David Bahn – Reflections

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.

It’s clear that many people in Jesus’ day didn’t really understand what God had in mind when he sent his messiah. Some eventually realized that Jesus was The Messiah. But even the disciples didn’t grasp the full implications of that fact. They were all, to some extent, spiritually blind.

It doesn’t look like those who were in front who rebuked the blind man, telling him to be silent. It doesn’t look like presuming you know better than God what is good and evil. It doesn’t look like telling people not to bother Jesus. It doesn’t look like the disciples at this point who can’t grasp what Jesus is telling them regarding his coming suffering and death.

It does look like a blind man who knows his only hope is in Jesus, the Son of David and in God’s mercy delivered to him through Jesus. It looks importune. It looks demanding. It looks like making a scene in your urgent need. It may discomfort some. It may seem poorly timed by others. But humble faith cares little about making a scene, bring importune, or bothering Jesus. Humble faith cares about connecting with Jesus. Humble faith sees Jesus as the arm of God’s mercy and the means by which healing and hope is to come.

Humble faith also answers the simple question of Jesus, “What do you want me to do for you?” with a simple answer, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” Lord: that’s key. For faith isn’t an internal conviction alone. It is a conviction centered in and relying on Jesus of Nazareth, Son of David.

Could you answer such a question as Jesus asks? What do you want him to do for you? Do you realize your deepest problem, be it physical healing or spiritual blindness.

I believe that just as the people of Jesus’ day didn’t really know what to expect in the Messiah, we are very likely not fully to know what it will be like when Jesus returns and when we are with him face to face. In the meantime, we do well to cultivate a humble faith. That’s a beautiful thing.