Let Me See Again

Then he took the twelve aside and 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. For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. After they have flogged him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again.’ But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

 As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 

They told him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.’ Then he shouted, ‘Jesus, Son

 of David, have mercy on me!’ Those who were in front sternly ordered him to 

be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ 

Jesus stood still and ordered the man 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 

see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.’ 

Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the

 people, when they saw it, praised God. Luke 18:31-43

I am due for an eye exam and I know that my lenses need correcting. I didn't start wearing glasses until I was in college, unlike two of my sisters and my brother who had them from a young age. I wanted to always have eagle eyes but studying hard and reading a lot changed my eyes. We can have changes to our vision, losses that keep us from seeing things as they are. We can be blinded in many ways, not just physically, but we can shut out things and people we do not want to see. My prayer is, that no matter how challenged my vision might become, I will still have the courage to see what is around me and respond with compassion.

Jesus has told his disciples that his time with them was coming to an end. His face was set for Jerusalem and the final drama. The disciples refused to hear what he was saying, refused to see what was ahead of them. When the blind man interrupts their travel, Jesus doesn't brush him aside, as his disciples want, but rather , he turns and responds to the need in front of him. The disciples' blindness never keeps Jesus from healing. We are invited today to have our eyes and hearts open with the compassion that the world needs right now, right here.

Today, I ask God to give me the capacity to take notice of the needs around me and to respond always with compassion. May we be engaged in the world around us, with our hearts open to the people near us, so that we too can stop and turn bringing hope and healing to our world.