Daily Bible Devotional (Nov 18, 2024)

Faith Lost and Found

Though the events recorded in the first reading and Gospel happen “out of order” (the events of Jesus’s earthly ministry happen before John’s vision in Revelation), thematically, they are presented this way to make an important point for us. In the first reading, the Lord threatens to remove the lamps and from the Church at Ephesus because it’s charity had grown cold. The fire and the lampstand is a symbol from the Jewish Temple (think Hanukah) that harkens back to God’s presence at the burning bush with Moses and further back still to the Tree of Life in Genesis. It’s removal here is no less than a removal of God’s presence because the faith of the community, as evidenced by their lack of charity, is gone, and so they will be left in the dark unable to see. 

While this is an interesting presentation of yet another example in the Bible of the intimate relationship between faith and works, I want to reflect on how the story from the Gospel is meant to parallel, but then also flip the mood of the story. Not only does the Responsorial Psalm, with a little help from Revelation 2:17, give hope to those who persevere, but the Alleluia, which is the famous “I am the Light of the World” statement of John 8:12, give us a light even greater than the lampstand of any Temple of Church. This is setting us up for the turning toward the Light by the blind man in the Gospel reading. 

Just as Ephesus is threatened with a cultural darkness, the Gospel begins by mentioning Jericho, a city passed its own glory days as well. Jesus is accosted by a blind man begging for pity. When asked by Jesus, he requests vision. He had already shown a keen spiritual vision, calling Jesus “Son of David,” now Jesus would restore (in the cosmic sense) the physical vision of this man. The faith has brought back the light of faith in a small way to Jericho. The reader of Revelation who worries of Ephesus, or any Church where it seems charity has gone cold, can find hope in the blind man of Jericho. Now, Jesus seeks to restore the spiritual vision of all in the “catholic” Church so that they may fulfill their call to know, love and serve God.