After the subzero temperatures, and heavy snow we’ve had this winter, it’s a joy to see it melting, and the ground reappearing. But, there is a downside to the warmer weather, FOG. Any combination of cold ground and warm air, and vice versa, makes for a dense and dangerous condition. While driving home last evening, neither my husband, nor I, could see the turn-off to our house. The usual landmarks were there, but shrouded, rendering us “blind“. It was frightening not knowing where we were, even in familiar surroundings. This morning was no better. Luckily, when the sun appears, the fog vanishes, and sight is restored.
This scary experience got me thinking about what it would be like to be blind all the time. Those who are blind from birth, seem to handle their disability easier, since they’ve never known the joy of vision. On the other hand, those who, because of disease or accident lose their sight, know what they are missing, and that‘s difficult to accept. The Bible refers to the word blind, 91 times. Unlike leprosy, one was not considered unclean, but the disability held its fair share of side-effects. People always wondered what sin you had committed, or what evil your parents had been involved with. Blindness was a curse, and was always linked to God’s punishment.
We read about Bartimaeus, such a person, in the 10th chapter of Mark. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!” And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.
It’s obvious that old Bart may have been many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them. He must have heard about Jesus, and believed in the healings associated with his ministry. There was a large crowd following Jesus, sighted people, who kept telling the blind man to back off. But he didn’t, in fact, in desperation, he yelled all the louder . The story tells us that he was so convinced that he could be healed, that when Jesus called him over, he cast off his coat and left it behind. I always think it’s humorous that, Jesus asks him what he wants him to do for him. Well, duh, it’s obvious to everyone else what his problem is, so why does Jesus ask? Jesus knows exactly what this man needs, but he wants to hear it from his lips, and Bart tells him, “I want to see!” Those words always give me goose bumps.
We don’t know how many blind people were healed by Jesus, and that doesn’t matter, the thing to remember is, you can’t appreciate sight, unless you’ve been blind. We must remember that all of us were, and some still are as blind as Bart. One day, when we in desperate need, approach him, he will ask each of us that same question, “What do you want me to do for you?” He knows that we’re blind, but he needs us to acknowledge our predicament, and our answer confirms the diagnosis. We can continue to grope our way through the fog of life, or call out to God and let the Son’s light clear away our blindness. When he asks what you want him to do for you, answer “I want to see!”
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