In Christ, the blind really do “see”
Welcome to “Word from The Center” MONDAY, a devotional word from the Center of our faith, Jesus Christ, with reflections on His Word. I’m Gregory Seltz. Today’s passage is Mark 10:46-47 and 51-52, where the Bible tells us,
[46] Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. [47] When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”…[51] “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”[52] “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
I’m always amazed at the healings that Jesus performed in His ministry. There were times when He confronted and cured people’s debilitations, and then instantly made them go away. The deaf would suddenly hear, the blind would see, and the lame would walk. There were even a couple times when dead men were raised again to life! Many of these healings were amazing, seemingly beyond belief. One, of course, was the ultimate healing. That’s the time when Jesus took upon himself our sinful life and suffered our eternal death on the cross, and then rose so that we might have the promise of eternal life with Him as a gift of grace. In today’s reading, it’s a temporal, but devastating, issue. Bartimaeus is blind as a bat. Jesus matter-of-factly asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man answered with the obvious, “Rabbi, I want to see.” Then Jesus reminds him, “Your faith has healed you.”
Elsewhere, Jesus reminds us of a greater blindness and a more empowering sight (see John 9:39-41). He reminds us that the blindness of unbelief is far worse than mere loss of sight. But the sight that comes from seeing Jesus as our Savior is more precious than all the beautiful visions in this world. You see, we, don’t just suffer from poor physical eyesight like Bartimaeus. No, we all suffer from something much worse, poor “I”-SIGHT. Max Lucado defines this not as a mere blurring of what you see physically, but a sight that distorts your view of yourself. He writes,[1]
Some see self too highly…Brazenly self-assured and utterly self-sufficient, the I-focused have long strutted beyond the city limits of self-confidence and entered the state of cockiness. You wonder who puts the “air” in arrogance and the “vain” in vainglory? Those who say, “I can do anything.” And don't we also know the other extreme: “I can't do anything”? Forget the thin air of pomposity; these folks breathe the thick, swampy air of self-defeat. Roaches have higher self-esteem. Earthworms stand taller. “I'm a bum. I am scum. The world would be better off without me.”
Two extremes of poor I-sight. Self-loving and self-loathing. We swing from one side to
the other. Promotions and demotions bump us back and forth. One day too high on self, the next too hard on self. Neither is correct. Self-elevation and self-deprecation are equally inaccurate. Where is the truth?
The truth is not to be found by looking at our skills and successes. It’s also not to be found in our weaknesses and failures. The truth, the ultimate healing, is to be found when we look away from ourselves and look to our “healing” Savior who is “The Way, The Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). You might say that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the sight for life too. Bartimaeus was healed not only of his bad eyesight. He was also healed of his “I”-sight when looked to Jesus in faith. His healing reminds us that by faith in Christ, we who were spiritually blind, who suffered from eternally poor “I”-sight, can indeed be healed to see our Savior clearly.
PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, the gift of physical sight is truly a wonder. When the blind suddenly see, it’s as if a whole new world opens up for them. Let us be convicted of our spiritual blindness so that we can receive from You the incredible wonder of viewing all things through You with the opened eyes of faith. AMEN.
