Today's Devotion

Monday of Easter 7, May 18, 2026 - Luke 18:35-19:10

In the name of + Jesus. Amen.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

There are certain real-life incidents in the ministry of Jesus that read like parables. It is an example of life imitating art, of the preaching and storytelling of Jesus bearing fruit in the lives of real people. Our Lord’s healing of the blind beggar and the story of our Lord’s encounter with Zacchaeus are two such examples, and Luke reports them one after another.

On the way to Jericho, Jesus encounters a blind beggar. Again, he is like a despised character in a parable. He suffers blindness and want, two of the consequences of the Fall. But somehow, he has come to put his faith in Jesus, whom He recognizes as the “Son of David.” It is the loathed and lowly beggar, the man whom even the disciples would presume is blind because of some direct sin committed by himself or by his parents (see John 9:2), rather than the priests, Pharisees, and teachers of the law who makes the theological observation and confession of who Jesus is.

His faith is combined with a steadfastness in prayer that our Lord teaches by means of a parable (earlier in this chapter, Luke 18:1-8). For even when the crowds tried to shame him into silence, “he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’” His “faith has made [him] well,” for his faith was placed in the Son of David. His answered prayer, “have mercy,” is part of every Eucharistic liturgy.

And when Jesus enters Jericho, a “chief tax collector” named Zacchaeus likewise seeks Jesus – not to be healed of a physical infirmity (though he was “small of stature” to the point of having to climb a tree to see Jesus), but rather on account of having his sins forgiven. The scene is as comical and as touching as any of our Lord’s parables. Though despised by polite society as a thief and grifter, Zacchaeus is moved to repent. Our Lord shocks the crowd by announcing that he would eat at Zacchaeus’s home – even before Zacchaeus announced his repentance. But when he does commit to making restitution for his thefts, Jesus announces: “Salvation has come to this house.” Once again, this incident reflects the parable we heard earlier in the previous chapter, the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14).

And as is the case in many of our Lord’s parables, not everyone was happy about it. For our Lord’s kingdom is one of grace and mercy. Those who justify themselves (Luke 10:29) “grumbled” at our Lord’s generosity (Matt 20:15), right out of our Lord’s parables, refusing to join in the celebration (Luke 15:25-28) of one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7). Instead of grumbling and justifying ourselves, let us pray steadfastly and heartily repent of our sins, seeking God’s mercy, joining in the church’s liturgy of “Lord, have mercy,” and rejoicing in His generosity!

Amen.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.