Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet, but they shouted even more loudly, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!” Jesus stood still and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.
~ Matthew 20:29-34 (NRSVUE)
Have any of you heard the name bell hooks before? Well, Gloria Jean Watkins, better known by her pen name bell hooks, was an African American author, educator, feminist, and social activist. I read a quote of hers recently that got me thinking. The quote read, “Rarely if ever are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.”
Now this quote can be interpreted in several ways, but I think what hooks was emphasizing is the importance of community and how therapeutic and helpful gathering together with other people can be, especially when we find ourselves in difficult situations.
Support groups bring together people who are going through or have gone through similar experiences. There are support groups for all kinds of things like cancer, chronic medical conditions, addiction, bereavement, or even parenting or caregiving. These groups give people a safe place to talk about what they are going through, a place to share ideas and experiences, and a place to be assured that they are not alone in their struggles. However, we also have our church community and our Attleboro Area community, as well as work communities and school communities.
Friends, the word “community” means a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common or a feeling of fellowship with others because they share common interests and goals. Now, if you remember, Hook’s quote said, “Rarely if ever does healing happen in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.” Here in the church, we understand communion as a gathering together of community for a sacred reason. We gather together at the table that Jesus has set for us to celebrate the sacrament of communion as we share bread and juice together, and remember the story of Jesus.
But if you think back to our storybook and to our scripture reading today, in each of them, it took the coming together of people for healing to occur. In our storybook, a woman filled with grief had forgotten how to be curious. She had forgotten about the stars and the sea and finding delight in new things, and she had forgotten how to get her heart back out of the bottle that she had put it in. In isolation, she couldn’t remember or figure out how to move forward. It took the help of a little girl to remind her about the importance of being curious, thinking about the stars, wondering about the sea, and taking delight in finding new things. It took the help of a little girl to get her heart back out of the bottle, the bottle that she thought was keeping her heart safe. It took the help of a little girl to help her work through her grief and begin to live again.
In our scripture reading today, we also heard about healing in community. As the story goes, as Jesus was leaving the city of Jericho, two blind men were sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they called out for help. Of course, the crowd told them to be quiet because that is usually what people do when they don’t want to deal with someone else’s issues. But the two blind men called out ever louder. Jesus stopped and said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” They asked Jesus to open their eyes so that they would be able to see. Scripture says that Jesus was moved with compassion, which is another way of saying that someone’s heart is opening and a sacred moment is occurring. Because when we reach out to help another person, we always find ourselves standing on holy ground. As the story goes, Jesus touched their eyes, and they were healed! They could finally see, so they followed him.
Two beautiful stories of people helping people and healing happening in the midst of community. But I want to point out an important example that Jesus shared with us because it is often something that we forget or overlook when we want to help someone else. Think for a minute; you hear that someone has lost a friend or a loved one, or maybe they have had an accident and broken a bone, or perhaps they got a difficult diagnosis from a doctor. As compassionate human beings, we know the importance of community, and we often want to help them, so we run home and bake a lasagna or make a big pot of macaroni and cheese to drop off at their house. Maybe we even set up a meal train so that members of the community can drop off meals each day for them. That is all very kind, but let’s think about what Jesus taught us to do when we find someone struggling.
Jesus didn’t take the blind men by the arm and lead them down the road. He didn’t find them a stick so that they could feel their way. He didn’t feed them. He didn’t get them a place to stay. He didn’t make them lasagna or macaroni and cheese. He didn’t even offer to pray for them. No! What did he do? He asked them, “What do you want me to do for you?” “What can I do for you?” Friends, so often, when we long to help another person, we do what we think would be helpful. But to be honest, in doing what we think would be helpful, we do what makes us feel better, not necessarily what the other person needs.
Friends, today we celebrate All Saints/All Souls Day, and we remember and honor those who have died. Some of you may have fresh grief, meaning you have lost someone recently and are filled with raw emotions. And some of you, on this day of remembrance, might be remembering a friend or a loved one who died five, ten, or fifty years ago. But the truth is that time means nothing when it comes to grief.
We do our best to remember the good times and the things that our friend or loved one taught us, but if we’re going to be honest, grief hurts whether our loss was yesterday or forty years ago. So if you see someone today with tears in their eyes, or maybe someone who looks frustrated or sad here in worship or out at coffee hour, or even maybe later, out in the world, don’t assume that you know how they are feeling or what is going on in their lives. Ask, “Are you okay? Is there anything I can do to help?” If they say yes, then listen with all you’ve got. If they say no, then give them a little space. Friends, as we heard today, healing doesn’t usually happen in isolation, but sometimes, healing does need a little time and space.
So, brothers and sisters in Christ, as you go out into your busy week ahead, be compassionate and kind to those in need and be helpful to those who are struggling. But remember to ask how you can help or what you can do rather than assuming that you know and simply doing what makes you feel better. And if you find yourself in need of healing from a struggle or a pain that you’ve been hiding away and holding deep inside, remember that healing is an act of communion. So, if you’re not comfortable talking to someone else about what you’re going through, Jesus invites you to bring your brokenness and your pain to the Table today. Know that Jesus is here, with arms stretched out wide, saying, “You are my beloved. What can I do for you?”
My friends, may it be so. Thanks be to God, Amen!
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