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 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 it, 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."  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; 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 is a power considered to be reserved by God for Himself (compare John 9:32).  Son of David is a messianic title, which tells us that Bartimaeus had faith that Jesus was the Christ.  There is also found in patristic commentary a spiritual interpretation of this miracle as well.  Jericho was a low-lying city associated with sin (Luke 10:30, 19:1).  (Apparently, in Christ's time, this area of the road to Jerusalem was a site of criminal activity, commonly for robbery, and associated with danger.)  Here, it symbolizes fallen humanity.  So, in a spiritual interpretation of this story, Jericho symbolizes fallen humanity, and Christ passing through is a symbol of His Incarnation in the world.  The restoration of sight which Christ gives to Bartimaeus parallels His restoring humanity to glory.  Having been made whole by Christ, my study Bible says, human nature can now follow Christ on the road to the Kingdom, which will be symbolized in Christ's subsequent entrance into Jerusalem in the passage that follows (Mark 11:1-11).  

 

 Clearly blind Bartimaeus, as my study Bible indicates, is a spiritual metaphor.  In addition to the specific patristic interpretation of this story noted above, he serves as a stand-in for us as well.  There's a particular shape to the story of Bartimaeus.  He already has faith that Jesus is the Christ, as indicated by his faith which moves him to call out to Jesus as "Son of David."  Bartimaeus is in that all-too-rare position of already knowing and understanding that he is blind, and that his blindness gives him limitations in life.  Spiritually speaking, many of us are, in fact, "blind" to our own blindness.  We can't see around our own dark corners where we hide from ourselves the things we don't want to see.  It's a common understanding that it's simply a human pattern that people are frequently blind to their own flaws, often true in people who love to point out instead the flaws in others.  But Bartimaeus, on the other hand, knows that he is blind.  His life is reduced to begging by the side of the road, for this is what he can do.  But he is not begging out of a sense of self-pity.  His condition and his circumstances render him unable to do other work.  But, that, also Bartimaeus is not satisfied with.  He knows his limitations and how his life is curtailed through this affliction, but he doesn't accept them as the final word.  In some sense, he's aware that the world he knows is not all there is.  In fact, now his opportunity to do something about his blindness and this state in which he lives by begging is approaching, coming down the road.  Here is his hope, and possibility.  And Bartimaeus makes every effort he can to get the help he needs from the one whom he has faith is the Messiah.  He shouts, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  In the center of this story, we're told that then, many warned him to be quiet .  In this place symbolic of fallenness, where there is a kind of notorious criminality, people are somehow complacent.  They don't like that Bartimaeus shouts for attention and for help or mercy.  But although many warn him to be quiet, Bartimaeus responds by crying out all the more.  He wants Jesus' attention, and he has confidence in seeking that attention.  Jesus hears him and commands that they bring Bartimaeus to Him.  The people now say, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  What does Bartimaeus do?  Throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  In Thursday's reading, we read about a man who had many possessions, who was reluctant to part with those possessions even for the reward of an eternal life, even for Christ who loved him.  But here, Bartimaeus is entirely willing to give up his old life symbolized by the throwing aside of his garment.  Bartimaeus knows what the rich young ruler from Thusday's reading perhaps doesn't know, that one must lose their life to save it, and by clinging to the old will lose even what he might have (Mark 8:35).  Bartimaeus is calling to the One who can help him, the one place where he can find what he truly needs.  He calls to the Light, to Jesus, to illumine his sight.  Jesus asks him in return, "What do you want Me to do for you?" Bartimaeus' prayer is specific,  "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  This term, Rabboni, is one of the greatest respect and yet also personal affection.  It is the one by which St. Mary Magdalene responds to Christ when she encounters Him risen at the empty tomb (John 20:16).  It means not just "Teacher," but "my Teacher."  Jesus replies, as He did to the woman whose blood flow of twelves years was stopped by touching His garment in good faith (Mark 5:34), "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  Then we're told that immediately Bartimaeus received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.  Did he go out and party and celebrate with his friends?  Did he boast of something as if it were his special achievement?  Is he satisfied to stay by the road where he is now that he has received his sight?  No, Bartimaeus knows where the light is, and his journey into his new life is just beginning.  He knows he need to follow the Light that gave him light, and so he turned and followed Jesus on the road.  He's on his way to the life he needs following the only One whose mercy could give him his sight.  Here Bartimaeus becomes a metaphor for all who've tried in all kinds of ways to escape an afflicted and limited life, and failed to find help and real guidance in the midst of a fallen world that is also blind to its own limitations.  So often we seek solutions offered by popular culture, media, or what the crowds are chasing or tell us to do.  But there is one place where the light of mercy comes from that can illumine our way out of a dark situation, a fallen life surrounded by limited expectations and hope -- and Bartimaeus is going to follow where it leads him.  We contrast Bartimaeus' limited life with the life of the rich young ruler of our recent reading.  Bartimaeus, though blind and possessing nothing, now stands to gain all for he could "see" his hope in Christ.  The rich young ruler possessed everything, but went away with nothing despite Christ's love for him.  Let us consider where our hope always lies, and follow what blind Bartimaeus knew to do.  For even one who failed (in yesterday's reading) always has hope of repentance and to follow Christ in faith toward the Kingdom.  Bartimaeus' cry to Jesus, "Have mercy on me," is the foundation of the Jesus prayer, and punctuates worship services (particularly among the Orthodox).  For His mercy is that of opening to hope and possibilities not considered, horizons to which we might be blind but may see through His light.   

 

 

And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him

 

 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him. 

 

- Matthew 20:29-34 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "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 to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day He will rise again."  Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  And He said to her, "What do you wish?"  She said to Him, "Grant that these two  sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with, 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 by My Father."  And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

 

 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.   My study Bible points out that these two blind men greet Jesus as Lord, the common title for God, and Son of David, which is a title deeply associated with the Messiah.   It 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.  Church Fathers also give a spiritual interpretation to this miracle, in which the blind men symbolize future generations who would come to faith only by hearing, without the benefit of seeing Christ in person (see John 20:29).  Those who tried to silence the blind men are persecutors and tyrants who, in each generation, try to silence the Church.  Under persecution, nonetheless, the Church all the more confesses Jesus Christ. 

 

If we were to look at the story of this blind man symbolically in another sense, we can think in terms of the darkness and light that their limited sight allows them.  To have their eyes "opened" per their request, in this sense, is to open their eyes to light, to more light.  Analogous to this is spiritual sight, and the light of Christ.  And in this parallel analogy, we all need the sight that these blind men clamor for, because all of us are blind in some way or another.  There are all kinds of ways, perhaps, in which we might see, and we don't see.  When we pray, we are so often looking for guidance, or for help, or for mercy.  Speaking for myself, the problems that present themselves in my life are always such that I need help to see my way through them, guidance for the ways that God would like me to proceed through them.  So, as Jesus passes by on His way toward Jerusalem and to the Cross, the two blind men sitting on the road just outside of Jericho cry out to Him.  There is a way to read this story in which we understand another kind of symbolism about the place, and that is that Jericho was associated with sin.  This particular road was a very dangerous one, in which there were frequent attacks by robbers.  It's the setting for the attack by robbers in the story of the Good Samaritan (found in St. Luke's Gospel).  In this understanding, we can ask ourselves who are the truly blind people in this story?  That is, who are the spiritually blind?  These two blind men know Christ, they know His mercy, they know and have faith that He can "open their eyes."  In this place associated with sin, life and its values are upside down, in which the blind see, and those who see do not.  It is those who "see" who tell the blind men to be silent, and it is Christ, our beacon of light (and therefore  the Giver of sight) who stands still and hears their cry.  They even call Him Son of David, indicating they understand He is the Messiah.  This is sight indeed, in these blind men who know upon whom they call and from whom they cry for help, for mercy.  In this context of a seeming "upside down" reality, we recall Christ's words to the Pharisees who questioned His healing of another man, who had been blind from birth, "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" (John 9:39).  The truth is that Christ's light is always something we need so that we may truly see our way through this world and through our lives.  It's as important to think about the place Christ would ask us to go, as it is about where we have been, and for this we need His light.  There is no way that is "perfect" in the sense that we are finished with our journey of life as long as we live in this world, for we are those who also must seek in discipleship to follow Christ on the road to the Cross.  In my experience, the times my life seemed "perfect" were the times when my own cross appeared to set me in a different place, with Christ's light to seek to find my way.  Jesus tells us, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (John 8:12).  Let us recall that it is Christ who came into the world to dispel the darkness, to destroy the forces of death through the Cross, and His Resurrection.  We follow Him, and know that we need His light to illumine the darkness we find in the world, joining Him in His mission by bearing whatever cross we're given in our lives.  St. John's Gospel 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).  Let us find and follow His light, so that we also may see our way ahead.   Let us pay attention to these blind men and what they do immediately when they received their sight:  they follow Him on the road to Jerusalem.  So, if we see, we will do likewise.

 

 

 

 

 

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 hard 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 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 hard 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 which was expected to be performed by the Messiah (Isaiah 29:18; 35:4-5), a power which God had reserved for God alone (compare John 9:32).  Son of David is a messianic title, and his use of this title shows that Bartimaeus had faith that Jesus was the Christ.  There's a spiritual interpretation to this miracle in patristic commentary also.  Jericho was a low-lying city associated with sin (Luke 10:30; 19:1).  Here, Jericho symbolizes fallen humanity.  So, therefore, Christ passing through Jericho becomes an image of His Incarnation in the world.  The Lord restoring sight to Bartimaeus parallels Christ's restoring humanity to glory.  Having been made whole by Christ, my study Bible says, human nature can now follow Christ on the road to the Kingdom, symbolized by our Lord's subsequent entrance into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1-11).  

 

The restoration of sight in many ways parallels the salvation of a soul.  In the restoration of sight to a person, it is said that light is allowed once again to enter the eyes; and indeed, to perceive anything by sight in the world, it is necessary that we are able to take in the reflection of light particles on those objects.  As Christ is the Light (John 1:4-5), so as His followers we need His light in order to receive our spiritual sight, so that we may perceive what truly is and know the way that we are going in life.   Also in St. John's Gospel, after His final entry into Jerusalem, Jesus says in front of 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" (John 12:35).  In this He is clearly referring to Himself as the light, who goes to the Cross, and so will be with them in the flesh yet a little while longer.  In the Creed, we call Christ "Light from Light, true God of true God."  So this metaphor -- seen as icon or image -- of Bartimaeus receiving his sight from Christ in Jericho becomes the powerful image of our salvation.  In some ways, we are all like blind Bartimaeus.  That is, none of us sees with the full sight of God, of Christ.  There are all kinds of things that remain mystical and secret, hidden from us.  But they are things that belong to the kingdom of God, and thus are things for which salvation prepares us, as we may walk toward union with Christ in its fullness.  Therefore, the road of salvation remains for all of us, even the greatest saints, and throughout our lives, for there is always something we don't yet know, can't yet see, for which the road of Christ beckons us forward.  Bartimaeus shows wisdom in his title for Jesus, Son of David, for he perceives that Jesus is the One who can give him his sight.  And once again in the Gospel of St. Mark, we observe that it is this capacity to use our voices and express ourselves, to call out to Christ, that is necessary in salvation -- either by ourselves or by others on our behalf.  For this is prayer; it is pleading.  In freedom, Christ beckons to Bartimaeus and asks, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  And we are given that blessed freedom by God to speak and to ask, to commune with our Creator.   This is also the light:  that Christ wants us to speak with Him, gives us that freedom to do so, and desires to be with us in His Incarnation, and afterward (Matthew 18:20).  For even in the midst of sin and darkness (as symbolized by Jericho), we are with the light, we may feel His presence and know Him and speak to Him and ask of Him.  For His light, even in the darkness, shines for us, no matter where the road may go, even if we're in the midst of those who cannot see (John 1:5).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!

 

 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

 

- Matthew 20:29-34 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "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 to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day He will rise again."  (This was the second prophesy of His Passion that Jesus has given to the disciples.)  Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  And He said to her, "What do you wish?"  She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one of Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I am about the drink, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; 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 by My Father."  And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know  that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

 

 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.  My study Bible comments that these two blind men greet Jesus as Lord, the common title for God, and Son of David, which is a title which was deeply associated with the Messiah.  Although Christ knows what we want before we ask, it notes, He calls us to ask freely so that we might learn of His mercy.  There is also a spiritual interpretation of this miracle in patristic commentary, in which the two blind men symbolize future generations who would come to faith only through hearing, without the benefit of seeing Christ in person (see John 20:29).  In this interpretation, my study Bible notes, those who tried to silence the blind men are persecutors and tyrants who, in each generation, try to silence the Church.  But nonetheless, under persecution, the Church all the more confesses Jesus Christ.

 

 Today's reading asks us to consider for ourselves where our own blindness may be, and how it might be remedied and healed.  These two men understand their circumstances, and they pray to Christ -- as Messiah and Lord -- for their healing, which is His mercy.   They are asked by Christ, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  This invites us to consider not just what we want or would like God to do for us, but whether or not we understand our own blindness, and therefore what help we need to see.  The people who call for them to be quiet can be compared to our own voices, or to the voices of those around us, who don't want us to recognize our blindness nor what we need.  The blindness in today's reading can be compared to the blindness of denial to the truths that are around us and even within us, and especially denial of our need for Christ and the ways in which He can heal us.  In the Bible, Jericho is often considered a city symbolic of sin; in the parable of the Good Samaritan, the attack on the man needing help occurred on this road between Jerusalem and Jericho which Jesus now travels.  If we take today's reading symbolically, we might get great insight by considering how often circumstances would ask us to remain blind when we seek to be healed of the falsehoods we tell ourselves in order to "keep the peace," when in fact we need to face the reality of our circumstances.  Christ, as the way, the truth, and the life, is the One who brings the healing light to us that exposes the falsehoods we tell ourselves, or the lies that keep a bad circumstance from being opened up and cleansed for the good of all parties involved.  In this allegorical sense, it is these two blind men on the side of the road who are the ones who truly see, while the rest demand silence.  It is these two blind men who, in fact, recognize their Healer and Savior, and call to Him, who are the ones doing as He would desire.  And it is these two with whom Jesus will engage with a heart-to-heart question, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  As an allegorical story, we might ask ourselves why they are the only ones who seem to honestly want what Christ has to offer -- and in His truth and insight into the heart of human beings, He engages with them.  We human beings have a remarkable capacity for denial, for keeping ourselves blind so that we don't "rock the boat," as the expression goes, so that we can live with things we really should be doing something about to heal rather than leaving them as they are in neglect.  We might turn a blind eye to unpleasant facts we'd rather not face, or to problems -- for whatever reason -- we don't really want to solve.  But let us note:  this is not to suggest that radical solutions are necessary for everybody, or that we need to tear our world down in order to heal it.  Such theoretical abstractions are misguided.  What we need to do is what these two blind men do:  we need to appeal to Christ the true light for our healing, to help to show us what's in our hearts, and what is the truth we need to embrace and accept.  For this is the way of mercy and true justice, not destruction or hate, but love.  Let us remember that when we seek Christ's mercy, we seek His light and compassion, and we should be prepared to follow Him out of our own Jerichos, as these blind men do -- not heeding the voices that tell us to keep quiet or stop seeking our Lord.  Let us always remember that when we pray, "Lord have mercy," we ask for healing and light, the truth that saves.

 

 

Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!

 

 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

 

- Matthew 20:29-34 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus, now going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "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 to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day He will rise again."  Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  And He said to her, "What do you wish?"  She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one of Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; 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 by My Father."  And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

 

  Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him. My study Bible comments that the two blind men greet Jesus as Lord, which is the common title for God, and they also call Him Son of David, a title deeply associated with the Messiah.  It notes 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 another, spiritual interpretation to this miracle in patristic literature, with the blind men symbolizing future generations who would come to faith only by hearing, without the benefit of seeing Christ in person (see John 20:29).  In this spiritual interpretation, the ones who tried to silence the blind men are seen as persecutors and tyrants, who in each generation try to silence the Church.  Nonetheless, under persecution, the Church all the more confesses Jesus Christ.  

We might ask ourselves how, in light of the spiritual interpretation of this story noted by my study Bible, we respond when others wish us to keep silent in expressions of our faith.  Such an expression can be as simple as wearing a cross pendant, or perhaps at times giving indication of prayer, such as giving thanks before a meal in a public place.  In the West, we can't really say we face mass movement of persecution for some things, although depending upon where we are, there are times when culturally or socially speaking, such expressions rub others, who are hostile, the wrong way, and are found to be objectionable.  This is the state of things in the Western world for some of us.  But what do we do when our expressions of compassion, inspired by faith, are seen to be objectionable?  Without any overt reference to our faith, there are times when people will seemingly find offensive things that our faith inspires us to do, which we believe are doing good for others.  Some very political matters currently come to mind, like the debate over giving gender-changing hormones to very young people who have not yet physically matured sufficiently, so that the effects on their bodies will be drastic and lifelong (see, for example, this article).  That's in addition to historical understanding of psychological maturity to make such life-altering changes which will follow for the rest of their lives, regardless of later choices.  Other issues that surround us simply have to do with the objections of those who may be hostile to faith for any reason, and don't want to be reminded of it.  But what is important is our own prayerful response to what we find in our lives, our social interactions, and our own struggles with the questions that come up for choices in the ways we live our lives.  There is a level at which we struggle to balance compassion for others with respect for different opinions.  Tolerance itself would seem to be a virtue born out of Christianity, for it is Christ Himself who faced hostility for actions such as healing these men, or preaching His gospel, a hostility born out of envy or resentment by those with official religious authority (Matthew 27:18).  What we find is that the very issue of God's kingdom breaking into the world will present spiritual challenges that don't necessarily have the explanations that justify them on logical or even legal terms, and this is because, in St. Paul's words, "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).  There are times when things that are nominally good will present as a threat to those who reject the Author of the good.  These things manifest in psychological terms, and without obvious explanation.  But we will find that secondary reasons can be created to defend even irrational hatreds.  The blind men are in some ways perfect examples of this phenomenon, because of the symbolic values inherent in the setting.  Jericho was a very ancient city, even predating the development of agriculture, to 10,000 BC.  As such, during Christ's time, its reputation was one of sinfulness and iniquity, connected perhaps to the practices of the various gods worshiped throughout its history.  The parable of the Good Samaritan is set on the road going down to Jericho from Jerusalem (the opposite direction that Christ now travels in today's reading), about a man beset and beaten by robbers and left abandoned and neglected by the side of the road.  So the blindness of these men who call out to Christ in today's reading is easily seen as symbolic of the blindness of a place like Jericho, notorious for its bad practices and abuses.  Clearly in Biblical language blindness is often associated with the darkness of ignorance and therefore sin.  The lack of illumination of sight is another metaphor for spiritual blindness, light that does not "enter" into the eye.  As such we can see them as those who, unlike the ones mired in and blind to the sinfulness of their surroundings, are different in that they are aware of their affliction.  They call out to Christ the Savior, the Messiah and Deliverer (Son of David) to take them out of their state and to help them.  Even in Christ's request asking them to state what they wish from Him we see the spiritual need to name our ailments, to identify them, so that we may be healed and come to Christ in that state of awareness for His intervention in our lives and for our problems.  But what makes these blind men stand out so that people seek to make them be quiet is precisely their awareness of both their sad condition, and Christ's capacity to heal them for which they shout.  Those who are complacent with going along with blindness and spiritual darkness will resent such awareness and its overt expression of need -- and there we have a deeper metaphor for the spiritual obstacles for those whose hearts have turned to that light and desire it greatly for themselves.  Simply by loving Christ, we may find ourselves a target for offense without cause.  What we must find for ourselves is not necessarily a sense in which we must openly challenge or materially change such responses, but rather remind ourselves that our mission is to endure in faith, because this is what Christ has taught.  In His teachings and warnings of times of difficulty to come, His words declare to us that "he who endures to the end will be saved."  This message is repeated twice in Matthew's gospel, at Matthew 10:22 and 24:13, emphasizing its significance in Christ's teachings to His disciples.  We must consider what it means to endure, to simply persist in being faithful regardless of our experiences.  For a prayerful life, and endurance in faith, is powerful -- and that is what is asked of us.  Let us consider what it means to be like the blind men, aware of what we lack, and yet persisting in seeking what we know we need -- even when others who do not seek the same may be disturbed by that very seeking.  The spiritual life is powerful, and there are those who sense and feel it, even when its very existence is denied.  In this context, it's important to remember the history of monasticism within Christianity, and the faith in the power of prayer to save the world -- even on a mountain or in the desert.  "Have mercy on us, O Lord" (Ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς κύριε)  would become the prayer of the Church for the whole of its existence, and remains so today

 

 

 

 

Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!

Christ healing the two blind men.  Mosaic, completed 1315-1321.  Chora Church (Church of the Holy Savior in Chora), Constantinople

Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

- Matthew 20:29-34

Yesterday we read that Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "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 to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day He will rise again."  Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  And He said to her, "What do you wish?"  She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; 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 by My Father."  And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.  My study bible points out to us that these two blind men greet Jesus as Lord, which is the common title for God, and also as Son of David, a title which is deeply associated with the Messiah.  Although Jesus knows what all of us want before we ask, He calls us to ask freely, my study bible says, so that we might learn of His mercy.  There is also by patristic tradition a spiritual interpretation of this miracle, with the blind men symbolizing the future generations such as ours, who will come to the faith only by hearing, without benefit of having seen Christ in person (see John 20:29).  The ones who try to silence the blind men are persecutors and tyrants who, in each generation, try to silence the Church and those who cling to their faith.  Nonetheless, even under persecution, the Church all the ore persists in confessing Christ.

The Evangelist John writes twice, "No one has seen God at any time."   In the Prologue to His Gospel, John writes, "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him" (John 1:18); and in his first Epistle, he says, "No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us" (1 John 4:12).  Let us look carefully at these statements, and in relation to the commentary in which my study bible cites John's reporting of Jesus' words to Thomas after the Resurrection:  "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29).  There are all kinds of ways of perceiving, in accordance with the spiritual interpretation of today's passage.  To see physically with one's own eyesight is perhaps the least of the ways in which we can perceive God, and the things of God.  It takes more than that to perceive the things of God.  It takes a kind of capacity for faith that requires of us a different type of sensibility, a different sense and energy of perception, a different kind of "sight."  Let us note that for the Evangelist, there are two methods of perception noted in the passages quoted above.  One is hearing, as the Son (who spoke the world into existence in Genesis), declares God.  And the other method of perceiving is through love:  If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.  When Jesus speaks to Thomas in His appearance after the Resurrection, He doesn't say what method of perception others will use to come to faith, only that there are those who have not seen and yet have believed, and that they are blessed.  In today's story, the two blind men by the road display a faith that declares both that Jesus is Lord and that He is the Son of David, the Messiah -- He is both divine and human, the Anointed One.  He is not merely a glorified human being, or Good Teacher, but they really know who He is, He is the Messiah, both divine and human.  They understand innately, it seems, the Incarnation.  They grasp something about Him that others don't.  They also know He is merciful, and they reach out and grasp for that mercy.  The more they are told to be quiet, the more they persist in crying out for Christ's mercy.  Jesus' response is, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  This story tells us something about our own faith.  Perhaps it is those in need who perceive God the most.  Perhaps our senses which are not filled in the conventional ways, as through sight, are honed and sharpened to perceive and to find what we need all the more through a state of being in which we find ourselves in a "broken" and imperfect world, one beset with sin, in which it is hard to find and to see God.  Jericho was a place notorious for sin, and so this story appears in this particular place for a reason.  Sin is a way of blinding our sight spiritually.  Without a perception of God, we don't get a full picture of the world and its truth, its real created reality.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave us a picture of the world as the vineyard, and God as the vineyard owner.  We might go through life thinking that we see, and yet blind as to who the vineyard owner really is, or even that there is an owner.  We might go through life thinking that the ownership of our world is simply up for grabs, to whomever is the highest bidder, or the most ruthless or cunning, or simply the loudest.  We might go all through our lives blind to the fact of God's love and God's mercy and Christ's compassion, as displayed in this story.  We might, in fact, find that we are blind to our own capacity for shared love, and thus to God's presence as stated in the Epistle of John.  There are all kinds of ways in which we might be blind, but there is one thing for certain about real perception:  it changes the game.  Real seeing gives us a hook, an angle.  It behooves us to pray to God, to ask from Jesus for what we want.  There is a reason to suppose that the vineyard owner is really the One in charge, and there is a reason why it is love, in fact, that drives real life.  Without God in the picture, and without the declaration of the Son, we don't have any of that and we are blind to that strength which lies hidden within even an imperfect and a fallen world beset with what ails us.  We don't have God without real sight, and that is a pitiful thing indeed.  Let us pray for His light, so that we may truly see.

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 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 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 also 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 chapter 11 (Saturday's reading, above) to chapter 18.   An this point in the Gospel, this is Christ's third warning to the disciples about what is to come at Jerusalem.  But, we note, still 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 the saying was hidden not by God, but rather because the disciples couldn't understand His meaning until the actual 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.  Son of David is a Messianic title, and this blind man is therefore recognizing Jesus as the Christ with his plea, have mercy on me!   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 (What do you want Me to do for you?).  But in this context we see (and the blind man hears) the crowds who go before, who warned him that he should be quiet.  But that does not stop blind man; instead he cried out all the more.  Have mercy on me! is the refrain of the Church, both in prayer services and in private prayers everywhere in the world.  In a spiritual interpretation of this healing, patristic tradition sees in this an image of the persecuted Church to come which struggles against those who would silence her, but who nevertheless all the more confesses Christ.    The blind man represents those of the future who come to Christ not by seeing but by hearing (see John 20:29).

The story of the blind man seems quite strikingly to be a teaching about prayer.  Have mercy on me! is a plea of frequent prayer.  In this context, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! is equivalent to the oft-heard prayer of the Church in all contexts, "Lord have mercy."   This is the basis of what is called the Jesus Prayer, or Prayer of the Heart, developed through monasticism as a formula for constant prayer.  It is called Prayer of the Heart as its constant repetition is meant to fulfill St. Paul's admonition to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and thereby sinks more deeply into consciousness, into the heart, the center of all that we are.  In the language of the tradition of the Church, the heart is the seat of the soul, our center of being.  Lord have mercy, then, becomes a plea for all that ails and needs healing, everything that needs to be set right, with ourselves, for others, for the world, for the cosmos of all that is created by God.  "Lord," of course is another title for God, and also for the Messiah.  Note that in today's passage, Jesus approaches Jericho.  Jericho, as we've noted in other readings and commentary, is a town that symbolized sin, the state of the world (see, for example, Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan).  In the case of today's reading, the man's blindness can be a symbol for sin.  We do things a certain way, we live a certain way, but we don't really see fully; there are ways of life we're blind to, the things of God we have not accepted, and therefore the healing we can't fully grasp and live.  Keep in mind, in this context, that sin can happen out of ignorance and that the word for sin in the Greek of the Gospels simply means "missing the mark."  There may be all kinds of ways in which we sin but are unaware, for which our enlightenment is necessary to correct, ways in which we could be living our lives closer to the mark of the image Christ holds for us as fully "healed" and living in holiness.  But this blind man knows that he is blind, unlike so many of us as we walk through life.  And his plea for Christ to have mercy is a plea for healing.  The most salient point in this context, then, is perhaps Jesus' particular remark after the blind man's healing, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."  In many stories of healing in the Gospels, Christ also attributes a person's healing to their faith (such as the healing of the woman with the blood flow).  But here, to receive his sight is particularly meaningful in the context of repeated and persistent prayer.  In chapter 11, the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray (see this reading).  In response, He taught them the Lords's Prayer, or what is known as the Our Father.  After giving the prayer, Jesus taught, "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will be give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"  In other words, the persistent prayer of faith is that which will be rewarded with illumination, deeper understanding, light -- all metaphors for sight in the ancient world.   Through persistent prayer, our faith can make us well and bring us healing through the gifts of God, and in particular the Holy Spirit.  This message is especially important for us in this week of Pentecost (yesterday in the West and this Sunday in the East).  What is illumination to you?  What is enlightenment, true sight, greater understanding?  What does that have to do with healing?  With making us well?  These are the questions we should really be pondering.  With the gift of the Holy Spirit, it is clear that growth in our faith and understanding, communion and participation in the life God and the Kingdom, is the most significant way to know that we become healed, that God works through us.   To be made well, in this context, is a matter of persistence in prayer and faith, and the desire for what it is God offers.   Let us note that Jesus invites the blind man into dialogue by asking him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  But God's healing may not always take on the form we desire or expect; to heal our blindness is one thing, but to respond to the demands of blindness is another.  St. Paul famously tells us that he prayed several times for healing -- from what exactly we don't know.  He writes, "Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).  When we are blind, we ask to see -- in faith; and it is the faith, we're told, that makes us well.  Let us consider the perfection of St. Paul, and its paradoxical place within his weakness, for this is the perfection and mercy of God, for which we need true sight to know that it is also our healing.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!

 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

- Matthew 20:29-34

 Yesterday we read that Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "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 to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day he will rise again."  Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  And He said to her, "What do you wish?"  She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; 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 by My Father."  And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.   Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem.  Jericho was known as a place of danger and also associated with sin (see the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke).  My study bible points out the the two blind men greet Jesus as Lord, the common title for God, and also as Son of David, a title that was deeply associated with the Messiah.  It adds 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 a patristic spiritual interpretation of this miracle.  In this view, the blind men symbolize future generations who would come to faith only by hearing, without the benefit of seeing Christ in person (see John 20:29).  Those who try to silence the blind men are persecutors and tyrants, who, in every generation, try to silence the faithful.  But nevertheless under persecution the Church all the more confesses Jesus Christ.

There are many ways we could view today's reading.  Often it is made note of that Matthew's text seems to include a type of doubling:  there are two blind men in this story, just as, for instance, there are two demoniacs in Matthew's story of Jesus casting the many demons into swine (Matthew 8:28-34).   Some suggest that this is possibly Matthew's fuller reporting of details involved, whereas other Evangelists report the significant testimony of one.  It's possible to have a spiritual interpretation in that the two reported can be understood as signifying that Christ is Lord and Messiah for both Jew and Gentile.  We note the reputation of Jericho as a place of sin.  Sin is often associated with blindness, a kind of handicap in which we can't see clearly what is what.  The blind men seek their sight, and their hope is that Christ can give it to them.  It is Jesus' compassion that "enlightens" us, giving light and thereby sight to their eyes.  The text tells us that these men requested that their eyes be opened.  In a "fallen" world, one in which sin is normal, our values become skewed.  We can't necessarily see clearly.  We don't know what is best for us.  Our appetites and desires become fixed by relating to the world as we "see" it.  We're bombarded with impulses, images, desires for all kinds of things, whether we need them or not, whether or not they are good for us, and even despite whether or not we truly want them.  Advertising certainly helps this along, and quite deliberately so.  In our age of social media, we are even more inundated by images to try to live up to.  "Keeping up with the Joneses" for some people can mean impossible images of acquisition and the appearance that goes along with this, giving us all kinds of goals that aren't necessarily rewarding nor truly good for us (leaving aside the question of whether or not they are actually achievable).  This syndrome, most recently, has been frequently associated with depression and even suicide, particularly in young people.  We're born into a world where we have all kinds of natural appetites and needs:  for food, clothing, shelter, and the security of belonging.  But these legitimate needs become skewed and exploited, with all kinds of demands apart from the love and care of God.  It is there we turn, in our own blindness and our inability to truly see what's good for us -- even the image to which we truly need to spire -- to Christ who is here to help out of love and compassion for us.  This is what it means to be truly "saved" -- to see what is what, to focus on our true need, and to share His light with the world and within ourselves.  To be saved is to be liberated from slavery to false ideas, ideals, and images.  Like the passengers on an airplane who are encouraged in an emergency to first of all find their own oxygen mask so they may better help others, Christ's light works that way in us.  To be healed of false needs is a way to cast off desires and demands that are hurtful, so that we might share with others the relief from such burdens, and help one another with those burdens.  The burden of sin itself is one that Christ helps us to remove, for in contrast to that type of slavery to false goals or hopes, His "burden is easy" and His "yoke is light"  (Matthew 11:30).  Our faith in Him is true to us and not misleading.  The blind men know their hope in Christ, but so often our lack of sight (or even insight) prevents us from even that understanding, as we grope to find some sort of goodness and hope in life.  We seek all kinds of substitutes.  False prophets abound and come in many forms.  Let us go to the One who loves us and has compassion for us.  It is for this He was born into the world and remains with us as Jesus Christ.  Let us share in His light in whatever way we can be healed, and help to heal others!