There are recorded special moments for Jesus on the way in and out of Jericho during his ministry.
In Matthew 20: 29-30, Jesus encounter two blind men on his way out of Jericho. “And as they were going out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
In Mark 10: 46-47, Jesus met a blind man “And they came to Jericho. And as He was going out from Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. And when he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
In today’s gospel passage, (Luke 18: 35-38) Jesus as he was approaching Jericho, encountered a blind man, “And it came about that as He was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting by the road, begging… And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus encountered the rich, short man Zacchaeus as he was leaving the city of Jericho. The story of Zacchaeus is found only in the gospel of Luke.
Jericho is about 15 miles northeast of Jerusalem near the Jordan River. It’s known as one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. It’s also the first city that the Israelite conquered when they arrived in Canaan after their escape from Egypt some 1,400 years earlier.
In today’s gospel account, the blind man greeted Jesus with the usually Middle Eastern traditional cry of the beggar “Have pity on me.” Kenneth Barley, says in his book “Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes”, “The traditional beggar does not say, “Excuse me, Mister, do you have a few coins for a crust of bread.”
The blind unnamed beggar identified Jesus as the “Son of David”. During the trials of Jesus, a Roman Centurion gives Jesus the title “Son of God.”
While the crowd asked the beggar to “shut up” be discarded their request and continued asking.
In a twist of fate, Jesus commanded the crowd to bring the beggar to him.
Surprisingly, the beggar was faced with a question from Jesus himself, “What do you want me to do for you?” Some of us may think that this question is out of place, since the man was blind and a beggar. We may wonder, is it not evident to everyone that he needs help, healing…..?
To Jesus question: What do you want me to do for you? The beggar responded, “Let me receive my sight that I might see you.”
Jesus grants his request and says “Receive your sight, your faith has saved you”
What are the implications of receiving the sight back? What are the challenges?
At the time of Jesus, begging as a blind person, guarantees success, unlike a person with one leg or one arm. A blind man, such as the beggar in today’s gospel, has no education, training, employment record or marketable skills. If healed, self-support will be extremely difficult.
Was this blind man ready to accept the new responsibilities and challenges that will come to him if he is healed?
The grace of God mediated through Jesus. He regained his sight. He passes the test. The blind man demonstrates full confidence in Jesus as the messianic Son of David who has the power of God to heal and who has the authentic compassion for outcasts like he is.
What are you praying for today? Will you be able to withstand the challenges that may follow if your prayer is answer?
For those that live in the United States, I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving. Like the blind beggar, may we rely faithfully in Jesus.
Have a blessed week
