The Irony of Blindness

What can you hear in the midst of the crowd?

Scripture:

Luke 18:35   As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. ³⁶ When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. ³⁷ They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” ³⁸ Then he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ³⁹ Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁰ Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, ⁴¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me see again.” ⁴² Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.” ⁴³ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God.

Observation:

The final stop before Jerusalem was the city of Jericho. Here Jesus and the disciples encountered a blind man who was begging. This man represented someone who was on the margins of society. Because of his disability, he had no way to survive, but to beg. 

The noise of the crowd made the blind man wonder what was happening. It was Jesus, the Nazarene, who was coming by. The man had heard about him, and his declaration, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” was significant. Only in the introduction to Luke’s gospel do we see the connection of Jesus to David, through the genealogy. This blind man was the first to publicly declare Jesus’ identity as the Messiah. That is the irony of the story, for, just as the persistent widow, this man refused to live into his role as the blind man. The blind man was willing to loudly cry out to the Lord, even when people were telling him to be quiet. The blind man was confident in his understanding of the significance of the arrival of Jesus. 

The blind man caught the attention of Jesus who asked for the man to be brought to him. Jesus healed the man, because of the man’s great faith. The blind man followed Jesus, glorifying God. This became another affirmation that Jesus is God’s authorized agent, the “Son of David.” 

Application:

By the world’s standards, the blind man had very little to offer, but evidently, he had been paying attention to all that he heard. Often those who lose one sense, have increased sensitivity in their other senses. One can only imagine that this blind man had a keen sense of hearing, and listened intently to all that was said around him. He would have heard people debating and trying to discern who this Jesus was. Somewhere along the way, he had figured it out for himself, and determined that Jesus was the Messiah! 

Sometimes we judge people by their outward appearance. We assume some people are blind, or in need of assistance — especially in spiritual matters. The irony is that sometimes these people know more about Jesus than we do. From time to time, what we perceive as a disability is actually an ability that opens up the opportunity for discernment. The irony is that it was the crowd that was blind to who Jesus was, when the blind man could see clearly. 

This speaks to our vision and ability to see Christ for who he really is. If we truly believe that he is the Messiah, the “Son of David,” then we are called to have faith like this blind man. We should be willing to cry out in the midst of the noisy crowd — there is Jesus, the Nazarene! And if we follow Jesus the Nazarene, then we are to have this kind of an impact upon the crowd. Reaching out and touching others in the name of Jesus. 

The irony is that the blind man sees. We don’t tend to envy the blind man, but maybe we should try to be a bit more like him. 

Prayer:

Lord, help me to live into my faith, just as this blind man was willing to do. Amen.