Healing of the blind

As Jesus approached Jericho on the way to Jerusalem, a blind man asked him to have mercy on him. The blind man, in response to the inquiry made by Jesus, said, “Let me receive my sight.” Jesus said, “Receive your sight.”

With respect to this miracle, Arthur A. Just, Jr. can assert: “The final miracle of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel frames the thaumaturgical phase of Jesus’ ministry from 4:16 to 19:28. The footnote states: “This is also the last miracle for Matthew and Mark prior to Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. However, both Matthew and Mark have the miracle of the withered fig tree during Jesus’ Jerusalem ministry, something which “Luke replaces with the parable of the fig tree in 21:29-33.”

In discussing this miracle, Just connected it to the sermon in Nazareth where the passage read by Jesus includes these words: “He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind.” Just also connected this healing to the Emmaus event. He further indicated that the restoration of physical blindness coincides with the spiritual salvation as proclaimed in the phrase, “the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Emmaus is a conversion experience where in the breaking of the bread the two disciples experienced a restoration of sight. “When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight.”

This conversion experience is not unlike the experience of Saul who was blinded on the road to Damascus carrying letters from the High Priest. When Ananias laid his hands on Saul as commanded by the Lord Jesus, Saul regained his sight and obtained a new understanding of sacred scripture. The two disciples likewise obtained a new understanding of sacred scripture and were able to recognize that their host was Jesus.

Jesus restored sight to the blind man near Jericho as he approached Jerusalem, the two disciples departing Jerusalem and man who left Jerusalem with letters from the High Priest. In each instance, the restoration also brought forth proclamations. Each of these individuals was blind. Each of these men received restoration of sight. In each instance, there was a “recovering of sight to the blind.”

Copyrighted 2006

Religion

Christianity

Gospel of Luke