"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are those who wait for him. Truly, O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you. Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher."
-Isaiah 30: 18-21

"As he (Jesus) approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, 'Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.' Then he shouted, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet' but he shouted even more loudly, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, 'What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me see again." Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.' Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God."
-Luke 18:35-43

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In our text this morning, Jesus helps a blind man make a very long journey - the journey from his head to his heart.

"As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.'" Luke 18:35-37

It's obvious what the blind man wants; he longs to see again! It's apparent in the text that this blind man was able to see before. In verse 41 he says: "Lord, let me see 'again.'" He had his sight at birth, and now he longed to reclaim it. How painful it must have been for this man to lose his sight! We can only speculate as to how he must have felt. I would imagine he would love to see the waves of the ocean, the great dome of heaven, or perhaps the face of a dearly loved companion.

The blind man wanted his sight so much, for in this story he seemed to be embarrassing all the people around him. Here comes this man named Jesus that everyone had been talking about -- some who say he is the Messiah, some who say he is this great Teacher, some who say he has healed lepers & others who are diseased - and this blind man is toward the back of the crowd, yelling his head off. "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me (vv. 38)!" The people around him were asking him to keep quiet, and what does this blind man do, but he continues yelling -- even more loudly: "Lord, have mercy one me (vv. 39)!"

"Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him…" Luke 18:40

Jesus stands still (vv. 40), as he hears the man cry out to him.

Stillness is an important theme in scripture. When we are still, we cannot help but connect to what is happening right now. Psalm 46 says: "Be still and know that I am God." When we are still -- for some moments -- we connect to our joy, ... and our celebration -- and we also connect to our grief. In the Old Testament -- after Samuel appointed a new leader over the people of God -- he offered a farewell speech to them, and said: "Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes!" The Lord was about to offer the guidance the people so desperately needed. God's grace was about to shower down upon them and they needed to be still so that they could recognize the significance of this moment.

Yet, David has a different experience in his stillness. For he says: "But when I was silent and still, not even saying anything good, my anguish increased." He continues: "My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned..." (Ps 39:3). When David was still and silent, he was able to connect to the anguish of unconfessed sin in his heart. I sometimes wonder whether our hectic busy-ness is not sometimes a way to avoid hearing the still small voice of God in or conscience.

In this instance, however, it is Jesus who is still. Jesus is still; he is silent because he hears the man's cry of anguish. At once, he "...ordered the man to be brought to him" and he spoke directly to him, asking: "What do you want me to do for you?"

Children of the covenant, what would you say to Jesus in such a situation? In our liturgy we say: "Have mercy on me, O God" and Jesus is there, listening and saying: "I give you my love and mercy, and now what is it you want me to do for you?"

How difficult it can be to give voice to the deep longings of our hearts! If Jesus were to ask you "What is it you want," how would you answer? What is the secret cry of your heart? Life gets muddled with complexities, and we get distracted by issues of conflict, stress, or by our fear.

* * * * *

I remember Doris from the days of hospital chaplaincy. Her hospital room looked like an office with the piles of papers, books, stationary, and her laptop set up right next to her. Doris had taken care of her children, and loved ones, her entire life... and, now, here she was dying of cancer. Now she had to surrender to the help of the doctors, nurses, and her sister, who was the only family member who was able to be present with her at that time. It was close to the holidays, and she kept telling me how much she wanted to make sure she could get her kids, and grandkids, their presents on time for Christmas - with her laptop right by her bedside so that she could order presents on Amazon, or the like. She had a passion in life for giving herself to her family and the community around her, but receiving care from the doctors and medical staff was the hardest thing she had done in her entire life. What does Doris want Jesus to do for her at this time of need?

Then, there was Stan...

I remember Stan very well. He looked like a lumberjack as I walked into his hospital room in the Skilled Nursing facility, with his full beard and plaid, flannel shirt. Stan was a person who loved exploring, especially the countryside of America. He told me many stories about how he loved hitchhiking all over the country, and the many places he had stayed, ... and the many odd jobs he found himself doing over the years. I remember our long conversations talking about our favorite stretches of highway throughout this beautiful country. Stan was having a meaningful time, since he had arrived in the hospital a few days prior... as he had found himself connecting with many stories and memories from his past. It seemed to me that Stan was taking a kind of inventory of his own soul. He told one particular story, which seemed to bring him joy. He recalled a period in his life where he said he "literally had nothing, but the clothes on his back." He hitchhiked from Northern California and on into Oregon with close to nothing. Stan said: "I stumbled upon this home deep in the redwood forest that held the nicest family I had ever met... I was only 27 at the time... They let me stay in their home for 3 months and fed me breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and in return I did some renovation and carpentry work on their home."

Something in Stan's voice moved me. For you see, Stan had a difficult time trusting the doctors, and they were telling him that he needed a kidney transplant. Yet, as he recalled this story of his experience with the family in Oregon, Stan suddenly understood that - just as this family had trusted him - so he now needed to trust his doctors. If Jesus stood before him, asking, "Stan, what do you want me to do for you?" I thought perhaps that Stan would cry out, "Living God, have mercy on me and grant me the gift of trust."

* * * * *

It was in the stillness of a lonely hospital room that Doris and Stan connected with what they truly needed in order to be healed. In our stillness -- when we are able to stop, and breathe! - that we are able to acknowledge our grief, and invite it into our hearts like a tender, wounded child. It is in our stillness that we are able to petition God with what our heart desires.

I remember a time in my life when I did not want to face the pain in my heart. One of my mentors told me: "Grieving our losses offers us an even greater capacity to live in joy." He challenged me to quit running from my pain, but to turn around, be still and receive God's blessing.

Sometimes the things we lose in life can never be reclaimed. They are gone and when they leave this world we are left with a tight throat, a sick heart, and tears that don't seem to go away.

"He (the blind man) said, 'Lord, let me see again.' Jesus said to him, 'Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.' Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God." Luke 18:42

Sometimes God also offers us an opportunity to reclaim what has been lost. Sometimes God's grace showers down upon us, offering the opportunity to change the way we live in the world. In the gospel lesson, the blind man pleads: "Lord, let me see again" (vv. 41). Jesus says: "Receive your sight; your faith has saved you" (vv. 42). His faith reached out for new life and Jesus had compassion on him.

If Jesus were standing before you, what would be the prayer of your heart?

Isaiah says: "Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes will most certainly rise to see our Teacher."

Children of the covenant -- the Living God is here, and "...waits to be gracious to you. He will surely rise up to show mercy to you." (Isaiah 30:18)

"He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you" (vv. 18 - 19).

In closing, let us hear the wisdom of David in Psalm 139.

He says: "Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? I I ascent to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,' even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you."

Thanks be to God!