In those days, a person who was unable to work or was rejected by society, such as lepers who were even unable to be with their families, were only left with begging as a means of income. Everyone looked down on beggars in that time much as we look down on homeless people today.
When the blind beggar asked what all the commotion was about, the crowd told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. The blind man immediately started calling out “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” The crowd scoffed at him telling him to be quiet. After all, who would even care about a poor beggar at the city gate?
Jesus was obviously a household name by this time in his ministry. Jesus was considered a Rabbi from Nazareth because of his teachings and miracles. Many considered Jesus to be the Messiah that would save them from the Roman forces that were so oppressive to the Jewish people.
Even the beggar at the gate, an outcast of society and shunned by everyone, knew about Jesus. The beggar called to Jesus as Son of David referring to his Messianic title. Jericho is about eighteen miles from Jerusalem. Jesus and the crowds are on their way to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. Soon Jesus will be praised as King by the crowds. And then the same crowds would turn against Jesus and demand his crucifixion.
The blind man, who would sit at the gate begging, would hear what the people coming and going were talking about. He understood the significance of who was passing his way. When he cried out “Jesus, Son of David”, he is acknowledging that Jesus is the prophesized Messiah.
The beggar called out louder and louder as the people told him to be quiet, Jesus won’t be bothered with you. Jesus knew the beggar was there and stopped, asked for the blind man to be brought to him and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, “Lord, please let me see.”
In the New Jerusalem Bible, the blind man replied, “Sir, let me see again.” We often take our physical sight for granted, but to a blind person, who can only see darkness, it is a treasure. This is especially true if a person had sight at one time and lost it. That person knows what they lost. The blind man could have asked for material wealth or power. Instead, he asked for his sight which was more valuable to him than anything else in the world.
Jesus said to the blind beggar, “Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.”
If physical sight is so valuable and important to us, how much more critical is spiritual sight! Are we willing to seek God’s will in our lives and then have the courage to walk in the path that God leads us? Or will we take the easy way and continue on the path that we have been walking in the past?
If we pray and call Jesus unceasingly, he will hear us, stop, and despite the noise of the crowds, ask us what we want. What is it that we really want? Will we too turn against Jesus like the crowds that demanded his crucifixion? Do we want wealth, power, or fame? Or, will we be like the blind beggar and ask for spiritual sight from the Holy Spirit?
