eyesight

May 23, 2019

He could see (Lk 18:43-18:43)

“Immediately,

The blind beggar

Regained his sight.

He followed Jesus,

Glorifying God.

All the people,

When they saw it,

Praised God.”

 

καὶ παραχρῆμα ἀνέβλεψεν, καὶ ἠκολούθει αὐτῷ δοξάζων τὸν Θεόν. καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἰδὼν ἔδωκεν αἶνον τῷ Θεῷ.

 

Luke said that immediately (καὶ παραχρῆμα), the blind beggar regained his sight (ἀνέβλεψεν).  He followed Jesus (καὶ ἠκολούθει αὐτῷ), glorifying God (δοξάζων τὸν Θεόν).  All the people (καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς), when they saw it (ἰδὼν), gave praise to God (ἔδωκεν αἶνον τῷ Θεῷ).  Mark, chapter 10:52, and Matthew, chapter 20:34, had something similar, but without anything about praise or glory.  Mark said that immediately (καὶ εὐθὺς), Bartimaeus regained his sight (ἀνέβλεψεν) and followed Jesus on his way (καὶ ἠκολούθει αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ), as Bartimaeus became a disciple of Jesus.  There was no physical contact in this healing of the blind man in Luke and Mark.  The two blind men in Matthew also became disciples of Jesus.  However, Matthew did not mention their faith explicitly as in Mark and Luke.  Do you wear corrective lenses to improve your eyesight?

September 21, 2015

The plea to God (Ps 38:9-38:11)

“Lord!

All my longing is known to you.

My sighing is not hidden from you.

My heart throbs.

My strength fails me.

The light of my eyes has gone from me.

My friends and companions

Stand aloof from my affliction.

My neighbors stand far off.”

David made a plea to the Lord, God, who knew his situation. He was aware of his longing and sighing that was not hidden from him. His heart throbbed. His strength failed. His eyesight was growing dim. His friends, companions, and neighbors were standing aloof from him and his afflictions. Only God could help him.

July 22, 2015

The adventurers cannot find wisdom (Job 28:9-28:11)

“They put their hand to the flinty rock.

They overturn mountains by the roots.

They cut out channels in the rocks.

Their eyes see every precious thing.

They probe the sources of the rivers.

Hidden things they bring to light.”

Even the great adventurers and the various inventions of those days do not find wisdom. The invention of fire with flint was a big deal. Overturning mountains was a massive task. Cutting channels in rocks was not easy. They used their eyesight to find precious metals. They even tried to figure out the sources of the rivers. They were looking for hidden items by bringing light to them. These were the adventurers and discoverers of 2,500 years ago. They wanted to know about things and how they worked. Yet they never found wisdom.

February 25, 2015

The death of Tobit (Tob 14:1-14:2)

“Tobit died in peace when he was one hundred twelve years old. He was buried with great honor in Nineveh. He was sixty-two years old when he lost his eyesight. After regaining it, he lived in prosperity. He gave alms. He continued to bless God. He acknowledged God’s majesty.”

Tobit died peacefully at the age of 112 in Nineveh, where he was buried. He never returned to Jerusalem or Naphtali. He was 62 when he became blind, so being blind a few years before his recovery he lived 50 more years after that event.   Once again he was prosperous in Nineveh, as he continued to give to the poor. He continued his last years blessing God and praising his great majesty. He seemed like a very nice guy.