The Third Sunday in Advent AD 2024

When John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the one who was to come, or if they should expect someone else, Jesus referred in His answer to what would happen to those who encountered Him: “The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”

The Greek word used when Jesus says that the blind “receive their sight” can be translated in a different way: they “look up”, they “raise their eyes”. This is interesting, even a little provocative, because if someone is blind, there is no benefit in raising their eyes – or is it?

Perhaps it’s like the story of the blind man of Jericho whom Jesus asked, “What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?” To become a seer, one must want to see. And to truly see, one must lift one’s eyes up ­– to the True One.

The same logic applies to the lame, the lepers, the deaf, and the dead. They must want to walk, not just anywhere, but on the right path. They must want to be cleansed – not just from leprosy, but from sin, evil, selfishness. They must want to hear – not just anything, but the Word of God, and not just hear it, but obey it. They must want to die to the present life and live a new one. And the poor must be willing to hear and believe the good news – that there is Someone who cares about them and loves them too.

Jesus is the One who was to come. He came that we might have life, and that we might have it abundantly. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Him.