When I reflect upon this passage from Mark’s Gospel, I’m reminded of the first lines of, AMAZING GRACE : “I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.”
TWO ACCOUNTS OF BLINDNESS IN MARK’S GOSPEL
Mark gives us only two accounts of Jesus healing blindness. This one, brought to Jesus by friends and the other, the one who cries out from the road. (Bartimaeus)(10:46) Bartimaeus initiates the contact and has to fight the crowd for him to be noticed by Jesus.
TODAY’S GOSPEL
Several things strike me in this brief passage. The first is that “people brought to (Jesus) a blind man. . .” Who were these people? We are not told.
Then, Jesus takes him by the hand and leads him away from the village. What can all of this mean? We need to take this to prayer.
BLINDNESS: A HUMAN AND SOCIAL CONDITION
Blindness is a human condition, not just a physical infirmity. Jesus addressed this social condition many times in his teaching and preaching. Jesus was especially harsh on the religious leaders whom he called “blind” over and over again because they were unwilling to recognize what was before their eyes: people suffering on account of their selfish human laws, justice ignored because they would have to admit to their compliance with injustice and to their own personal corruption and sin. This, too, we need to take to prayer!
SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS
While Jesus may have been healing a physical ailment, he was also pointing out to us the deeper significance of the blindness. With this particular encounter, Jesus is letting us know how difficult it is to regain a clear vision of our reality, much less comprehend the reality that sight and insight give us.
OPEN OUR EYES, O LORD!
Jesus will often refer to a passage in Isaiah that says, “they may look and see and not perceive.” Is. 6:9. He is also speaking to us.It is only when we become acutely aware of our blindness do we go looking for the grace of sight and insight. He is always offering his healing hands towards us. It is then that we find meaning in a popular Church hymn: “Open my eyes, Lord, help me to see your face. Open my eyes, Lord, help me to see!”
Shalom
Fr. Osho
