What Do You See?

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this [is] my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

Romans 11:25-27

Not all of Israel is blind to this truth, but much of it at this time is. There is a day coming when as a nation:

"...They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for [his] only [son], and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] firstborn."

Zechariah 12:10b, compare John 19:37

Blindness was a common condition in Israel in the first century. Those who were blind from birth or as the result of an accident were thought of as sinners whom God has judged. They were outcasts from society. On the social scale, they were ranked beneath the normal sinners and only one notch above tax collectors.

In fact, we learn from Jewish historians and from the scriptures that there were four types of people that were the most hated of Jewish society:

• The blind; 
• A man who is chief of the tax collectors; 
• A condemned thief such as the one on the cross next to Jesus; 
• and a Roman Centurion such as one that was found at the foot of Jesus' cross. 

In a comment against religious prejudice, Luke records for us that these were the last four people that God saved before Jesus' dismissed His Spirit on the cross.

Jesus presence in Jericho at this time already created a stir. Not only were many wondering if He was Messiah and about to reveal Himself in Jerusalem, but He had likely just spent a night at the house of Zacchaeus, chief of the tax collectors. There was nothing more defiling to a Jew than this. Yet the result of this, to the curious wonderment of the Passover pilgrims, was that Zacchaeus was going around repaying fourfold everybody that he previously defrauded.

As the crowd follows Jesus on the way out of town, blind Bartimaeus hears more than the normal commotion of those going to Jerusalem. He asks what is happening and he is told that Jesus of Nazareth passes by. Yet He doesn't cry out to Jesus of Nazareth, does he? Instead, he screams for Jesus, Son of David to have mercy on him.

His screaming is really annoying to the crowd as he calls out to Jesus, the Son of David. Using this title is a recognition that Jesus is Messiah. A blind man among this crowd was the only one to see and be moved to an infant-like scream for mercy. This is exactly what the Lord Jesus was (and is) waiting to hear.

This man cries for mercy because there is nothing that he can offer. It is the plaintive cry of the psalmist in Ps 4,6,9,25. This is the last plea that God answers in Israel until the thief on the cross next to Jesus asks to be remembered when Jesus comes into His Kingdom.

Now who sees more clearly - this blind man or the crowd?

smc