Blind Beggar
When I was a young child, I would pretend to be blind. I had seen a movie where one of my favorite actresses, Audrey Hepburn, played the part of a blind woman. I was amazed at how real she acted out her drama role. I always wanted to be more like Audrey, so I would practice. One day I was getting into the back seat of our car when my mom said, “Shannon, stop pretending you are blind.” I had never told anyone that I had been practicing the performance of a blind person. With my mom recognizing what I was doing, I figured I must have been doing a good job at impersonating a blind person. Mothers, they never understand their artistic children. (Mom, I am just kidding. Please still make me cookies!)
But to play the part of a blind person, compared to living in the darkness is like comparing the strength of a marshmallow to a mountain. For even as a kid, I understood that blind people have an amazing strength to survive, to thrive, and to impact others’ lives. I remember two men who lived down the street from me. These brothers were both born blind. I would watch them walk through the neighborhood with their canes. They worked, enjoyed many friends, and were nice to a shy girl like me. I was amazed at how I never heard them complain. Their smiles seemed more genuine than other adults who lived in my neighborhood. But as kind as they were, I must admit, I was somewhat frightened of their blindness. I did not understand why some people were born that way while others like me were not. It made me uncomfortable, to the point of being overly cautious with anything I might say. I would even avoid them. But not my mom. She spoke and interacted with them just like any other neighbor. Not only that, she would give them direct eye contact. It did not matter that they could not see if she was giving them attention or not, she would be fully engaged in the conversation.
Another Person 2,000 years ago was fully engaged in a conversation with the blind. His discussion ended with a miracle!
As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to Him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God. (Luke 18: 35-43)
This is more excitement than any Audrey Hepburn movie could provide. Let’s set this amazing scene. A large crowd is walking with Jesus into the city of Jericho. A man is sitting by the roadside begging. Due to his blindness, this would have been the only “profession” he would be able to do. He probably sat in this same place day after day, hoping for pity of those who went on by.
I wonder how many we saw even today who are spiritually blind, sitting beside the roadside, hoping for a few bucks for a meal. We have become so hardened to this sight, walking by as if the people were not there, pretending we cannot see them. Not looking into their desperate faces. Judging the reasons of why we think they are there and why they stay in that situation. Giving our opinions of how they could drastically turn their lives around. We blame them without knowing their stories. We accuse them as if we are the judges. Sometimes we make fun of them, mocking their pain. And I wonder are we the spiritually blind who just happen to have enough to be able to walk by the spiritual blind that do not have anything? Jesus, open our eyes to see the needs of the people around us. Show us the ones to meet. We cannot help everyone, but we can help the ones You call us to. We desire to obey.
A beggar’s days blend together. Each day being so much like the next. He probably heard the same sounds, groups of people traveling in and out of the city. Donkeys, sheep, birds added their share of noise. But this day, this blind man was amazed when he heard a commotion going on.
As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” (Luke 18:18:35-37)
He heard the crowd. It piqued his curiosity. So he just called out to anyone who would answer, “What is going on?” The answer he received was about to change his life. When he heard that Jesus was passing by, he could not be silent!
He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:38)
Imagine a blind man on the side of a large crowd yelling. He is screaming at the top of his lungs. It is like a Superbowl yell at a family reunion. Can you just see all the people with widened eyes looking at him? They all thought he was acting inappropriately and they, of course, had something to say about that.
Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet… (Luke 18:39a)
Those who are going in front of everyone, guiding the way, the leaders of this mob, did not like this blind guy taking attention from “their deal”. They were trying to bring Jesus into the city of Jericho in style and this hillbilly is ruining their image. It would be like picking up the President of the airport in a Pinto. This is embarrassing. This man is ruining our parade. The weather is perfect. The crowd is great. We thought we would look great on the 6:00 p.m. news. And now this blind beggar is getting all the attention. Be quiet!
…but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:39b)
I believe this man had the kind of yell that could make glass shatter. Thankfully, glass windows had not been invented yet or many people may have gotten injured that day. For here he is, in the middle of a large, boisterous, noisy crowd and yet his yell his heard above the ruckus. But how he yelled is not as impressive as what he yelled. “Son of David”, that is a title reserved for the Messiah alone. The Jews knew that their Savior would be of the lineage of David. This blind man was preaching a sermon in one sentence. Would it not be nice if ministers today could do this from time to time? But that truly would be a miracle. But back to the blind man. In that short sentence, he was saying, “Jesus, I believe that you are the Messiah, sent from God, to redeem your people. I know you have a plan for the entire nation and that it is glorious. But would you please do something amazing in my individual life. I know that it would be only out of your mercy, for I do not deserve anything from You. But I ask, my Savior, that You show kindness to even someone like me.”
This man had a greater understanding of Who Jesus was than some of them who had followed His ministry for three years. How did he know all this about Christ? He used what he had available, his ears. He had listened to what others had said about Jesus. When he had asked what was going on and they told him that Jesus was passing by, he did not have to ask, “Who is Jesus of Nazareth?” He already knew. He had heard about him. Maybe people had told him stories as they walked into the city about the miracles Jesus had performed. Or possibly he had friends of family who had listened to Jesus speak. We do not know how he knew about Jesus; we just know that he did. He not only knew about him, he responded to him. He used something else he had, his voice to yell above the crowd.
Some of you may feel that you cannot come to Christ for you do not have it “all together”. You think God will only accept you if you are good, or called to be a pastor, or are extremely talented. Maybe you even tell yourself, I will come to Christ when my life is different. I know a man who will not come to church until he has stopped drinking for an extended period of time. I told him that God does not call you to change, but for you to come, so that He can make a change in you. But he told me, one day I will have it together. That was over four years ago. He still has not set foot in church. This blind man did not have anything together. He was handicapped, strike one. Blindness was considered by the so-called religious to be a curse of God, strike two. He was a beggar on the streets, strike three. By all standards physically, religiously, and socially this man was out of the game. But just like the kid who cannot play ball but still wants to be in the game, he yells, “Coach put me in! I’m ready to play. I’ve learned a lot on the sidelines of the Jericho road. Just give me a chance.” The Coach heard.
Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to Him. (Luke 18:40a)
Just like a good coach. Everyone obeys his orders. But I like the first two words the best: “Jesus stopped…” Hundreds of others are surrounding Him and He stops for one man, one outcast. Do you feel like you have struck out in life? Does it all seem hopeless? You think that how it is now, is how it will always be. Let me say something, “Jesus stopped” and He will do it again. He is ready to intervene. He is not just paying attention to all those around Him whom seem to have it all together. His ears were attuned to the one who would acknowledge the need for Him. He is willing to do the same today. Just call out to him. Draw near to him. The blind man had to come to Jesus first before he could hear the question of God.
When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Luke 18:41)
Does this seem a little odd to you? Can you imagine going to the greatest eye surgeon in the world and he has to ask you where your eyes are? Would that make you nervous? Why does Jesus ask the man what he wants Him to do? Is it not obvious that a blind man wants to see? Why the question? Because he had already received his first request. Remember, he had asked, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” Done. Jesus had done that. It is evident by the fact that He stopped and had the man brought to him. This is a sign of mercy. God Himself allowing us to approach Him.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
Miracle one accomplished. It was time for miracle two.
“Lord, I want to see,” he replied. (Luke 18:41b)
Simple. To the point. This is my desire. I am coming to You for You are the only One who can meet this need. You are the Lord. I acknowledge You for Who You are. You created me like this. I am not blaming anything of my past on You. I am just asking for a new future because of You.
Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God. (Luke 18:42-43)
Receive your sight…Receive. It was a gift. It had followed the greatest gift of all. Mercy. The man at that time did not know how much that gift would cost Jesus. But for now, he would praise Him with the same voice he had used to cry out to Him. The same legs that had carried him to the roadside of Jericho were now walking behind the pathway of Jesus. The ears that had heard of Jesus of Nazareth were now listening to the Man Himself. This time he was not a bystander in the crowd, asking strangers what was going on. Now, he was a part of the group in such a way that they were glorifying God by the miracle Jesus had done in his life. For he was not only boisterous about his need, he was outlandishly joyful in sharing his miracle. Others may have lost their spiritual blindness of God because he would not stay silent.
Money Matters
I love the Charles Dickens’ tale, The Christmas Carol. Bear with me as I recount the grisly yet then glorious tale. Ebenezer Scrooge is a wealthy man who is merciless to all people. He is the wealthiest man in the district, yet so miserly, always wanting more. The thought of Christmas makes him angry, seeing it as a day that he was being pick-pocketed by employees who would get full pay without working. That night, Christmas Eve, Scrooge returns home. The spirit of his former, now deceased, business partner, Jacob Marley that informs Scrooge that three spirits will visit him, awakens him. These three beings, the ghost of Christmas past, the ghost of Christmas present, the ghost of Christmas future, show him how cruel, twisted, and meaningless life has become and will be due to the pursuit of money. He was despised by many and had no true friends. When he awoke on Christmas morning, he decides that his life would be different. He realized that loving people, not money, was the key to eternal living. Scrooge radically changed his ways and found the joy that had eluded him all his years.
While The Christmas Carol was only a fictional book, the character Scrooge seems all too real. He is a timeless character, representing every age. For the love of money, willing to obtain it at any cost, is not a recent phenomenon. In fact, a Scrooge was infamous in the town of Jericho.
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner’”. But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:1-10)
For those of you who now have the song “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he…” going through your head, I am sorry. For those of you who did not have that song in your head until I began writing the lyrics, I am doubly sorry. But either way, I want to warn you. We have been hearing this story since preschool. This was one of the few ones allowed since we just couldn’t bring up that David and Bathsheba incident in grade school. Imagine if that story was a song! But the story of Zacchaeus is told time and time again as we move our way up the ranks of Sunday School. I do not want the familiarity of this story to take away from the radical nature of it. This is an amazing story of grace, of transformation, of Scrooge opening the window on Christmas day and realizing he could begin anew.
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. (Luke 19:1-2)
Let’s stop right here. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. What is wrong with that? I mean, we all dislike the IRS but that does not mean they are criminals. At least in theory. But in that day and age, tax collectors were despised. These Jewish men had sold out to the Roman government. Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary puts it this way:
As a class, the tax collectors were despised by their fellow Jews. The were classified generally as “sinners” (Matt.9:10-11;Mark 2:15), probably because they were allowed to gather more than the government required and then to pocket the excess amount. John the Baptist addressed this when he urged tax collectors to gather no more money than they should (Luke 3:12-13). But even further, the tax collectors were hated because their fellow countrymen viewed them as mercenaries who worked for a foreign oppressor of the Jewish people.
Tax collectors were the group that your mama warned you about hanging around. They were rejected from civil society. Men like Zacchaeus would often not be allowed in the temple or synagogues and people on the streets would avoid them. They were hated by their Jewish countrymen yet not accepted by the reigning Romans who they worked for. They were displaced from every aspect of life.
The outcast finds himself again not being a part of the group when he realizes that a throng of people was walking into the city with Jesus.
He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. (Luke 19:3)
I am of average height. I always wanted to be tall. But often people are looking down when they talk to me. I hate that. Anyway, that is my own issue. I am working through it. But I do have one advantage due to my stature. Often in crowds, tall people, even strangers, feel sorry for me and let me stand in front of them. Or if standing in front of them really will not make a difference, they keep me posted on what is going on, since I cannot see. I must wonder if the reason Zacchaeus could not see Jesus was not as much due to the fact that there was so many people that he could not move through the crowd but more so that nobody was willing to give even an inch to the hated tax collector. No one would tell him what was going on. Everyone was making it known that he was not accepted, he would not be helped, and he needed to leave. In their attempt to “be religious” by seeing Jesus, they missed out on everything Jesus stood for.
At one of my former jobs, I worked with a lesbian. It took a long time for her to admit it to me, even though I had suspected for a while. She was afraid to tell me because she knew I was a Christian. She thought that in my attempt to “be religious”, I would hate and condemn her, push her out of the crowd. When she finally had the courage to share the truth to me, I reaffirmed my friendship with her. I told her that I believed that her lifestyle was wrong. I also reminded her that I would continue to share God’s love and truth with her as I did before she confessed. I would not change towards her. I would continue to pray for her. And she would still have to listen to my crazy stories that I torture all people with.
What breaks my heart is that somehow people feel like the church is about condemnation. We are the group that does not allow outsiders in. How did this ever come about? Let me remind you, you are a sinner. I am a sinner. Just because our sins are different from the neighbor next door does not make me better or worse. Christ alone was sinless. For some amazing reason, He decided to pour out His mercy on the likes of you and me. Let me tell you that we are wretches. But He decided to give us his garment of righteousness. It has nothing to do with anything you or I have done. Nothing. We are lower than the slime off a snail. In fact, we would have to reach up to obtain that. Being so low in our sinful state, how can we possibly look down on anyone else? God did not reach down into the pit to draw us out so we can yell down to everyone else left behind and tell them they deserve to be there, or ignore their plight which was once ours. No, we are to reach down through the power of the Spirit and offer a hand to bring others out. That hand that reaches up will be grimy with sin, some sins you may not have even known existed. Do not retract your hand. Do not use the hand that is supposed to help them out and turn it into a finger pointing and condemning. If you are doing this to any person or group, confess it now. Ask the Lord to give you His love for the modern day tax collectors. For they need to see Jesus in you. Zacchaeus was so desperate, he ran.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. (Luke 19:4)
Aren’t you glad that he did not just run away? He could have said it was too hard and just left. The tax collector could have thought that if this is how the religious crowd is, Jesus must be like this, too, rejecting us sinners. Or maybe Zacchaeus thought, if I come to Jesus, I do not want to turn into these kinds of religious people, so I will just come to God in my own way. But Zacchaeus did not do any of this. He ran ahead of the crowd. He went past where they were. He knew they were headed his way so he climbed a tree, so they could not displace him from the crowd again. It would be embarrassing, a grown man climbing trees. Others may point and laugh. He did not care. All he knew was that Jesus was coming his way.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” (Luke 19:5)
You have heard “X marks the spot” on pirate maps. I feel like Jesus was on a divine hunt for the treasure of a soul. A big tree, holding a man was the sign that God was getting ready to show mercy. In a short while, another tree holding the Son of Man would be a sign to the world that God was ready to show mercy. But for now, it was time to extend a hand down in the pit holding Zacchaeus and demand for him to come out. Jesus does not have to beg and plead, for He knew God’s will must be carried out in this man’s life today. And I love the fact that He called Zacchaeus by name. There had been no formal introductions. We have no indication that the wee little man had been around Jesus, which is why he wanted to see what he looked like. The fact that Jesus called him by name is significant. For the Shepherd had come for his lost sheep.
…the sheep listen to His voice. He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. (John 10:3b)
And the wee little sheep Zacchaeus hurriedly answered the call.
So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. (Luke 19:6)
Need I remind you that a crowd is surrounding Jesus? A huge multitude is hanging on His every word. I wonder when they saw Jesus stop and look up at Zacchaeus, they thought He was going to condemn this evil sinner. Did they look at one another and smile saying, “Finally, that tax collector will get what he deserves? Who does he think he is coming to a religious gathering?” But their smiles quickly faded when Jesus demanded that of all the houses in Jericho, he would dine at the dreaded sinner’s house. He bypassed the religious leaders, the devoted Jews, the good people, the political leaders, everyone and went to the most hated man’s house in town. Unbelievable! They had some words to say about that.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner’”. (Luke 19:7)
Amazing how quickly a crowd can turn. This group was just singing the praise of Jesus after He had healed the blind beggar. As long as He was doing what they liked, they were all for Him. But as soon as He challenges their comfort zone, their social order, their hierarchy on who is on top and who is on bottom, which is when their song quickly change tunes.
Men claiming to be the Messiah do not go to eat with sinners. Being around the unclean makes you unclean. What kind of religious man is this?
Jesus was not religious at all. Religion had become a matter of rules, regulations, routine, but no longer relationship. Jesus was in the adopting business. He saw an orphan that needed a Father, needed brothers and sisters, needed love and mercy. He saw a child in crisis.
Often we hear stories of people who have been in traumatic situations. You never hear them say, “I was so scared that I would never see my big screen T.V. ever again. I just wept at the thought that I might not be able to tell my car how much I love her.” We realize after everything material is gone, that it never mattered in the first place. Family, friends, that is what our lives are truly defined by. That alone is what our hearts crave and need.
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” (Luke 19:8)
Notice the first two words, “But Zacchaeus…” this is in comparison to the crowd that muttered about the restaurant Jesus chose for the evening. The religious group condemned, while the sinner changed. The religious group grumbled, while the sinner gave. The religious group judged others, the sinner judged only himself. Because of this, only one man’s household heard these words of Jesus.
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. (Luke 19:9)
That very day salvation came to the house, the Name of that salvation is Jesus. Not only did he reinstate a lost Zacchaeus spiritually but emotionally as well. Look at the tenderness as the Lord called him “a son of Abraham”. For years this man had been treated as a traitor to the Jews, no longer worthy of being a part of their people. Yet, God never disinherited Zacchaeus. Jesus is letting him know that he is accepted, he belongs, he is one of God’s own, and he is forever adopted as a child of God.
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. (Luke 19:10)
Do you feel lost, rejected, scorned? Do you see yourself as an outsider, not belonging anywhere? There is hope. Look up. Do you see it? There is a tree on a hillside called Calvary. It was there where the Son of Man lost His life. He, too, was rejected and scorned because the religious leaders considered Him an outsider that did not belong in their group. He knew that we belonged there on that tree. Our sins deserved that punishment. But you see, God is one who calls people by name and requests that they come down from the tree for He is willing to take their place. And not only did He take our place, but He desires to come and fellowship with us, to come to our house, to come right where we are. Zacchaeus did not have time to ready his house, make everything look all right, ensure that everyone was dressed appropriately, and that no one made the mistake of saying the wrong thing. No, he just allowed Jesus to meet him how he was. But you can never stay the same when you are around Jesus. You, too, will be crying out, “If there is anyone I have wronged, in Your Name, I will do my best to restore the relationship. For now that I am in right relationship with You, Lord, I want to be in right relationship with everyone else. For you are my Father, I belong, and these are my brothers and sisters that I desire to show your love to each one.” Son or Daughter of Abraham, listen. Jesus is calling your name. Obey whatever He says. He will bring salvation to your home.