Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar Near Jericho (Lk 18,35-43)
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[a] 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.
In this gospel passage we see five types of people:
- The blind beggar.
- The large crowd.
- The Onlookers.
- The Scribes and Pharisees
- The Apostles
- The Blind Beggar : This blind man was desperately needful. He had been blind for years, perhaps for life, with no hope of ever seeing. He was also poor, so he had to beg to survive and he suffered the humiliation of being a beggar every day. When he heard of Jesus passing by, he repeatedly expressed to meet Jesus and wanted to be cured. His request was answered by Jesus. Jesus cured him and the man gloried God.
- The Crowd : The crowd followed Jesus. Something of Jesus attracted the crowd, may be the miracles Jesus performed. However we cannot say that they really believed Jesus as the Messiah and were attracted to Jesus. They just followed Him. May be for their personal satisfaction and for their needs to be met.
- The Onlookers : These onlookers watched, observed, saw, but were not committed. They knew everything but were just spectators. They were indifferent in their belief, actions and words.
- The Scribes and Pharisees : The Scribes and Pharisees were looking forward for the Messiah. They prepared themselves for the same but when He did come and was right before them, they didn’t recognize Him. Instead they planned in every way to kill Jesus.
- The Apostles: The apostles were the privileged group, specially chosen and were very close to Jesus. Jesus gave them authority over everything but they also couldn’t recognize the Messiah. They saw the external Messiah and not the internal. But they did recognize Jesus after His resurrection and especially after the Pentecost.
In the above mentioned categories of people the blind man gives us great lessons for our life.
The blind man was a man of great HOPE: He had heard about Jesus of Nazareth and when he came to know that Jesus is passing by, he cried out immediately. This tells us he was eagerly waiting for Jesus with hope. Hope had already risen in his heart. The point to note is this: he had already believed the report that the Messiah had come. His hope had borne fruit. We too need to have blind hope in Jesus Christ that with Him everything is possible, we just need to have faith in Him, and not let the world keep us blind forever.
The blind man acknowledged Jesus as MESSIAH: He called Jesus “Son of David”. It was an inadequate concept of Jesus, although it was a true fact. He was the son of David predicted from the beginning, but He was more, much more. He was the very son of God Himself. The blind man approached Jesus with what knowledge he had. He used what he understood and cried out to Jesus in his desperate need. We too need to approach Jesus in our desperate need, for He is our Messiah and the answer to our every problem. Let’s allow God to live in us so that we may see Jesus as our Messiah.
The blind man cried for MERCY: This is significant. He was blind and poor and he had to beg for daily survival. But note that he did not cry for food, clothing or shelter. The basic necessities of life were not his primary concern. The mercy of God upon his life was his concern. We too are in great need of God’s mercy. Every Lent season is an invitation for us to experience God’s mercy. Let’s not miss this chance to embrace God’s mercy and to be merciful towards others. Let not sin blind us but let God’s love take away our blindness so that we may see and experience God every day of our life.
-Fr. Leslie Gomes