As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging; and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." And he cried, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 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!" And Jesus stopped, and commanded him to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me receive my sight." And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
Luke 18:35–43 (RSV)
Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem and the cross. His disciples were willing to go with Him even if they did not understand what it meant. Jesus did not hold back what it meant, but as St. Luke records, they did not understand what Jesus meant, for it was hidden from them. I have often pondered why God would hide His purpose from us, but such is the nature of God. As Luther correctly noted, 'Surely, you are a God who hides Himself.'
As Jesus taught His disciples in John's Gospel, there are many things He longed to teach them, but they could not bear them, not yet. The Father reveals to us the things our hearts and spirits can bear. We could not grasp the eternal purpose of God, nor could we stand under the divine weight of His purpose. It is grace and mercy that we know only those things we need to know.
The blind man sitting by the road outside Jericho knew enough of Jesus that he shouted out in the hope that Jesus would hear him. He would not let anyone silence his voice, adding volume to his plea to Jesus. How many times over the three years of His travels and ministry had Jesus heard voices crying out to Him? How many pleas for mercy, healing, food, or forgiveness? We only know of a handful whose cries gained a response. It is reasonable to assume that many did not have their pleas heard, not as expected.
Jesus stopped for this man. 'What do you want me to do for you?' 'Lord, let me receive my sight.' The man wanted the light to flood his dark world. He had heard the world go by, the laughter of children at play, the market noises, and the peculiar sounds of the night. He wants to see what made children laugh, the bustling market, and the stars who watched over the sleeping world.
'Your faith has made you well,' are the words of Jesus that rolled back the darkness of the man's sightless eyes. We often forget that when Jesus declares someone well in the Gospels, the word also means to be saved. Our Orthodox brothers and sisters see more clearly here than we in the West do. They know that our salvation is our ultimate healing from sin and death.
Our salvation is not merely a legal transaction between God and ourselves. Yes, Jesus bears the weight of sin and death on the cross. He does this for our healing. Jesus' resurrection will remove the blindness of His disciples. They, too, are healed by the rising of Jesus, as are we all.