The Gospel for November 23, 2004 (Clement of Rome)
Luke 18:31-43
Then taking the Twelve aside he said to them, ‘Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of man is to come true. For he will be handed over to the gentiles and will be mocked, maltreated and spat on, and when they have scourged him they will put him to death; and on the third day he will rise again.’ But they could make nothing of this; what he said was quite obscure to them, they did not understand what he was telling them. Now it happened that as he drew near to Jericho there was a blind man sitting at the side of the road begging. When he heard the crowd going past he asked what it was all about, and they told him that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by. So he called out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.’ The people in front scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder, ‘Son of David, have pity on me.’ Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him, and when he came up, asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Sir,’ he replied, ‘let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.’ And instantly his sight returned and he followed him praising God, and all the people who saw it gave praise to God. -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
A Study
Jesus once again forecasts -- this time in more specific language -- the purpose of his travels. And once again, his Twelve cannot assimilate what he's telling them. Whether they are trying to extract the metaphor -- he was fond of speaking in parables -- or were just confused, we can't tell. But Luke's writers are persistent in letting us know that the Twelve did not "get it."
Even the blind man recognizes Jesus as messiah (or messiah-to-be, depending on which version of Christology we're reading today) calling him David's son, and then, in some translations, "Lord." Jesus spoke the blind man's sight into being, saying "Look up," and the blind man saw.
A Reflection
David Stein says:
"The irony of ironies is that the blind now see and the unrighteous become righteous, whereas the seeing have become blind and the righteous have become unrighteous because, boasting of their own self-righteousness, they will not accept the only real righteousness ...." -- Stein, R. H. 2001, c1992. Vol. 24: Luke. The New American Commentary. Broadman & Holman Publishers: Nashville
Even the Twelve seem to be blinded as Jesus approaches the nexus of his earthly mission to us, though they are not so blind as the religious elite, who see only an enemy to their prestige. The Twelve haven't made the leap of faith required, and it's understandable. There is remarkable similarity between them in their day, and most of us befuddled by new things today.
The Twelve recognized it. Remember "Lord, increase our Faith"? They knew that they weren't at the right place yet in their relationship with Jesus -- and they were within smelling distance of him almost all the time.
We, removed by millenia and the distance between heaven and earth, have a different type of knowledge gulf, but one that He told us can be bridged by faith.
We also have a different type of emptiness. The rich man who was told to sell all, or the blind beggar: which are we more like? The rich man's emptiness was masked by his possessions, while the blind beggar's emptiness was there for all to see. The microscopic faith that the blind beggar had in Jesus' ability to cure him allowed him to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Our microscopic faith calls and calls, but the place for Jesus and the Paraclete appears to be full already, full of more important (to us) cares and lusts. I can almost hear the Holy Spirit sighing, "I'll come back when there's room for me...."
The Collect
Almighty God, who chose your servant Clement of Rome to recall the Church in Corinth to obedience and stability: Grant that your Church may be grounded and settled in your truth by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and may evermore be kept blameless in your service; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
7:47:28 PM 
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