Jericho’s Dust in Our Eyes - Luke 18:31-43

The account of Blind Bartimaeus is subtly woven into Luke’s accounts on spiritual dis∙illusion∙ment. Its weave includes the errant self-righteous attitudes of the Pharisees, the demeaning assumptions about children by the disciples, and the misguided conjectures on salvation of the rich young ruler. All of these provide the rationale as to why would-be disciples are blind to Jesus’ work of redemption and resurrection. The theme of God’s miraculous work within human impossibility recurs in today’s teaching. It fulfills Luke’s purpose for this Gospel by dispelling the illusion that our spiritual blindness is without remedy and by revealing that the Kingdom of God is possible to see when God removes that which blinds us to its presence.