We consider 2 stories in which St. Luke and the Holy Spirit intentionally put together, 1.) In which Jesus says that everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. That He will be delivered over, mocked, shamefully treated, spit upon, after flogging Him, they will kill Him and on the third day He will rise. But the disciples understood none of these things.
They don’t see what is clearly before their eyes is ironically contrasted with the second story in which a blind man, a man who can’t see, is the one who sees most clearly. He understands: Namely He sees, through a faith that make him well, who Jesus is, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.
You know there are certain animals (bats, dolphins, whales) whose eyesight is very poor and yet they can seemingly see so well. They can navigate in the darkest of areas and the tightest of spots, because they see with sound.
They see by listening. They see by speaking. This is also how submarines navigate.
And this is the call for the Christian.
To see most clearly by listening to our Lord and see most clearly by speaking to our Lord.
The blind man, Bartimaeus, hears that Jesus of Nazareth is coming, that Jesus is near and in hearing that he sees clearly to ask for mercy.
That is only way we will begin to see a little clearer, to navigate in the darkest of areas and in the tightest of spots, with Christ as our captain.
As Christians, we have to that we don’t see as well as we think we do.
Our opening hymn reminded us that our faith looks trustingly up to Christ of Calvary.
Our Epistle reminded us that love is patient, and kind, not envious, not boastful, not irritable or resentful, keeps no record of wrongs, rejoices in the truth, and bears all things.
Eyes pointed outward in faith toward God and love toward neighbor, but our sinful eyes and sinful soul is too often pointed in on ourselves.
We don’t see God as we should – that we should trust in Him above all things.
We don’t see our neighbor as we should – that we should love them – the 1 Cor. 13 kind of love.
What we too often see is a world that is so full of suffering and selfishness and cruelty that we should be driven to despair.
What we too often see is a neighbor that is hard to be patient with and kind to, is very easy to be resentful and irritable toward, and the wrongs they commit is way too easy to be a record wrong.
If we should trust and love in something, we should trust and love ourselves first.
And that would be seeing wrong, not understanding what this life is about, not having a good grasp on the good, true and beautiful.
God is in the world – don’t despair, only believe and you will see.
Love is selfless and sacrificial and beautiful and the way of Christ and His Christians.
Don’t trust or love yourself. In you is darkness and rebellion.
You don’t see as you ought to see. You are too clouded with sin and selfishness.
See by hearing Christ in His Word. See by speaking, “Our Father who art in heaven,” and by praying with blind Bartimaeus with full knowledge that Jesus is near, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.
Our hymn “Abide with Me,” has as one of its stories it’s based around the story that happened on the day of Jesus’ resurrection. He meets two disciples and starts walking with them to Emmaus, which is directly west of Jerusalem, but they don’t know it’s Jesus.
They aren’t seeing as they should see.
They start to speak about their despair, how they had hoped in this Jesus of Nazareth, but now He’s dead and gone. Some say He’s alive, but they don’t understand. They’re foolish and slow of heart to believe, Jesus tells them.
Jesus begins to teach them about Himself, beginning with Moses and all the Prophets and their hearts burn within them.
They get to Emmaus where they’re going to stop and Jesus acts as if He’s going further and they said, “No, no. Abide with us. Stay with us. Don’t leave us. It’s getting dark.”
Abide with us, fast falls the evening tide, the darkness deepens, Lord with me abide.
Jesus stays, but they still don’t see Him as they should. Until He took bread, and blessed, and broke it and gave it to them and their eyes were open and they recognized Him – and He vanished from their sight.
Christ open your eyes today through the breaking of bread He gives you. Your hope is not in vain. Your faith will be sight. The Son of God has given His body for you.
Christ open your eyes today as hear His Word so that you can navigate through the change and decay in all around you see with the One who changest not and abides with me – and with you.
Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes.
His love is set before you in that cross.
Love that is patient and kind. Love that is not irritable or resentful of you. Love that never end.
Christ open your eyes to His love for you on the cross.
He willingly went up to Jerusalem so that you might have confidence that you have a place up with Him in paradise.
He willingly was delivered over to the Gentiles to be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon, so that you might have confidence you have been delivered and remain into the Father’s loving and safe arms,
and be soothed by His Words,
and be honored by being given the status of child of God,
and be washed and cleansed by Water and the Word.
By His flogging, you have healing.
By His being killed, you have life,
By His resurrection, you have the promise that the life Christ lives, He lives forever, and because He lives, because He has you and you have Him, you can face tomorrow.
See by hearing that and by speaking to the One who loves you so that you can navigate in the darkest of areas and the tightest of spots.
….
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not see (Hebrews 11:1)
What we don’t yet see is that God is Father, Almighty. That He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
What we don’t yet see is that Baptism now saves you. That we are clean and holy and washed and united with Christ and that we born again and made new.
What we don’t yet see is that we will have a happy reunion in heaven with all those who have died in the faith, that God will change this lowly body to be like His glorious resurrected body, that this perishable body must put on the imperishable and this mortal body must put on immortality.
What we don’t yet see is the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come and the end of all struggle we have within ourselves against selfishness and doubt and lust and sin and the wiping away of every tear from our eye.[must be accomplished in Luke 18]
You don’t see it. But you will!
It is sure. It is certain. Jesus doesn’t lie.
Jesus said the things that would happen before the cross, and on the cross, and three days later in the resurrection would be accomplished and they were.
And all things Jesus says will be accomplished will be accomplished.
You see, dear saints, you don’t see it, yet, but you do hear it promised. And the one who promised it does not lie. See by hearing Him. He is sure. He is certain.
Your eyesight and your feelings and this world are not.