Healing of the Blind Man
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Jesus had set his face towards Jerusalem, and it was during his last passage through Jericho. He entered it with his disciples and left it, but not without leaving a distinctive mark. Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the side of the road, begging, waiting as he did every day for the passage of benefactors to give him some coins to satisfy his needs!
Bartimaeus heard noises and voices that he was not used to hearing every day, and perhaps he asked one of the passers-by the identity of the people approaching him, and the answer was a temptation for him: It is Jesus of Nazareth with a crowd of people passing by. It must be said here that a beggar well known in his city as the son of Timaeus, had “his ears” to hear what was happening inside the city while he was outside! He had heard of Jesus, this prophet Son of David who taught charity and did good. Perhaps hope took possession of his spirit, as the beggar’s first goal was money, and today was the hoped-for day to harvest abundantly, because the one who passes by loves the poor, and those who are with him are influenced by his teaching, so he would appreciate the sound of copper and silver and concentrate on counting it, and next time he would stop him to ask him for his sight.
He stood out and cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”, but here was the despair, instead of being helped by those who walked with Jesus, they reprimanded him to be silent! But, it was a turning point in his life, without any hope in men! He cried out even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus was waiting for this second cry, coming from the despair of a heart wounded by the cruelty of human hearts, he stopped and called him.
The crowd said to him: “Take courage! Get up! He is calling you”, so he threw off his cloak, got up and came to him. He left behind all that he possessed on hearing Jesus’ voice, abandoned what protected him from the heat of the day and the cold of the night, and fixed his dark eyes on one goal: to meet him face to face, even if he could not see him with his extinguished eyes, but the glory of God does not hide from the eyes of a broken heart. The word of God says: “The sacrifices that are pleasing to God are a broken spirit: O God, you do not despise a broken and contrite heart.” (Ps 51: 17)
He stood before him, and Jesus asked him: “What do you want me to do for you?”, and perhaps it was the most difficult question of his life. Seconds passed during which his whole life flashed before his mind to find the answer: “Lord, let me recover my sight!” And Jesus’ healing answer was: “Go, your faith has saved you.” Then his eyes opened, and before him stood the radiant face of God, and it was perhaps one of the most beautiful moments of his life, the first look he had after his blindness was the loving face of God.
It is true that the son of Timaeus lacked ocular vision, but he had a keen inner vision. He did well not to give in to the temptation of the sound of coins, and not to postpone his meeting with Jesus, for Jesus’ passage through Jericho was the last before Jerusalem and the cross, and he was about to miss his meeting with God.
Today, we greatly need this clairvoyance, of discerning the voice of Jesus calling us amidst the tumult of the voices of the world around us, so that we may respond to his call!
Today, we greatly need to desire to meet the one we have heard about so many times in our lives, so as not to let the opportunity pass by and not to postpone our appointment with him, for the next opportunity may not arise!
Today, we who have been disappointed by the world, greatly need to gather the essence of our lives and stand before Jesus who asks us for the desire of our life, so that our answer may be like that of the blind man: “I want to see!” To see your light, Lord! I want my eyes to open after the spiritual blindness that consumes me in this fallen world, so that I may look into your eyes and plunge into your love that led you to give yourself for me on the Cross.
Today, we greatly need to understand the value of encountering Christ, to abandon everything that binds us to this ephemeral world, as Bartimaeus did to stand before Jesus.
The prophet Isaiah tells us: “Hear, and come to me, listen, and your soul will live” (Isaiah 55: 3). And the writer of the letter to the Hebrews relates the words of the prophet David in Psalm 95: “Today, if you hear his voice, don`t harden your hearts.” (Hebrews 4: 7)
† Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus