You sometimes learn from bumper stickers. One recently spotted: “Troubles in life are real. So is Jesus.”
Divine Mercy indeed.
And real for those who “see.”
It’s an irony—is it not—that the blind man in Scripture, the one who approached Christ, “saw” more through faith than the Sadducees and Pharisees, who were so legalistic, theological, and worldly.
The sightless man was one of the most powerful figures in the Gospels, not because he could see, but because he believed.
Though shut out from the ordinary sights of the world, he perceived something that many around him missed: that Jesus was no mere teacher or wonder-worker, but One sent by God with mercy and authority.
When he heard that Jesus was passing by, he cried out with urgency, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” It was a bold and faith-filled appeal. Others tried to silence him, perhaps seeing him as an annoyance; but the blind man would not be quiet. His need was too great, and his hope too alive. In this, he becomes an image of the soul that refuses to let embarrassment, opposition, or human opinion get in the way of seeking God.
Jesus stopped. That in itself is striking. Amid the crowd, amid the movement, amid all the chaos and scrambling and noise, Christ paused for one desperate man. He called him forward. And when the man came, Jesus asked what he wanted. The answer was simple and direct: he wanted to see. There was no pretense or complicated speech, only honest need laid before Divine compassion.
Prayer from the heart.
Then came the miracle. Jesus restored his sight, declaring that his faith had made him well. And the man, once blind and helpless by the roadside, rose not merely with vision, but with a new life. In some Gospel accounts, he immediately followed Jesus.
The story is about more than physical blindness. It is about spiritual sight. Many with perfect eyesight fail to recognize Christ, while this blind man saw Him clearly with the eyes of faith. His persistence, humility, and confidence in mercy remain an example for every believer. When we cry out to Christ with the same sincerity and humbleness, He still stops, still listens, and still brings light where there has been darkness.
[Resources: Books of Inspiration]