Jesus has left Jericho and set out on his journey towards Jerusalem. Ahead of him is a confrontation with the religious and political authorities. Ahead of him is the long vertical ascent along the pilgrim paths and towards the city of Zion. A large crowd follows Jesus as he sets out from Jericho. Sitting by the roadside are two blind men who hear Jesus passing by. They cry out, “Lord, have mercy on us, son of David.”(v30) The crowds attempt to silence the blind men— perhaps assuming that they are merely wanting a monetary offering. But Jesus sees these two blind men through the cacophony of the crowd. Jesus see what the crowd is tempted to silence. He asks what they want of him and they reply, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”(v33) Jesus is moved with compassion. He touches their eyes, and heals them. 

We, like the two blind men, often need healing for our vision. We can fail to see clearly. We have the capacity to close our eyes, and harden our hearts. We too can be beggars on the wayside wondering if our cries are heard through the noise of the crowd. And so in this season of Lent, we learn to call out, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.” The good news is that Jesus always hears our cries for mercy.