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B.C.P. Quinquagesima Luke 18:31-43

Luke 18:31: Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32: For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on :33: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 34: And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. 35: And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: 36: And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. 37: And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. 38: And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 39: And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 40: And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, 41: Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. 42: And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. 43: And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

PRAY

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For 51 years Bob Edens was blind. He couldn't see a thing. His world was a black hall of sounds and smells. He felt his way through five decades of darkness. And then, he could see. A skilled surgeon performed a complicated operation and, for the first time, Bob Edens had sight. He found it overwhelming. "I never would have dreamed that yellow is so... yellow," he exclaimed. "I don't have the words. I am amazed by yellow. But red is my favourite colour. I just can't believe red. I can see the shape of the moon, and I like nothing better than seeing a jet plane flying across the sky leaving a vapour trail. And of course, sunrises and sunsets. And at night I look at the stars in the sky and the flashing light. You could never know how wonderful everything is."

Today's reading is about blindness. Firstly it is about the spiritual blindness of the disciples. They were so blinded by the, then current thinking that the Messiah would be an all-conquering earthly king that they could not see it when Jesus told them he was going to accomplish God's purposes by being rejected, dying, and rising to new life.

In contrast we have Bartimaeus, we know his name from Mark 10:46. He was physically blind but could see who Jesus was. His understanding and perseverance are an example and challenge to us all.

In asking to be healed Bartimaeus was opening the door to a new way of life that would involve him giving up begging and having to work. Yet he would also be able to see, to go into the city, be restored in his relationships with people, and be able to worship God in the temple.

Bartimaeus' trust in Jesus, which he proclaimed to the crowd despite their protests, more than restored his eyesight, it saved him. This salvation is based upon the correct recognition that Jesus is the Messiah, the one anointed by God who has come to save his people.

We have had our eyes opened by Jesus. Like Bob Edens we have had our eyes opened to a world we could not have hoped for or imagined. Let us ensure that our eyes continue to be open to the wonders that God is doing, and that our faith is radical and based upon Jesus.

Today we are surrounded by people who are blind. Blinded by their wealth, their intelligence, their busyness, their pride, their opinions and the devil.

What can we do?

We can pray for them. That God will remove their spiritual blindness. Pray too, that God will give us His grace so our lives will bear witness to his transforming and healing power.

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Ever been in a store with it's artificial lighting and been unable to work out exactly what colour an article is ? Burton's, unsure if pair of trousers were dark blue or black. Asked assistant. She was wearing a black suit and held the trousers against it which showed the trousers were dark blue.

Sometimes it is helpful to contrast one thing with another. This is what Luke is doing in today's Bible reading. There is a contrast between the disciples and the blind man, who we know as Bartimaeus (Mk 10:46).

The disciples have been following Jesus for about three years by now. He is on his way to Jerusalem via Jericho. Luke has recorded two other instances where Jesus refers to his forthcoming passion,

The first distinct prediction is in 9:22 and the second in 9:43-45, although Jesus also refers to it in Chapters 5,12,12 and 17. The Messiah's death had been predicted centuries before (e.g., Ps 22; Isa 53; Zec 13:7; see Lk 24:27; Mt 26:24,31,54). Son of Man. Jesus' most common title for himself, used 81 times in the Gospels and never used by anyone but Jesus. In Da 7:13-14 the Son of Man is pictured as a heavenly figure who in the end times is entrusted by God with authority, glory and sovereign power.

I bumped into someone I know from Kidsgrove church just before half-term and she said that her husband had seen me in Tesco's, although I had failed to see or recognise him. Perhaps I was concentrating too much on my shopping list ! Sometimes we are prevented from seeing the obvious because we are concentrating on something else.

34: And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

This failure by the disciples to understand Jesus words could have been supernatural, or because their expectations of the Messiah were shaped by the world and not scripture.

When Jesus was on earth the Jews were looking forward to a King, like King David who would defeat the Romans and lead a prosperous earthly kingdom.

They had no concept of or trust in a Messiah who would face rejection, suffering, and death before being raised to life.

Their failure to understand and to trust Jesus fully contrasts with that of the blind man who we know as Bartimaeus from Mark 10:46.

Jericho. A very ancient city located five miles west of the Jordan and about 15 miles northeast of Jerusalem.

a blind man . . . begging. The presence of a blind beggar just outside the city gates, on a road pilgrims followed on the way to Jerusalem, was a common sight in that day.

Bartimaeus calls Jesus 'Son of David', a Messianic title. The Jews expected that the Messiah would be a descendent of David, which Jesus was, of course. Jesus acts like the King by halting the procession and ordering the man to be brought to him.

A King would have the right to demand something from his subject, but Jesus asks Bartimaeus, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?

This shows Jesus concern for the needy. He is concerned not only for Bartimaeus' physical health but his spiritual health as well.

42: And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. Bartimaeus' faith, which he proclaimed to the crowd despite their protests has more than restored his eyesight, it has saved him. This salvation is based upon the correct recognition that Jesus is the Messiah, the one anointed by God who has come to save his people.

The transformation in Bartimaeus led to everyone praising God.

Let us ensure that our eyes our open to what God is doing, and that our faith is radical and based upon Jesus. Let us also pray that our lives may bear witness to his transforming grace, and that this will bring glory to God.

PRAY