GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 10:52
Fervent, Effectual Prayer
In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ lesson—usually called the Sermon on the Mount, chapter six—Jesus described effective prayer as not being for public show or filled with long, repetitive phrases. Then he gave a paradigm for prayer: one that honors the Father, seeks His will on earth, asks for daily provision, and requests forgiveness.
In Jesus’ conversation with the blind beggar outside Jericho, we find a brief but effectual prayer. “And answering, Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want that I should do for you?’ And the blind man said to him, ‘Rabboni, that I may see.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Go, your faith has healed you.’ And immediately he could see, and he followed him on the road.’” (Mark 10:51-52) There is some discussion among translators as to whether this man had lost his sight or was born blind. The word rendered “sight” is a compound word—ana + blepso—which can imply “to see again.” This has led some translators to render his prayer as, “that I may see again.” The point, however, is that the man’s prayer, at its core, consisted of a single word.
The blind man began with an address of profound honor, calling Jesus “Rabboni.” This was not merely “rabbi”; he added the emphatic suffix “-oni,” signifying “my great master” or “high-rabbi”—a title of deep respect for the highest religious teacher. Then came a one-word request. The grammatical form of the word Mark used (ἀναβλέψω) expresses a wish, request, or desire: “that I might see” (or “see again”).
That one-word prayer changed this man’s life because, as Jesus affirmed, he offered it in faith: “Your faith has healed you.” One writer commented, “This should not be taken to mean that the man’s faith by itself was the agent of his healing. The whole point of the context is that Jesus performed the healing. The statement is likely another way of saying ‘because you believed, I healed you.’” This man’s simple, faith-filled request illustrated the essence of Jesus’ teaching on prayer from the mountain.
This story concludes with a profoundly important detail: “and he followed him on the road.” It’s a powerful lesson for today as we face our own defining moments.
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