Luke 18-C “Looking Up”

S = 18:35-43 “As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. ³⁶ And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. ³⁷ They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” ³⁸ And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ³⁹ And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁰ And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, ⁴¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” ⁴² And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” ⁴³ And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.”

O = The blind man, Bartimaeus (we learn his name in Mark), hears a crowd and inquires as to the reason. Hearing that it is Jesus passing by he cries out for mercy. His cry for mercy is the standard beggar’s plea, though maybe louder. What is different is the One to whom he calls. He calls out to Jesus, the Son of David, a title loaded with meaning. This cry seems to suggest a Messianic realization on the part of blind man who ironically saw what few others did. His request was to recover his sight, in Greek the word is “anablepō”, which literally means “to look up” (ana=up; blepō=to see) and is used to refer to recovery of sight. Jesus grants his request and heals him. The man immediately followed Jesus and glorified God—he looked up!

A = How desperate am I for Jesus to work in my life? This would have been Bartimaeus’ last chance as Jesus was headed to Jerusalem—he was not going to miss out on this opportunity for grace. How badly do I want to have the way I see the world, myself, and God changed? Do I really want to “look up” to give God glory for everything? Am I willing to live into that gift by changing the way I live? Bartimaeus could beg no longer, but cast aside the cloak of the old blind beggar to follow in faith and gratitude? How do I testify to Jesus’ gracious work on my behalf?

P = O Lord, this week may I testify to your healing, liberating, sustaining work on my behalf! May I be forgetting what is behind and straining forward to what is ahead in the upward calling of God! You are faithful and true! You are loving and kind! You are powerful yet gentle in your dealings with me! Son of David, Son of man, thank you for your mercy that has made me a son of Abraham…and even more, a son of God! Amen.