blinded.

As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening.
They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."
He called out, "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!" Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stopped and ordered the man be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?"
"Lord, I want to see." he replied.
Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." Immediately, he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

Luke 18: 35-43

Picture this scene. Pretend you're the blind man. You hear a crazy commotion and you feel the hot dust stirring around you. You fumble around, searching for the source of the madness. You reach for some one's cloak and you beg to know what's going on. They tell you that Jesus is passing by. Passion swells inside you because you know He's the Savior, deep down inside, no matter what you hear people say, you know He's The One. You can feel Him in your marrow. All of a sudden, as if of some inner impulse, you shout at the top of your lungs. You voice raises above the crowd, hurting the man's ears next to you, you shout, "Jesus, have mercy on me!"
Before you know it people are holding you back. You can feel their expensive fabrics and you scratch and claw for freedom. These are leaders and they're trying to keep you from your Savior. They demand silence, but you hold on to the only hope you know. Jesus is passing by. You shout and fight until you hear the Master's voice. He's demanded to see you. You pause for a second, scared, then your fear vanishes and you walk towards the beautiful voice, as you come closer He says, "What do you want Me to do for you?" Shaking, you reply, "Lord, I want to see." Stunned by the silence that's surrounded you, you hear His voice ring out and you could almost swear you can feel His holy breath upon you. "Receive your sight;" He says, "Your faith has healed you." Immediately, the sun stings your eyes, you shade your face with your hands and and catch a glimpse of your Healer. For a moment you gaze at the beauty around you. Then, you have a choice, and you knew exactly what must be done. You drop all you have and follow Jesus.

Can we compare with the beggar? Have you ever been completely hopeless only to wake up and find that Jesus is passing by. We fight, and we claw, and we shout for His mercy, and He hears us. Despite what those around us say, despite their attempts to silence us, we fight so hard just to beg for His mercy. Have you ever tried that hard to get to Jesus? When everyone seems to be against you, do you have the strength to fight to get to your Savior? Even if you can't see? What if you couldn't see Him, would you still fight? What if everyone around you was holding you back and telling you to be silent? It's a battle for us to simply talk to our Creator, to ask for healing and forgiveness, let alone ask for healing.

When we finally get to Him, He's calm and ready for us; He orders us to be brought to Him when we seek Him. Then He asks us, "What do you want me to do for you?" So simple. Jesus is telling us to simply seek Him, come to Him, and ask. When we cry out to the Lord, begging for sight, begging for freedom, He works miracles. The greatest thing happens after this poor man begs for mercy, which, I'm sure made the leaders' mouths drop wide open. Jesus said, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." Jesus was making a point to the leaders of that place. Your faith is the only thing that can heal you. Faith in Jesus, faith in His Father.

Maybe someday soon, us Christians in this world will rise to the occasion and let go of the passion we're holding back and beg for mercy from the Savior of the world. Only then will we receive our sight, causing us to praise God and follow Jesus.

"How can we be silent when a fire burns inside us?" -Unknown