SIGHT TO THE BLIND



















As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you.” And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly ordered them, “See that no one knows of this.” But they went away and spread the news about him throughout that district.

Today’s passage tells the story of two blind me who followed Jesus crying loudly, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” We don’t know why Jesus ignored them until he got off the street, but when they came to him inside the house, he asked the second of his standard two questions. The first was: Do you want to be healed? The second was: Do you believe I can heal you? Unsurprisingly, because he had just brought a dead girl back to life, they both answer, “Yes, Lord.” And he heals them.

What caused their blindness? Again, we don’t know, because there are many reasons for physical blindness. It is the same when it comes to spiritual blindness too, but one of the most common reasons is the one suggested by Paul. He wrote: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). How does he do this? 

In many ways. One, he feeds us the delusion that we are self-sufficient people; that we don’t need a religious crutch, let alone a savior. Two, he gets us chasing after money, fame, and power; distractions that take us far away from Jesus. Three, he sows confusion by setting up science and reason in opposition to faith — incidentally, they are not! — making it seem as though we had to make a choice between one or the other.  So, how does one gain sight, which is a euphemism for salvation?

First, we have to recognize we are blind, which is not easy, especially in a world where almost everybody is blind. This recognition usually follows a situation where one of those three things we just spoke about is challenged. Second, once we recognize we are blind, we have to make our way to the only person who can give us sight. And that, of course, is Jesus. There is salvation in no other name (see Acts 4:12). And third, we have to tell him to heal us, believing that he will.

May all of us who are blind seek Jesus and see.

Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here:https://youtu.be/aKwOtyd4LG


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Let’s Get Healed - A Reflection on Matthew 18:21-19:1

Image
  Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, an
Read more

Patience - A Reflection on Luke 2:33-35.

Image
  And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”   This is probably the shortest passage that we have reflected upon this year. In it, we find a man named Simeon making a prophecy about three things. One, about Jesus. Two, about the people of Israel. And three, about the pain that Jesus’ mother Mary would go through. We have seen all his prophecies came true. But who is Simeon? And what can we learn from him? Ok. On the 40th day of his birth, Jesus is taken by Mary and Joseph to the temple to be officially inducted into the Jewish faith. When they were there, a man named Simeon came in to see them.   He is described as “righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the H
Read more

What’s In It For Me? - A Reflection on Matthew 19:23-30

Image
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, “Then who can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Then Peter said in reply, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the la
Read more