SOME BATTLES ARE NOT MEANT TO BE FOUGHT.

 

In the gospel reading of today, Monday in the 33rd week of year A, we read about the healing of the blind man of Jericho (Luke 18:35-43). In the story, there are three main characters: the blind man who was later healed, the crowd that followed Jesus who tried to prevent the blind man from reaching out to Jesus and then Jesus himself who granted sight to the blind man. Each of these three characters played different roles in that encounter. While reflecting on the gospel passage, I was so much captivated by the role played by the crowd.

The crowds were probably Jesus' entourage. The very first role that the crowd played in the story was a positive one. They were the ones that drew the attention of the blind man to the fact that it was Jesus who was passing by. The blind man, sitting by the road, heard the crowd passing and then began to ask what was happening. Then, someone from the crowd that told him that the noise he was hearing was as a result of Jesus of Nazareth who was passing by (Luke 19:36-37).

But then, what followed was a bit surprising. When the blind man started crying out to Jesus, asking for healing, the same crowd started scolding him, telling him to keep quiet (Luke 19:39). But instead of succumbing to their scolding, the blind man cried out all the more until Jesus stopped and ordered him to be brought forward and healed him (Luke 19:40-43).

In the first role mentioned, the crowds were like friends to the blind man but in the second role, they were more like enemies who were against his progress. However, in their bid to silence the blind man, they made him gain more strength to shout. In the same do some of our pursuers lead us to a safer place. Some difficult situations we face today come to prepare us for the best of opportunities to come in the future.

Lastly, if the blind man had paid attention to those who were scolding him, his attention would possibly have been divided and he would not have had the chance to focus more on crying out louder for Jesus to hear him. As Winston Churchill once said, "you will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones to every dog that barks." One must not respond to everything that is said to him/her. Some battles are not meant to be fought. Some come as distractions and we must choose whether to spend them fighting or to avoid the fights and focus on better goals. Some relationships and marriages are in crisis today because friends and partners allow external distractions make them look focus on their goal and mission. Never fall prey to ploys of your detractors. Choose your battles wisely.