And the Blind

Luke 18:31-43

³¹ And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. ³² For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. ³³ And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” ³⁴ But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said. ³⁵ As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. ³⁶ And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. ³⁷ They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” ³⁸ And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ³⁹ 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!” ⁴⁰ And Jesus stopped and commanded him 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 recover my sight.” ⁴² And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” ⁴³ And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Jesus’ movement from Galilee to Jerusalem for His final Passion is almost completed by this point in the Gospel of Luke. He shares with His Disciples (The Twelve) alone what is coming in the very near future. Verses 32-34 make this an interesting passage stylistically. We find three sets of information; two about Jesus and one about the Disciples. These phrases are almost lyrical or liturgical in nature. When seen this way, they are easier to remember and the passage takes on an almost poetic tone.

and He will be mocked

and shamefully treated

and spit upon.

and after flogging him

they will kill him

and on the third day he will rise

and they understood none of these things

and this saying was hidden from them

and they did not grasp what was said

Even as Jesus shares these truths with the disciples, they remain ignorant of the coming terror. And we cannot fault them for that because it was God who hid this from them for all the right reasons. Had they actually understood what was coming they would have most certainly taken steps to stop Jesus from His mission.

As Jesus and the Disciples draw closer to Jerusalem, around the region of Jericho, they come across a blind beggar. (Mark’s Gospel names the man – Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus.) This man is just like the tax collector and the sinners as he has been cast outside of the community. He is helpless, just as the children are helpless. This man brings all of the people in chapter 18 together as one. As the Passover is coming up, there are probably many people traveling this road with Jesus and the disciples and so the crowd of witnesses to this miracle was probably large.

Bartimaeus is unique in that when we meet him, he is already a man of faith. He has most certainly heard stories of the miracle working “Son of David” and has believed those stories as true. Now, that same Miracle Worker is headed his way. He cannot help but cry out for mercy. He must have raised quite a loud cry because those around him told him to stop. But his faith wouldn’t allow that. He continues to cry out until he captures Jesus’ attention.

First, this title designates Jesus as the miracle-working prophet from Nazareth. Though the blind man’s physical eyes see nothing, his eyes of faith perceive the presence of the Creator come to bring miraculous healing to His creation. … What the blind beggar “sees” by faith without physically seeing is that Jesus is the royal messianic figure promised in the OT, about to enter the holy city of his destiny as God’s final, eschatological prophet. He also knows that this royal Messiah is merciful, and so he cries out to him accordingly: “have mercy on me”. The irony here is that he has already received his “sight,” for he confesses Jesus as “Son of David” and “Lord.” “Opened eyes” are a significant Lukan metaphor for an eschatological understanding of the work of Jesus. But now, in Jesus’ last recorded miracle before entering the holy city of Jerusalem, he gives a blind man physical sight. The imperative “see again” is Jesus’ absolution upon the blind man. His eyes are now open in more ways than one. And Jesus adds to his declaration of mercy, “your faith has saved you.” What Jesus acknowledges here is the man’s faith in who Jesus is and the man’s persistent desire to stand in the presence of Jesus, who brings a new creation.

Just, A. A., Jr. (1997). Luke 9:51–24:53 (p. 711). St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

[Note-this is not the same word used in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector which was translated as 'propitiate'. The “mercy” found on the lips of Bartimaeus is the same meaning as our word ‘mercy’.]

And now the story comes full circle.

and immediately he recovered his sight

and followed him,

and glorified God.

The symmetry and beauty of this passage brings tears to my eyes. The story is magnificent but the structure and telling of the story is glorious. Sometimes the blessings happen when you gaze upon the details. Not only is this a brilliant story of Jesus’ power to forgive sins and heal our wounds, it is artfully and miraculously told. A physically blind man has received spiritual and physical healing. We are his companions in the reception of that miracle.