As Jesus approached Jericho, He passed near a blind beggar who noticed the commotion. Rather than keep begging, he asked what all commotion meant, and the crowd “told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’” (Luke 18.37) His shouts were met with warnings from the crowd to keep quiet but their warnings did not persuade him. “He cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me.!’” (Luke 18.39) And Jesus healed him from his blindness.
This man could have remained a beggar, and could have minded his own business while Jesus passed by that day. It was totally up to him whether Jesus heard him or not. It was his choice to remain blind. How many of us are so close to Jesus and the miracles He is working in the world and even our life but we choose to remain blind to Him? Jesus is at work all around us and within our Community but many of us would rather remain blind than call out to Jesus.
The time has come for us to acknowledge God’s miracles and blessings in our lives, both as individuals and as a Community, and call out to Him, “Lord have mercy!” We can no longer remain blind and allow Him to pass us by. And if our so-called friends, like the crowd in the Gospel, try to tell us to be quiet, and then we must cry out all the more, “Lord, have mercy!” And He will.
It’s our choice to remain blind to God’s love and power in our life. But if we choose blindness then we also choose a life of begging rather than a life of freedom and blessings. What’s your choice?