A theology professor asked her class to take part in a little experiment. She directed them to look around the classroom and focus on one particular color; for example, everything that was red. After a few moments, she then asked them to close their eyes and quietly recall all the red items they saw. Then came the unexpected: with their eyes still closed, the professor asked them to name all the blue things they had seen. Most of them, because they were so focused on the color red, missed anything that was blue or any other color.
The professor explained that this is similar to what we focus on in everyday life. “We focuson the negative and tend to notice all that is going wrong in our world, and we miss God’s grace and presence before us. What we focuson is what we give power to! In focusing on the negative we miss God’s grace.”
In today’s gospel, Jesus restores sight to Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who called out, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me!” On the surface, we focusonly on the miracle of his recovered sight, but Jesus did much more than that. He also gave Bartimaeus the insight to perceive God’s presence in his life, to see and embrace the many signs of God’s grace in the world around him.
Our own vision can use a similar refocus. We can be so attuned to one color, say the color of disappointment, the color of self-centeredness, the color of cynicism, that we are blind to the colors of God surrounding us: compassion, love, mercy, forgiveness, peace to name but a few.
Bartimaeus receives his sight, but Jesus also affirms the vision he already possesses: the ability to see God’s love in his midst, to see the possibilities of God transforming hope and recreating love to heal brokenness in his life, to see his own ability to be means for God’s justice and reconciliation. To see our lives and our world with the eyes of faith is to recognize the many colors of God’s grace radiant in every person, in every place, in every moment.
Bartimaeus gained physical eyesight in this miracle but he also gained the insightsnecessary for being a disciple. His faith is said to have saved him, not only healed him physically but brought him salvation.
It has been noted that Jesus had many admirers but not many followers. No longer blind, no longer compelled to beg for his survival, Bartimaeus chooses to follow Jesus. We are called to do the same but how readily are we doing that? Are our eyes opened to seeing the many ways Jesus is reaching out to us or are we too focusedon our own wants instead?
Discipleship with Jesus means an upside down world where the first will be last and the last will be first, where one forgives one’s enemies seventy times seven times, where the one who loses his life will save it, where one gives his coat when asked to give a shirt, where enemies are to be prayed for and one who wishes to rule over all must be the servant of all. That is a tough mission statement, isn’t it? No wonder the apostles had trouble seeing Jesus and his message at first. Have we gained the insight to appreciate what Jesus is demanding of us as his disciples?
Have we the insightto appreciate the beauty of God’s creation? Or might your eyes be closed to seeing the wisdom behind taking care of our planet? Have we the insight to be compassionate to those who are less fortunate than we are, whether they are refugees escaping violence in their homeland or victims of recent hurricanes, tsunamis and typhoons that have wiped out their homes?
Or might your eyes be closed to seeing the wisdom behind respecting the dignity of every person, regardless of their race or gender, thus choosing instead to not respect, welcome or help those struggling to survive?
Bartimaeus was blind in the physical sense, but he, unlike the apostles, was better able to see what really mattered than those around him who had good vision but lacked insight into all that Jesus had been saying. His humility entitled him to a cure.
Recall, that Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He asked that same question of James and John; they wanted power and they failed to see. Bartimaeus wanted Jesus and he did see.
In this day and age, slick advertising, routine violence, and examples of greed and exploitation blindside us. In due time, we become like the apostles, slow to understand the message of Jesus Christ, slow to see what he sees, what saints, like Mother Theresa, Archbishop Oscar Romero and Pope Paul VI have seen. When we have misunderstood Jesus and his message, that results in spiritual blind spots.
Imagine Jesus asking you the same question. “What do you want me to do for you?” Undoubtedly we can think of a million things but lets focus on what really matters. A more reflective response would be that of Bartimaeus: “Lord, I want to see.”