Day 325.
As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God. (LUK 18:35-43 ESV)
How easy it is to dismiss people because of their condition. Often we assume that people are where they are because of their choices, particularly bad choices, and so we are not inclined to help. And that is probably right. And yet, interestingly enough, we don’t often know the history of the people Jesus heals. When we do it is only because a Pharisee tells us (e.g. “if Jesus knew who this woman was…”). Jesus’s grace is blind. He does not ask how they got where they are. He only gives. We are the beneficiaries of this grace. We too were blind beggars, groping in the dark for something to fill us with life and love. Jesus gives us sight. And when he does, we see him for who He really is. It is then that we follow.
