We are all made by God for good things. One good thing is to praise and give glory to God.
When I had cataract surgery, after the surgeon placed the new lens in my eye he asked “can you see any better?”
I saw the operating equipment, the doctor, the ceiling, and everything else in the room. All I could do was shout, “I can see - - I can see.”
I shouted so loud my wife heard me in the waiting room.
My doctor said no one had ever done that before. He needed me to go up and down the street shouting “I can see - - I can see” to advertise for him.
The truth is, I did. I bragged on my doctor to everybody. I let every one know that I could see.
I think Bartimeaus did the same.
Jesus, the divine healer asked Bartimeaus, “What do you want me to do?
Some translations say his answer was “Master I want my sight.” Others, and ours today say “Master, I want to see.”
It is an important distinction. Asking to see is so much more than asking for restored sight. Seeing is a whole lot more than just good eyesight.
Scripture does not say or suggest that Jesus did more than speak to the man. There is no mention that Jesus reached out to the blind man or touched him or spit in the dirt to make mud to spread on his eyes or even washed his eyes with water.
Jesus only spoke to him.
Jesus told Bartimeaus, “Your faith has saved you.” Jesus did not say Bartimeaus was healed or now he could see but that he was saved.
Immediately, he received his sight. Instantly, he was able to see.
Bartimeus could see who Jesus truly was; more than just the son of David.
Jesus said “Go your way.” His way was to follow Jesus.
As he followed, I bet he yelled out a lot. The Lord wants us to shout with joy. Bartimeaus probably shouted with joy, “I can see - - I can see.”
I would have.
There were probably plenty of alleluias and glory to God. His sight was restored. He could see, Bartimeus followed and praised Jesus as the Christ, the anointed one, the messiah, and the chosen one of God.
Look around, many of us are blind today.
There are things that keep us from seeing. Things that keep us from seeing Christ in the world and in our brothers and sisters are anger, bias, jealousy, prejudice, hate envy, paranoia, self protection, and bitterness. It is a darkness that blinds us.
The same darkness covers our country today. There is a horrific blindness to others. A self imposed darkness that keeps us from seeing our brothers and sister from which this nations needs to be healed. It is a darkness of relativism spreading through words and images.
Our nation is not truly blind, we are just not looking. You can see a whole lot of things just by looking. By looking we learn how to see that we are all children of the same God.
Yet,we stare into the darkness and it blinds us from the light of Christ. As a nation we must cry out “I want to see” by the light of Christ that takes away the darkness. In that, we will learn to see.
We have get away from that blindness to everything but that only concern self to see all the things God has done for others. If we get away from that blindness of our self relativism and pity, we can see all the great things God has done for us.
We must want to see. Seeing can lead to understanding. We see by faith the light of Christ in our community, our family, our church, the Eucharist, and all the sacraments. It saves us. Faith opens our eyes so the Lord can deliver and heal his people.
In every prayer, every sacrament, every moment of adoration the Lord Jesus calls to our hearts “What do you want of me?”
The problem is how we answer.
The problem is how does the nation or the world answer. Should it be as Jeremiah wrote exult at the head of nations, proclaim your praise.
“I want to see.”
We are blind, the world is blind. We can either sit still and ask for pity or get up and run to Jesus. The one that can heal us. We can go our way or follow him; the only one that can truly heal the world.
Go out to the world, praise his name, and shout with joy. That shout may be as simple as praising him “I can see - - I can see.”
The darkness that blinds us does not like us to see.
We are made by God for good things, A good thing is to praise and give glory to God.
Be good, be holy and preach the gospel so others can see Christ in the way you live and love one another, Amen.
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