Luke 18:35-43
35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.
42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
A couple of years ago I got a jolt when I went to DMV to renew my license. I was told to look into the machine and read the letters to test my eyesight. Now, before I tell you the next part, you have to know that I’ve always had great eyesight. In high school it was 20/15, which is above average. And while I realize it’s been a minute since I was in high school, I’ve always been able to count on my good vision.
Well, the clerk told me to read a specific line, and it was blurry. I looked at her and asked, “Where’s the focus knob?” It was really only a second before I realized what I had said and why it was so dumb, but it seemed like an eternity. I think the clerk’s amused “I-can’t-wait-to-tell-the-others-about-this-doofus” expression is what made things click in my mind. I had always had great eyesight; in my mind, the problem couldn’t have been my vision—the machine must have needed adjustment. Thankfully, I either did finally read it well enough to qualify, or she felt guilty for the unmistakable look of incredulous bemusement on her face, but I passed (barely).
It wasn’t easy to come to terms with the fact that I wasn’t seeing as I should. And far too often, my spiritual vision isn’t what it should be, either. Over the years, several people have told me they waved at me and I looked right at them and didn’t wave back or say anything. And as they said that I realize that my mind was on something else and I saw them, but I didn’t really “see” them.
And there are several areas of my life where I know I don’t look at things the way I should; that I’m so preoccupied with my own things that I don’t see many of the people and situations that God would have me see. And I suspect I’m not alone in this.
In this encounter with the blind man, Jesus asked him what he wanted Him to do for him. The man said, “Lord, I want to see.”
As we pray today, let’s make that our prayer as well—not so much for our physical vision, but for the ability to see the people and the situations God puts in front of us so we can be the hands and feet of Jesus for those around us.