March 10, 2024

SIGHT – Luke 18:35-43

1. How do you understand physical blindness? Many people assume that a person is either entirely sighted or entirely blind. In truth, there are infinite ways to be “legally blind.” Some blind people have acuity issues; others have blind spots, but otherwise clear vision. Many are somewhere in between. Do you know anyone who is somewhere on that spectrum?

2. Often, we see people in Jesus’ day respond to beggars, lepers or other outsiders with instructions to fit into the social norms – or, at least be quiet. Jesus’ response to the poor, powerless and sick was always different; he includes, dignifies and heals. How does his response instruct us, as we move about in a world that enforces social norms by excluding, othering and abusing?

3. Why do you think Jesus asked the blind man such an apparently obvious question? What does it say about how Jesus regarded this man? What does it say about how Jesus sees us and our needs?

4. The Plateau community shares in the top 1% of the world’s wealth. As a result, we have room to choose what to see and what not to see. What is one thing you are choosing not to see? Why?

5. What happens when we regularly open our eyes to the situation of our neighbor: immigrant, refugee, homeless, mentally ill, poor, hungry, victim of war, and so on? How does that experience change when we open our eyes not just as individuals, but as part of a community, with Holy Spirit as our guide and teacher?