible says that even though Jesus knows what we want before we ask, He calls us to ask freely so that we might learn of His mercy.  There is also a patristic interpretation of a spiritual nature to this miracle.  The blind symbolizes the future generations who would only come to faith by hearing, without the benefit of seeing Christ in person (see John 20:29).  Those who tried to silence him are persecutors and tyrants who , in each generation, try to silence the Church.  But nevertheless, under persecution, the Church all the more confesses Jesus Christ.

There's something about the repeated demand of the blind man that is very poignant.  We don't know how long he has been sitting by the side of the road begging.  Like so much else that we encounter in the Gospels in the persons of people waiting for a cure, or for help, there seems to be an endless period of waiting for help and assistance.  John's Gospel speaks of the paralytic who had an infirmity for thirty-eight years, who waited by the side of the pool called Bethesda, for the time when an angel stirred the water so that he could be cured (see John 5:1-15).   There is the woman with the blood flow of twelve years, who had spent all of her money on doctors, and had only gotten worse (Luke 8:43-48).  We get a sense of persons endlessly waiting for help that doesn't come, respite that somehow isn't possible with the things at hand, the limited options that are available to them.  The stories about these people and their infirmities tell us that it is the encounter with Jesus that brings in something entirely new, "out of the box" so to speak, into the world.  The paralytic at the pool by the Sheep Gate doesn't need an angel to stir the water nor someone to put him in it.  The woman with the blood flow needed but the great courage and daring, exemplifying her faith, to touch the hem of the garment of Jesus.  And this blind man needs the alacrity, persistence, and energy he musters to realize who Jesus of Nazareth is, to shout the proper cry, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" and to have the gumption to defy the crowd and persist in his plea to Jesus.  The actions on the part of the people desiring healing in each of these stories are meant to teach us about our faith, and our proper conduct in that faith.   As Jesus has taught in many times and places in the Gospels, we are to be persistent in our prayer.  We are not to lose heart (Luke 21:9, 19).  We are to endure (Matthew 24:13).  And fervent and frequent prayer is rewarded with response (Luke 18:1-8).   So in the understanding of these stories of the hope of the paralytic, the faithful courage of the woman with the blood flow, and the persistent, insistent prayer of the blind man in today's story, we are to understand the "flavor" of our character before Christ in the midst of our faith.  We're not to lose heart, we're to insist on our prayer, we're to call upon Christ.  Often, it is quite possible that our prayers are not answered in precisely the way that we'd hoped, but it is only persistent prayer that connects us with the magnitude of the power of God to work in our lives in ways far beyond what options seem to be presented to us by life.  It is that persistent prayer that connects us with strengths we didn't think we had, hope where we were hopeless, a renewal of faith, an energy in new options and new thinking that didn't present itself before.  These are the things I have found from prayer, and they bear out the truth in the Gospels.  Possibly the greatest gift of Christ is the hope where there was none, and the outside-the-box insight into options that didn't previously present themselves.  Today's story of the blind man in Jericho is an image of the limited understanding and insight of a sinful world, and the powerful effect that prayer to Christ has on our own blindness and limitation.  There will always be new ways in which we might be expanded and enlightened, and therefore healed.  So we greet Him as Son of David, but most properly as Lord, for it is His power that we ask Him to use to help us.

Get behind Me, Satan!

 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."

Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

- Mark 8:22-33

Yesterday, we read that the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Jesus, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.   But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."  And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."   But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"

 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."  My study bible points out that we know from Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 11:21) that the people of Bethsaida were unbelieving.  So, Jesus leads the blind man out of the town to heal him, so that the people would not scoff at the miracle and ring upon themselves greater condemnation.   A note says, "That the blind man was healed in stages shows that he had only a small amount of faith, for healing occurs according to one's faith; yet this little faith was enough, and it increased with the touch of Christ."  Jesus' command not to return to the town symbolizes that we mustn't return to our sins once we've been forgiven.  As we've seen in recent readings, the emphasis is on faith as the necessary ingredient for God's power to work together with us and in us.

Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  Jesus first draws out opinions about Himself; the various opinions that "men say that" He is, the opinions of the crowds.  My study bible points out that this is so erroneous ideas are labeled as incorrect.  People say He is Elijah because the belief was that Elijah would return before the Messiah.  Peter is the one who speaks for the apostles, and he speaks from faith:  Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the "Anointed One."  My study bible says that Peter's understanding can't be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  Immediately upon identification as the Christ or the Messiah, Jesus lays out for the apostles what is going to happen to Him:  He will suffer.  My study bible calls it "the true nature of His messiahship:  the mystery of His Passion."  It was expected of the Messiah that He would reign forever; this idea is not only perplexing but scandalous.  Even after Resurrection, it remained so for the Jews (1 Corinthians 1:23).  My study bible says, "Peter unwittingly speaks for Satan, as the devil did not want Christ to fulfill His mission and save mankind through suffering and death."

In today's reading we get a further affirmation of faith:  the lack of faith in Bethsaida means that the blind man seeking healing must go outside of the town to receive it.  In a similar manner, the people who ridiculed Christ at Jairus' house, the ones who were mourning the death of his daughter, had to be put outside of the house for Jesus to raise her.  (See Do not be afraid; only believe.)   The blind man's gradual healing is a kind of study of what happens with faith, as we begin to trust in it, faith grows and becomes stronger -- we see more clearly and more is given and revealed to us.  This is an image of a faith journey with Christ.  Sometimes we will need to separate ourselves from the faithless, the scoffers and ridiculers, in order for our faith to grow stronger and so that we may learn what it is to live a life of faith.  Faith makes it possible for Peter to know that Jesus is the Christ, but it is only a strengthened faith that can come to terms with the nature of His Messiahship:  His suffering and death on the Cross.  That is the tough part of a life of faith, following in His footsteps and taking up our own crosses in life.  But that is the true strength of faith.  When Peter denies that this should happen to Jesus, Jesus' response is "Get behind Me, Satan!"  Although Peter's sincere, he's "mindful" "of the things of men," but not of "the things of God."   The Gospel doesn't say that Christ was tempted here, but we know even the agony Christ will experience in the garden of Gethsemane, as He struggles in prayer with what is about to happen.  Peter is making it tougher here, with "the things of men."  God calls us to a higher, bigger plan, one that is not easy to see without the understanding of faith, the transcendence of the reality of the Kingdom, a knowledge of a greater purpose for mankind.  All of these things play a role here, not only in Jesus' mission for the salvation of the entire world - past, present, and future, but also for each one of us as we are called also to participate in that mission in our own lives.  Faith makes us a part of a unified whole, even as it draws us closer to the understanding of Christ's singular place in the cosmos and in our world, even at the center of our lives.  This is not a Messiah who reigns as absolute monarch on human or worldly terms; He's the suffering servant, the One who will lay down His life for His friends.  If we wonder about this mission (and we almost certainly will wonder), we must look at the love that it teaches us, the love that is at the center of what it means to great on Christ's terms.  He is the greatest, and the greatest, He has taught, "must be the servant of all."   The God who reigns is a God of absolute love; if we are to understand but one thing of the mystery of Christ's Passion, we must understand that.  Let us go forward with Him and find the will of the loving God for ourselves.

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world

 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"  Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.  I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.  And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent).  So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?"  Some said, "This is he."  Others said, "He is like him."  He said, "I am he."  Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?"  He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.'  So I went and washed, and I received sight."  Then they said to him, "Where is He?"  He said, "I do not know."

They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees.  Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.  Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight.  He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see."  Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath."  Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?"  And there was a division among them.  They said to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?"  He said, "He is a prophet."

- John 9:1-17

 In last week's readings, we read John chapter 6, which taught us about Jesus as the Bread of Life.  We began with the feeding in the wilderness of five thousand, and on to Jesus' discourse concerning the bread that will not perish.  He taught them, "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  When He was asked what work they should do to do the work of God, He told them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  He said, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."  He told the leadership, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.  It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.'  Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me."  As He taught in the synagogue in Capernaum, He said, "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.  This is the bread which came down from heaven -- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead.  He who eats this bread will live forever."    Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?  What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.  And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."  From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve..  Jesus taught them, " It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."

In today's reading, we go back to where the lectionary departed on Monday for chapter 6, and we pick up at the beginning of chapter 9 of John's Gospel.  Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles, and chapters 7 and 8 are preparation for this chapter.  We recall that He has had a long dialogue with the leadership after going to the Festival (the Feast of Tabernacles, or Succoth).  We recall that He did not go "openly"; that is, as He will go at the beginning of Holy Week.  Jesus has taught there that "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."   In the last reading of chapter 8, He told the leadership, "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear because you are not of God."  They asked Him, "Who do You make Yourself out to be?"  Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"  My study bible points out that of all the miracle stories in the bible, this is the only one in which the person was blind from birth.  It notes, "The blind man is symbolic of all humanity: all need illumination by Christ, the Light of the world. This sign is an illustration of baptism, which is also called 'holy illumination.' "  We remember that Easter is the traditional day to receive catechumens into the Church.  The question by the disciples reflects a common assumption in the ancient world.

Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.  I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."   My study bible says that "though suffering can be the direct result of personal sin, this is certainly not always the case.  In this instance, the man's blindness provided the occasion for the works of God to be revealed; it was not related directly the man's personal sins."  Jesus has already taught (in chapter 8) "I am the light of the world."  Here His compassion and healing illuminate more for us about that light! 

When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.  And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent).  So he went and washed, and came back seeing.  My study bible points out that this is the work of Creator:  "St. Irenaeus sees in this mixture of clay and saliva a type of creation of humanity from the earth.  Christ reveals His divinity by restoring part of creation using the same material with which He created humanity in the beginning."  Regarding the pool of Siloam, it tells us:  "The pool of Siloam was on the outskirts of Jerusalem, a considerable distance from the temple.  From this pool water was taken for the rites connected with the Feast of Tabernacles.  Siloam, translated, Sent, symbolizes Christ, the One sent by the Father.  Just as the healing of the blind man confirmed Christ's claim to be the light of the  world, so also, His making use of the pool of Siloam confirms that He is the true purification of the temple and those who worship in it."  In the image of the clay healing the blind man, made with spittle from the mouth of Christ, we remember Jesus' words from chapter 6, in Saturday's reading:  "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."  

Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?"  Some said, "This is he."  Others said, "He is like him."  He said, "I am he."  Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?"  He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.'  So I went and washed, and I received sight."  Then they said to him, "Where is He?"  He said, "I do not know."  The theme of illumination continues through these verses.  The neighbors need to discover if it is even the same man!  This is confirmed by the man himself.  What has happened?  The man gives testimony to what has happened to him, and what Jesus did.  But he doesn't know where Jesus is.  This passage can be considered a mirror to the whole of John's Gospel, as we are revealed to gradually, bit by bit, through testimony, the works of Jesus, and who He is.  That the formerly blind man does not know where Jesus is reminds us of Jesus' words to Nicodemus in chapter 3, about the work of the Spirit (especially in the rebirth of Baptism):  "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  The man doesn't know where Jesus went, but we see His healing effects.

They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees.  Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.  Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight.  He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see."  Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath."  Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?"  And there was a division among them.  They said to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?"  He said, "He is a prophet."  A note reads, "Just as the Pharisees had ignored the healing of the paralytic and focused only on the perceived violation of the Sabbath, here many of them cannot see the glory of god through their own prejudices."

We see the gradual "opening of the eyes" happening here in many respects.  There is first of all the blind man himself.  He becomes the object of curiosity first of the disciples:  "Who sinned, that this man is blind?"  But Jesus teaches that his affliction is an opportunity for the revelation of the glory of God.  It is time for Jesus to work, while it is day, as He walks in the world.  Many Church Fathers comment that the "night" is the time of the age to come, when no one can "work."  But I think we can also think of this saying of Jesus giving us an allusion to the "night" to come, in His Crucifixion.   The Gospels work to "illuminate" on many levels at once.  At any rate, He is the light who brings the day, and who reveals the light of God in the world.  How is the blind man healed?  By following the words of Christ, who tells him to go to the pool of Siloam and wash.  We can imagine this man with clay on his eyes, making his way to the pool.  Walking back, people wonder who he is -- if he can be the same person.  Therefore John's Gospel gives us the testimony and curiosity of witnesses to the blind man's change.  We are gradually illumined in the light of the Gospel.  The formerly blind man makes his own testimony, sticking strictly to the facts, what he knows.  This is an important mark of truth, or truthfulness, also linked to the light of Christ, whom we call the Person who is Truth.  And he also answers truthfully an important answer to the question about where Christ is:  "I do not know."  And then we compare this to the blindness of the Pharisees, who can only concur that whoever healed the blind man cannot be of God, because it happened on the Sabbath.  They are blind to the glory of God in the healing, and the fact that the Sabbath is the Lord's day.  But they are divided, as some (perhaps weakly) ask, "How can a man who is a sinner do such things?"  The blind man again answers truthfully to his own understanding of whoever it is who must have opened his eyes:  "He is a prophet."  That is what he knows, so far.  Later Christ Himself will reveal more.  And this is the way our faith works.  We go forward, following the word of Christ, His light to us.  And as we move forward, we may not have all the answers.  We may have to say, with truth in its grace, that there are things we "don't know."  But above all the light of Christ is the light of truth, what we do know.  It cannot shine through our deliberate ignorance and denial, which is another form of a lie.  It must be given to those who are pure in heart, who can accept it.  And more truth comes from Him who will reveal more about Himself so that we can know.  This is the way that we proceed as believers into the light that shines in the darkness and has come into the world.  John's Gospel will continue to illuminate as we proceed toward the great light of Easter.  Let us remember the formerly blind man and his truth, which sometimes consists of "I don't know."  But we wait for the word of God.

What do you want Me to do for you?

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.