The man threw off his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
let every hindrance be gone
our emblem of identity left behind
the weight of nothingness liftedwe jump and dance everything loose
no matter how many prior dry chances
we won’t deny this opportunitya decision to give
mercy space to grow
activates our own mercy
With encouragement the one who appeared blind jumped from his begging position, threw off his outer garment, and walked/ran to Jesus.
We were caught by surprise when we heard that one looking for eternal life was rich to the point of being unable to give their riches away and thereby barred from his desire. Here, being a blind beggar leads us into expectations that are disconcerting when we hear about his coming to Jesus, seemingly on his own, after being whipsawed with communal rebuke and community encouragement.
Presumably, his cloak is his primary possession. This he tosses to the side.
Presumably, the blind beggar needs to come from the edge of the crowd to its center. Along the way there may have been many little nudges by people as he moved inward. His sight, perhaps not good enough for work but good enough to make his way through what seemed to be trees or being a proficient echo-locator, may have brought him near. At any rate, he moves with unexpected alacrity.
Remembering this is a summary action, the last before arriving in Jerusalem, we are able to use this as a green screen against which we can catch glimpses of all the previous healings that happened along the way. Each word in the story can connect us to a previous healing. For instance, “Get up” is the same as “rise up” said to a daughter.
We can see and hear that someone has a problem that has reduced them in their own eyes or in the eyes of the community. There is suffering of some sort that has been going on.
There is an urgency about bringing someone to Jesus or Jesus to someone. Along with this is a heightened expectation of potential awe that will take breath away.
There is purposeful action. No detail or self-contradiction will get in the way of the story, the life at stake, the partnering with.