Dear Theophilus,
I know you want to encourage me in
my search, but it’s so hard to keep reading some of these letters. I can’t believe the things Jesus continues to
say! I appreciate your desire to
interpret Jesus’ teaching to the rich man, who indeed seems to proclaim rather
boldly his moral perfection, which I certainly could never do.
But what if Jesus truly meant that
we’re called to sell everything and follow him?
What if we’re just interpreting his words for our own comfort, to make
ourselves feel better about what might be an incomplete commitment to following
him? I can’t help but wonder if this is
the case. Then again, he doesn’t tell
the crowd to do the same as the rich man, so maybe you’re right. I know that Jesus is certainly right when he
says that God can do things that humans cannot, because I am so confused by all
of these teachings that I’ll never be able to follow half of them, even if my
heart is fully committed to the cause!
God will have to be very gentle with this imperfect man.
I’m told that Jesus pulled the
disciples aside after this to teach them privately, but it’s hard to imagine
that he could get any peace from the follow-up questions that must have ensued
after the lesson you described! If I
were in that crowd, I’d be hounding Jesus to get him to explain exactly what it
all meant. But Jesus manages to find
some space and tells the disciples a rather disturbing account of what is to
take place. He tells them that they’re
on the way to Jerusalem and that the prophecies regarding his life will all
unfold in the near future. He tells them
that he’ll end up in the hands of the gentiles and be beaten, flogged, mocked,
insulted and spat upon. After that, he
tells the group of very wide-eyed disciples, he’ll be killed, but will rise in
three days.
I think it’s probably best that the
crowds didn’t hear this, for they would have had no idea how to handle such
words. How could any of them imagine
this teacher, this healer, being beaten and killed in the near future? Even the disciples didn’t understand what
Jesus was saying. They heard the words,
but could not comprehend them. The
meaning of this teaching was kept from their sight, and they went on following
Jesus without a full understanding of everything that had been presented to
them.
I don’t know if they had side
conversations about it or just let it slide off their backs as though Jesus had
never said anything, which is what I would have done, but fortunately Jesus
soon presented them with something else upon which to focus. Near Jericho, there was a roadside beggar who
happened to be blind. The crowd that was
following Jesus was passing by and the man heard and sensed the commotion that
was engulfing him. Some replied to his
inquiries as to the cause of all the ruckus by telling him that Jesus of
Nazareth was present, and upon hearing this the blind man shouted out Jesus’
name, calling on Jesus to have mercy on him.
As you or I might do when one
individual, especially one of low class like this beggar, begins to cause a scene
when someone important is nearby, others tried to quiet the man down, but he
was having none of this. I can’t say
that I blame him—it’s clear that the man knew of Jesus, and he’d probably heard
stories about his healing powers and believed this to be his one chance to have
his vision restored. The orders to hush
directed at him only caused him to cry out to Jesus, whom he addresses as the
Son of David, to have mercy on him.
Jesus, hearing the man’s cries,
halts, bringing the whole scene crashing into a newfound tension. All must have been wondering if Jesus would
do a miracle before their very eyes, or maybe they thought he, too, would order
the man to silence. If they had accounts
of half the stories we do, they would surely have confidence that Jesus would
offer the man mercy. Jesus seems to hold
a special compassion for the poor like this that so many of us do not have or
emulate.
Jesus asks the crowd to bring the
man to him, and I imagine one or two leaped at the task, because even though
they typically wouldn’t have anything to do with the man, they’d want to appear
helpful or useful to Jesus. Plus, they’d
then be nearby if anything miraculous happened!
Jesus asks the blind man directly
what he wants, and the man answers with what must have been great anticipation,
telling Jesus that he wants to see. The
reply is as simple as the request. Jesus
says, “Your vision is given to you, and you have been saved by your faith.”
What once had been a field of
nothingness was suddenly replaced by a vision of all that surrounded him. Colors that had been long forgotten returned
as the man’s sight was immediately returned to him, and he received it with
joy, praising God for what he had done.
Jesus had said that the man’s faith had saved him, and he joined in the
crowd, following Jesus, all the people around him rejoicing at the miracle they
had witnessed, praising God for what had just happened. It must have been a carnival-like atmosphere,
with everyone nearing the blind man to ask him about it, while others circled
around Jesus, amazed at what they had seen.
What a miracle! I love some of these stories, friend, for
they bring me joy and hope and fill me with wonder at what has just
happened! I wish I could see these
things today, but I am happy to read the accounts of witnesses. I can understand and grasp these tales much
better than many of the teachings of Jesus!
Sincerely,
Luke
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