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<< Mark X: The Blind Men at Jericho >>

  IN the New-Testament days the city of Jericho stood in the edge of the plain of Jordan just where the road to Jerusalem climbed up into the hills. (Elisha's  spring and the ruins of the Jericho of Old-Testament time are a mile or more to the north.) A brook and an aqueduct made water plenty, and the city was surrounded by rich gardens and orchards. Its fig trees were famous, and il had been known as Ihe "city of palm trees." The name Jericho means "a fragrant place." Probably in entering and leaving Jericho, they passed, as you do to-day at Damascus, between garden walls under the shade of over-arching trees, smelling the fragrance of blossoms and hearing the sound of running water.

The Lord was passing through Jericho, entering or leaving the city. Two blind men (Matthew speaks of two, Mark and Luke of only one) were sitting by the way-side begging, as so many blind and helpless people do near the gate of an Eastern town.

You have thought what it must be to be blind; and blind people in those days were much more helpless and had much less of kindness shown them than blind people now. A great multitude was coming, and the blind men by the way-side heard the sound of their feet and their voices. They asked what it meant, and they told them that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. They had heard that name and how the Lord had healed the blind and even raised the dead. They cried out, "Thou son of David, have mercy on me." Those that went before rebuked them, but what did the Lord say! and what did He do?

And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole.---Mark X. 46-52.

Author: William L. Worcester 1904

Spiritual Correspondences

Blind >> We are spiritually blind

Beggar >> We are spiritual beggars when we understand that the knowledge that we possess cannot help us

Casting away his garment, rose and came to Jesus >> To put away our self-intelligence and discover the Heavenly Truth from the Lord

"What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee"? >>To know definitely our weaknesses and to confess them to the Lord is the first step in being healed

Thy faith hath made thee whole >> Only by surrendering our self-intelligence and self-righteousness and putting our trust in the Lord can we heal spiritually and naturally

Pictures: James Tissot ----Courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum