“As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging…Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said, ‘Lord let me see again.'”
Luke 18:35-43
In the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) there are two kinds of blindness reported. There is the blindness that is caused by some sort of medical or genetic problem and the blindness that originates, not in the eye, but in the mind. Jesus healed many who were blind because their eyes did not work. But there was another blindness he could not heal. We call it indifference, denial, ignorance, and prejudice which are all just versions of what happens when a person gives up an a passionate search for truth.
The man by the road in Jericho was medically blind. Called Bartimaeus by Mark, the man knew he was blind. He could not see the world or color or look into the eyes of a loved one. He was blind and he knew it. When Jesus asked what he could do for him, the blind man said, “I want to see again.” That’s what a person who is blind says.
There is another kind of blindness. Peter said, that anyone who lacks the virtues born from faith is “short-sighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins.” 2 Peter 1:9-10. Jesus called the Pharisees blind guides in Matthew 23:24. This was because they ignored the big, weighty things of the Law and focused on the small and insignificant. In the Revelation 3:14-23, the angel of the church in Laodicea exhorts that church to buy “salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.” This was spiritual “salve” which would open their eyes to their poverty of spirit.
There are many other references to blindness in the New Testament because it describes so well the condition of a person who either cannot grasp or will not acknowledge what is obvious to those who know God.
Something to think about: What do you notice about people who are spiritually blind? Have there been times when you were “blind?” Describe that time. What did you do to gain your sight?
Something to pray about: O God, we know that spiritual blindness is a constant threat to those who follow you. We do not want to be blind. Help us to keep our eyes open. Help us to be faithful searchers for truth so that we may see. In Jesus’ name. Amen.