It’s hard to have compassion on people if you don’t see them clearly.
They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”
He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”
Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. — Mark 8:22-25 NIV
This scripture is often used in sermons reminding us to see people more clearly, not as “trees” (a metaphor for inanimate objects), but as human beings. It came to mind for me as I read Bicicleta Bandito’s post on her encounter with an old man in Santa Cruz.
The old man was standing in the middle of a driveway to keep motorists from entering “his” parking lot. The motorists saw an obstruction which they honked at and threatened. The cyclist saw a confused, befuddled old man who needed help.
What and who do you see as you ride your bike?
My Sunday School lesson is on “Doing Good” this morning. As part of my object lesson, I will flip out my cell phone and send the text message “HAITI” to 90999 for an instant $10 donation to the Red Cross. As of this writing (Friday evening), nearly $10 million has been donated through texting to the Red Cross, but the need is still great. Do good and give to relief efforts.