His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light

 

 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.  And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him!"  And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.  But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."  When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.  

 

Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.  But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished.  Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands."  Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist. 

 

- Matthew 17:1-13 

 

Yesterday we read that from that time (just after Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ), Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"  But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!  You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to His works.  Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

 

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; . . ..  My study Bible says that a high mountain is often a place of divine revelation in Scripture (Matthew 5:1; Genesis 22:2; Exodus 19:3, 23; Isaiah 2:3; 2 Peter 1:18).  Significantly, we're told that the event which occurs in today's reading takes place after six days following Peter's confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, and Christ's own confession to the disciples that His messiahship will be one of suffering and sacrifice, and His death on the Cross, followed by His Resurrection.  These "six days" is the period in between these events; thus the Transfiguration takes place on the eighth day -- a day signifying renewal of all things, the eternal day of the Lord.  

 

  . . . and He was transfigured before them.  The Transfiguration (Metamorphosis in the Greek) is a major feast day in Orthodox and other Churches, and is particularly central to the understanding of Orthodox theology. 
 

His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.  And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  My study Bible tells us that this is a theophany; that is, a manifestation of God.  It is an expression of the divinity of Christ through a display of His uncreated, divine energy. Here there are several elements which show that Christ is Messiah and God.  First, because God is light (1 John 1:5), the bright cloud, the shining of Jesus' face like the sun, and this stunning whiteness of His garment, all express that Jesus is God, my study Bible says.  In some icons the light is shown as something beyond white; that is, a blue-white, ineffable color that indicates spiritual origin.  The Transfiguration also is a foreshadowing of His future glory; as Messiah He will usher in the long-awaited Kingdom.  The presence of Moses and Elijah give us the communion of the saints (Hebrews 12:1).  Both are recognizable and talk with the Lord.  My study Bible notes that Moses represents the law and all who have died, while Elijah represents the prophets and -- as he did not experience death, all those who are alive in Christ.  The law and the prophets, the living and the dead, therefore, all bear witness to Jesus as Messiah, and fulfillment of the Old Testament.  My study Bible adds that the bright cloud (see the verses that follow) is a recollection of temple worship and the cloud that went in front of the Israelites in the wilderness, the visible sign of God being extraordinarily present.  So for Peter, the Feast of Tabernacles being the feast of the coming Kingdom, he asks to build booths as at that festival, which are symbols of God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom. 

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him!"  And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.  But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."  When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.     God the Father bears witness from heaven concerning the Son, and the divine glory that is Christ's by nature.  He is true God of true God, as the Creed states. Here is the manifestation of the Trinity, in the transfiguration of Jesus, the voice of the Father testifying to Christ's divine sonship, and also the Spirit present in the dazzling light surrounding Christ's person and overshadowing the whole mountain in the bright cloud.  

Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.  But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished.  Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands."  Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.  My study Bible comments that because of the presence of Moses and Elijah in the Transfiguration and their experience of this event, the disciples can now understand Jesus' words that "Elijah has come already" as referring to John the Baptist.  It notes that their eyes have been opened to the fact that Malachi's prophecy (Malachi 4:5-6) refers to one coming "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17) rather than Elijah himself.  

The Transfiguration figures highly in the theology of the human person, not simply as revelation of who Christ is.  Clearly for the disciples, this revelation of Christ's identity -- following so soon upon Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ, and Christ's own prophesy of His suffering and human death, followed by Resurrection -- works as an affirmation for these disciples. These three, Peter, John, and James, form the inner circle of the disciples, the ones closest to Jesus and the ones whose faith is the strongest.  But there is more to the Transfiguration and this important revelation of identity, and even of the Trinity.  For in the Transfiguration we behold the divine light of Christ, and we are to understand that it is this light that not only belongs to deity, but is shared with us through faith.  Through faith, and through grace, we also may become transfigured in our own lives.  So the Transfiguration, or Metamorphosis in Greek, becomes not only a promise of Christ's identity, but also a promise of who we may become through faith.  St. Athanasius is perhaps most well-known for a foundational pillar of Christian theology, which teaches that God became human so that human beings could become like God.  That is, through faith and grace, and through the light of Christ shared with us and within us, we become more Christ-like.  We are able to fulfill the promise that we are created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26).  We are meant to become transfigured ourselves through this light and grace, the energies and mercy of God, just as we see the disciples evolve through the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles.  They grow in wisdom and in the character their own "works" reveal through time, especially after Pentecost.  St. Paul writes of the fruit of the Spirit, contrasting them with the works of the flesh (see Galatians 5:19-23).  Christ speaks of the light that we are given so that we may also shine it into the world, in the Sermon on the Mount.  He tells His disciples, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-16).  This light is given to us through our identity as children of God, and the Spirit is shared with us so that we may also reflect the light back into the world as we are able.  But all of this comes through faith, and as we grow in faith, so may that light also be strengthened, illumined, boosted, and reflected more deeply through us.  We can see this reflected in icons and the halos of the saints and angels which are familiar to us.  Light figures in images from the Old Testament, read through the understanding of the New, in which, for example, the Burning Bush witnessed by Moses (Exodus 3) is seen as an icon or type of the Virgin Mary, whose womb was "not consumed by the fire of divinity" although thereby Jesus was conceived.  All of these images of light correspond to what is divine, and yet human beings may also share in and bear this light into the world and through their lives.  So let us consider the Transfiguration and what it means for us.  If in our lives we have found some light, or Christ the true Light who shows us the way, saints whose light shines for us -- well, then, through the Transfiguration we know that this light, corresponding to divine fire, this illumination which is beyond the light of the world always has more to give us, more to show us, more ways in which we may be illumined and in turn illuminate what is around us by our own transfiguration in God's light.  For this is what we are meant for, the only way we are prepared to dwell in God's Kingdom, and live within that light that illumines and yet burns all that is not in accord with it, that cannot stand in the light.  For we are meant for this light.  In the Easter/Pascha service of the Orthodox Church, a candle is brought into the darkened church from the altar, and with the words "Come receive the light," that fire is distributed to all, for each one's candle to celebrate Resurrection.  Without the Transfiguration, we could not understand the fullness of this light that we do, nor the meanings we have received, and at the same time, all the promise in it for the mysteries we do not yet know but are promised.  In the Transfiguration, let us not forget, Christ gives us not only this brilliant divine light, but it is shared in the vision of the apostles, given to us in the communion of saints (Moses and Elijah), revealing to us the Holy Trinity, and establishing for us the Christ, the Messiah, the One whom we need and whose light we need to show us the way to the fullness of life, for "in Your light we see life" (Psalm 36:9).  John's Gospel tells us, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4).  The Transfiguration shows us this light for all.

 

Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!

 

 Now they came to Jericho.  As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then many warned him to 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 called.  Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

 

- Mark 10:46–52 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus and His disciples were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed.  And as they followed they were afraid.  Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him:  "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."  And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Grant that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."  But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."  And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

 

  Now they came to Jericho.  As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then many warned him to 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 called.  Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.  My study Bible comments that the restoration of sight to the blind was a sign expected to be performed by the Messiah (Isaiah 29:18; 35:4-5).  This was a power God had reserved for Himself (compare to John 9:32).  Son of David is a messianic title.  As used by Bartimaeus, it shows that he had faith that Jesus was the Christ.  In patristic commentary, there is a spiritual interpretation given to this miracle of the restoration of sight.  Jericho was a low-lying city which was associated with sin (Luke 10:30, 19:1).  Here, my study Bible explains, it symbolizes fallen humanity.  Christ passing through Jericho therefore is an image of His Incarnation.  That the Lord restores sigh tot Bartimaeus is a parallel to restoring humanity to glory; the restoration of sight to the blind means they are able to "receive light."  Having been made whole by Christ, human nature can now follow Christ on the road to the Kingdom, symbolized by Jesus' subsequent entrance in Jerusalem, in the following reading (Mark 11:1-11).  

So what does it mean to receive one's sight?  Certainly most of us would think that to be deprived of sight is a deprivation indeed.  One may still have other sensory perception such as hearing and touch, and these indeed provide necessary input for good things in life, such as the hearing of music or the human voice, and the capacity to feel objects and touch, such as the handshake or embrace of another person, even the presence of a beloved pet.  But sight seems to be in a category of its own in terms of how much we rely on eyesight to tell us about the world around ourselves, to understand what is happening or to behold beauty as well as other things we perceive.  To "see" is used even as a metaphor for understanding, and in that context it is good to think about this miracle of sight for Bartimaeus.  Of course, one hastens to add, we do not want to minimize the achievements and good life of those whose sight is impaired.  But when approaching Scripture, it is wise to think in metaphors in order to understand its meanings.  In terms of blindness, the ancient world understood blindness to be a kind of darkness, in which quite literally the light of day was not perceived by the eyes.  It was understood as a condition in which light did not permeate the eyes; to see, on the other hand, was to be illumined, for light to enter the eye.  And therein we can understand the metaphor of sight, especially in spiritual terms of illumination, and understanding.  To receive light in metaphorical terms is to receive wisdom, to have one's eyes opened to something is to understand what one was ignorant of beforehand.  In this case, as Jericho symbolizes a sinful and fallen world, it is Christ who illumines the world by liberating us from the blindness of sin, Christ who helps us to see a better way, a better life -- and all the metaphors of light used in the context of the New Testament apply here.  John's Gospel in particular uses "light" to mean God and the life that the Son brings ito the world.  John's Prologue tells us, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John 1:4-5).  In John 12:35, Jesus says to the people, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going."  In yesterday's reading and commentary, we wrote about Christ's power of liberation and salvation, spoken of metaphorically as ransom, which liberates a captive.  In illuminating the eyes of Bartimaeus, Jesus also liberates one held captive to darkness, enhancing the metaphors we understand about the Incarnation and the healing power of the Incarnation itself.  God has become human so that we may see beyond our captivity to sin, to selfishness, to a sense that life is all about what we can grab, what pleasures we can chase, where love hasn't much meaning beyond possibly getting something we want.  This is the point of view of a world opposite to Jesus' view of greatness:  where to be great is to "lord it over" others (see yesterday's reading, above).  We can contrast Christ's expressions of compassion (including the healing of Bartimaeus) with one in which affliction is just one's tough luck, and there is no transcendent meaning for suffering whatsoever, where love does not mean care or kindness or sympathy, and there is no consideration for others.  This is a world of darkness, where meanings are absent, and where we are not called upon to find meaning in mutual love or expressions of community.  In spiritual terms, that a world where darkness covers beauty and goodness, where we are blind to expressions of love and compassion and the courtesies that sometimes make life bearable; that is, where material power alone is all in all and coercion is the only way of life.  The entire meaning of the Incarnation is love, and it is there in which we understand that God is love:  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son . . . " (John 3:16).  Christ did not have to become human, did not have to heal or extend Himself to human beings, did not have to offer Himself on the Cross so that we might be healed and death defeated, did not have to suffer so that we are no longer slaves to the one who wants us to believe that a dog-eat-dog life is all there is.  What is illumination, and what is sight?  Let us dispel those who would teach us that bullying and coercion are all there is, and kindness or sympathy for victims or those left out is nothing.  A life without mercy is a life without Christ, and one missing the fullness of what it is to be a human being.   For He shows us the way of light through such a world, and it is the way of life abundantly.

 

 

"What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight"

Now they came to Jericho.  As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"   Then many warned him to 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 called.  Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. 

- Mark 10:46-52

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed.  And as they followed they were afraid.  Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him:  "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."  And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."  But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."  And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Now they came to Jericho.  As he went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"   Then many warned him to 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 called.  Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.  Jesus is on His way toward Jerusalem, toward His Passion.  To restore sight to the blind was a sign that was expected to be performed by the Messiah (Isaiah 29:18; 35:4-5), considered a power God had reserved for Himself (compare to John 9:32).  Bartimaeus calls Jesus Son of David, a messianic title, displaying that he has faith that Jesus is the Christ.  My study bible adds a traditional spiritual interpretation to this miracle.  Jericho was a low-lying city that was associated with sin (Luke 10:30; 19:1).  Here it becomes symbolic of fallen humanity.  Jesus passing through Jericho is an image of His Incarnation in the world.  He restores sight to Bartimaeus in an act that parallels restoring humanity to glory -- both are connected with images of light.  Bartimaeus, having been made whole, stands in for a human nature that can now follow Christ on the road to the Kingdom, symbolized by the Lord's later entrance into Jerusalem.

What is it to receive light, to know light, to become as the light?  These questions are important as we think about the story of Bartimaeus.  Images of light and darkness teach us about sight and our own capacity to see.  Jesus often uses such images about blindness and darkness.  For example, He tells says, "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"  (Matthew 6:22-23).  The concept comes from the light which enters the eye, enabling vision.  A blind eye was considered to be "dark."  What He is saying is that those whose "eye" of perception is darkened, truly live in an overwhelming darkness that captures all things in its net.  He also uses light as a metaphor for Himself:  "I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life"  (John 8:12), " As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world" (John 9:5), "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believes in me should not abide in darkness" (John 12:46).  Tying in the images of light with truth and salvation and eternal life, He says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).  All of these images give us better insight into the story of Bartimaeus as a spiritual example.  We should note that he even throws aside his garment to run to Christ, symbolically leaving everything else of himself behind.  His faith connects Him with Christ, and restores his sight, as affirmed by Jesus when He says, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  Bartimaeus, having sight, is free to follow the Light on the road to Jerusalem.  He knows where He is going, and whom He needs to follow.  Our sight is similar -- we need to let light in to see properly and well.  We need the reflection of light even to see objects for the truth of what they are.  To cast light on a subject, or to bring it to the light, is to find the truth of it.   All of these metaphors of light apply to Christ.  We need His enlightenment all the time, and in all circumstances.  How will we make decisions?  Against what do we measure our own standards?  How do we find ways to greet our world and to respond to what we see?  Bartimaeus recognizes his Messiah.  He is an example to all of us, even when we cry out in the dark for sight.

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 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 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 tells us 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."  This is called the "Third Prophecy of the Passion."  Luke's Gospel serves us continual reminders that Jesus is on the road to Jerusalem, and that He is preparing them for the times when He will not be with them in the flesh.

Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging.   My study bible says that "Luke and Mark report one blind man, whereas Matthew mentions two.  But the lesson remains the same."

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!"   The cry of the blind man (Son of David!) reflects the journey of Jesus toward Jerusalem, and that He will be welcomed as Messiah.  "Have mercy on me!" is the cry of those who need help, the refrain of our religious worship from the beginning of the Church ("Lord have mercy").  We heard it earlier in Jesus' journey to Jerusalem in the plea of the ten lepers (see Your faith has made you well).

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?"   Jesus has preached, in recent readings in Luke, about the importance of persistence in prayer (see the parable of the Tenacious Widow, from last Thursday's reading).  This man is persistent, despite the voices telling him to be quiet.  I love Jesus' question, as we hear it from Him often in the Gospels:  "What do you want Me to do for you?"  In other notes, my study bible has told us that we need to be specific in prayer.  But it's a reminder that prayer is, indeed, a dialogue.  We must always remember to Whom we're praying!  Again, a recent reading taught us the difference between prayer as monologue and prayer as dialogue with God -- the Pharisee and the Publican.

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.  The request is specific, in response to Jesus' question.  "Your faith has made you well" was Jesus' response to the one leper who returned to thank Him -- in Tuesday's reading.

I heard a wonderful sermon yesterday in which we were told a quotation from Helen Keller:  "The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision."  I think today's reading emphasizes very well what this means in the perspective of the Gospels.  We're first told in our reading today that Jesus warns the disciples for the third time, giving them a prophecy of what is to happen to Him at Jerusalem.  But, the text tells us, "This saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken."  That's an example of a lack of vision.  At the time, they couldn't foresee what was to happen, couldn't comprehend this staggering (and appalling) news.  That we should then be given the story of the blind man is a kind of hidden hint here:  In John's Gospel, Jesus teaches, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."  He's speaking to some Pharisees, who understand very well that He's referring to them.  They claim to see, and therefore "their sin remains upon them."   To have our eyes opened carries with it a high sort of price of responsibility.  Blindness is one thing, but seeing is another -- and falsely claiming to see, or refusing to see, has its effects.  How we respond to One who would open our eyes carries a strong potency.  But the story today tells us several things, most notably that even on the road of faith there will be things which we have yet to understand.  It requires persistence and faith to continue onward, to learn the things we have yet to know and to see, to come to the vision that Christ has for us and promises us.  Secondly, there is persistence required both on the part of the disciples who cannot yet understand what Jesus is telling them, and on the part of the blind man who wants his sight.  Both of these things come through prayer, through dialogue, a relationship to God which is ongoing, and in which we are willing to continue onward, to learn more, to go forward.  And finally there is the persistence in prayer -- the example of the blind man becomes our key.  The prayer that he prays is a way to show persistence in faith, and, as Jesus tells him, to be made well ("Your faith has made you well").   In many of the recent readings taken together, Jesus is preparing us (and the disciples) for the time to come when He will no longer be with them as the human Jesus, after His death, Resurrection and Ascension.  Most of all, He prepares them through examples about persistence in prayer and about the power of faith.  These things are inseparable from one another!  Let us remember the road He invites us on, His Way (the Greek word that translates as "Way" is a word for "road").  One His way to Jerusalem, He teaches.  Over and over again we learn about true blindness, lack of vision, lack of faith -- and especially persistence.  We know where we've been, but there's another long road ahead.  It's a road of vision and sight, and prayer is the key to its manifestation and unfolding.  Prayer (alone, in worship, at any time)  is the key to our faith.