Let a Blind Man Show the Way

Walking the Market Place in downtown Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Central America, I was assaulted by the cacophony of sounds—horns honking, salsa music blaring, people laughing, shouting, and talking.

Sifting through the myriad of odors—diesel exhaust, fresh fruit, body odor, fresh flowers, perfume, spoiled garbage—was both nauseating and pleasant.

Taking in the visual panorama was the most challenging. My eyes were constantly shifting focus from the small details to the bigger mosaic of colors and shapes.

It seemed everyone in this city of a million people was squeezed into this one-hundred-yard-long stretch of narrow street. I kept my hand on the camera around my neck and repeatedly felt my back pocket with my other hand to be sure no one had stolen my wallet.

Turning a corner, I saw him squatting outside a small wooden shed. He was small enough to be one of Santa’s elves, complete with white hair and beard. But his clothes bore no bright colors or sparkles. They wore the grime of numerous unwashed days.

His face continuously turned in the direction of the sound of people passing him by. The smile never left his creased, tanned face.

It took me a moment to realize what he was “selling.” The giveaway was in his upheld right hand—a shoe brush. He wanted people to pay him to shine their shoes.

I pointed him out to my companions.

One of them, an optometrist, quietly and somberly said, “He’s blind.”

Handicapped by his blindness, this man couldn’t rely upon government programs to help make a living. There were no special schools to help train him to realize his full potential. Not in this poor country.

Yet, he refused to be cast in the mold of a beggar.

I felt both pity and admiration for him while remembering the adage, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”

I was reminded of another blind man on a dusty road outside the ancient city of Jericho. Bartimaeus was his name.

He was a beggar, relying upon the gifts of others to survive.

Did you ever play the “If a magic genie gave you three wishes, what would you wish for?” game? It was fun to play, even if it wasn’t real

However, blind Bartimaeus had the experience of a lifetime when a real life “magic genie” appeared on the stage of his life and asked him the best question of all time.

Jesus of Nazareth was leaving Jericho on the very road that Bartimaeus was sitting beside. As soon as he heard that Jesus was passing close by, from out of his darkness he shouted, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus stopped.

Hearing Bartimaeus cry out again, he told his disciples to bring him to him.

Then came the question.

Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

Do you hear how wide open that question was? This was Jesus, the son of God, asking the question. He literally could have done anything (and everything) for Bartimaeus.

It was the question of the ages! An opportunity to play the “what if” game.

In a voice filled with the pain from years of unmet wishes and yet vibrant with newfound hope, Bartimaeus said, “Teacher, I want to see!”

Even though his answer was about deliverance from his physical darkness, he provided for all of mankind the answer we’re all seeking.

Isn’t deliverance from spiritual darkness what we all want?

Don’t you want to see what God’s Will for you is?

Don’t you want to see what direction you need to take in complicated situations?

Don’t you want to see God’s hand in your life?

If you’re ever uncertain what to pray for, let the simple words of a blind man from Jericho show you the way: “Lord, I want to see!”

* Taken from The Wit and Wisdom of David Johnson, Volume 2: The Hairy Catfish Caper