March 17 – Insight Before Eyesight: Mark 10:46-52
So, here is Bartimaeus, the blind man, standing face-to-face with Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. The man could have requested countless things – the possibilities are endless. But standing in front of Jesus that day, the blind man said, “Teacher, let me see again.”
Jesus didn’t touch the man physically. He didn’t put any salve on his eyes as he had done in other cases. Jesus didn’t perform any ceremonial rituals or say any special words over the man. Jesus didn’t chastise him or condemn him in any way. Instead, Jesus ordered his disciples to call the man over.
“Take heart,” the disciples instructed him.
The first thing the disciples requested of the man had nothing to do with his eyes. Rather, they asked him to change his heart. In other words, he had to have insight before eyesight. The heart would act as a filter for the man’s future discernment. They knew that what the man’s heart felt would influence what his eyes perceived. The Apostle Paul (Ephesians 1:18) described it as seeing with the “eyes of your heart.”
This story holds relevance for us today. Having insight before eyesight makes you consider things from a fresh point of view. Jesus once said, blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8). Psalm 36:9 puts it this way: “in [God’s] light, we see light.” When you look at a thing through the eyes of your heart, a bigger picture comes into focus. You begin to see not only the problems but also the possibilities. When you see with the eyes of your heart, the God in you will begin to see the God in other people. Changing your heart might open your eyes to ways that influence justice to roll down like a mighty stream. Having God-inspired insight might prompt you to see hope and truth and peace and love once again. It all starts with a few simple words: “Teacher, let me see again.”