Stopping the Blind

Between immigration laws and new passport regulations, some people can't get into the United States and others are having a hard time leaving. President Bush's immigration bill, the center of his remaining domestic policy agenda, came apart at the seams yesterday and will most likely not be revisited any time soon. The bipartisan bill seems to have been dismantled by an even stronger bipartisan effort, perhaps redefining the term "business as usual," even by Washington standards. Meanwhile, Homeland Security and the State Department are engaged in a turf war over implementing new measures for passports use by U.S. citizens, resulting in a backlog of unprocessed documents for people ready to travel. Those measures have been temporarily relaxed for those traveling by air to Canada, Bermuda, the Caribbean and Mexico who have already applied for their passports and have a receipt for the transaction. God help you if you have travel plans in the next few months and you delayed applying because you may be stuck. Or, as Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) so succinctly put it, "To say people must have a passport to travel and not give people a passport is right up there in the stupid column."

Interesting that these two issues sat side by side on the front page of my local newspaper this morning. Interesting, and not all that coincidental. We are at odds with ourselves these days over who should be allowed into our country and for what reasons. So it is not surprising that the desire to know where all of our own people are at any given moment would come back to haunt us in such a basic way. Some might call this passport nightmare a bit of political karma, or even poetic justice in the "what goes around, comes around" school of thought. We want to control who has access to the wealth and opportunities our country has to offer, but we are now potentially either held captive or not allowed back in if we leave because our government can't keep up with its own paperwork. One could also make a good case here for bitter irony.

The gospels contain a number of stories surrounding Jesus' interactions with his followers that speak of this same human need to present their own interests while shoving others aside in the process. One such case was while Jesus was traveling with his disciples. "As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging; and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, 'Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.' And he cried, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!' And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him and when he came near, he asked him, 'What do you want me to do for you?' He said, 'Lord, let me receive my sight.' And Jesus said to him, 'Receive your sigh; your faith has made you well.' And immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God (Luke 18:35-43)."

By the time Jesus encounters the blind beggar on the way to Jericho, he has begun talking with his disciples about what lies ahead for himself and for them. Needless to say, they aren't quite getting it, having become so wrapped up in the ongoing saga that had become their lives. Thinking past experiencing day-to-day events as they unfolded may have never occurred to them. But for the larger communities among which they traveled and worked, Jesus' arrival, and subsequent teaching, preaching and healing, would have potentially been a one time only event. It is more understandable in this context to see that some people would do anything in their power to be a a part of the moment, even telling a blind beggar to shut up while pushing him out of the way.

While understandable, it didn't pay off as expected. The blind beggar didn't comply, Jesus heard him, and he had his moment to state his request. Interesting that he asked to receive his sight , and Jesus used the same language in return, adding that the man's faith had made him well. Is this blind beggar our own vision of a pious, faithful believer? He was loud, insistent and completely uncaring of what anyone else thought of him. His entire focus was on laying claim to his opportunity to trust his faith and be healed by Jesus. But most importantly, he didn't limit or take away anyone else's chance to connect with Jesus or also be heard. He furthered his own cause at no one else's expense. Perhaps that is why Jesus heard his voice above so many others that day. In trying to subvert another's access to Jesus' presence and power, more than a few people likely left empty handed.

What does our own desire to control our borders to an unprecedented degree tell us about ourselves? What do we become when we think shutting people out of our country is a good thing, while expecting to be welcomed to other people's countries with open arms? When we make choices to exclude people or deny them access to the United States, what part of our faith are we suspending to shove people out of the way so our own interests will be protected?

The blind beggar's story ends on a happy note. He receives his sight, follows Jesus and glorifies God. And somehow the crowd which witnessed the miracle of new sight in one man was changed too, and praised God as well. Those who had scorned and disrespected someone more vulnerable than themselves were also healed and transformed. Perhaps we can be healed as well, lifted up from our bunkers of fear, back into the light of hope and grace. We just might be able to reclaim our strength as a country that invites people to become, and in the process, we may also reclaim our own freedom to come and go as we please, passports in hand.