First Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-9
7Thus says the Lord: “Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘O Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel.’ 8Behold, I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here. 9With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble, for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.”
Psalm 126
1When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, then were we like those who dream. 2Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy. 3Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” 4The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad indeed. 5Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses of the Negev. 6Those who sowed with tears will reap with songs of joy. 7Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.
Second Reading: Hebrews 7:23-28
23The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. 26For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.
Gospel: Mark 10:46-52
46{Jesus and the disciples} came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.
Not Guessing
Brian Jay Jones, in his book George Lucas: A Life, tells the story about how the famed filmmaker rose from obscurity in Modesto, California to become the world-famous creator of the Stars Wars series. Lucas, an indifferent high school student, became serious about pursuing a career in film after surviving a devastating car crash.
His college student films attracted some attention, but initially only a few people recognized that he had the potential to become a great filmmaker. However, after fighting budget constraints and artistic interference, his film American Graffiti was not only a runaway hit, it made millions of dollars for the studio executives who, to the very last, thought the movie was going to be a failure.
Even then, he still had a hard time throughout the filming of Star Wars from executives who argued with him about every penny, and who sat stone-faced when given the opportunity to watch the final version of the film before its release. Convinced that it would fail, the studio executives limited the number of theaters Star Wars would be played in, and moved the release date up to the Wednesday before the Memorial Day weekend, hoping to cut their losses before the summer blockbusters were released.
However, on May 25, 1977, every theater where Star Wars was shown was sold out for every single performance. Theaters began showing the film almost twenty-four hours every day, and still the lines went around the block. Then instead of withering away after the first weekend, the Star Wars mania, including sequels, books, toys, and re-issues of reworked movies, has never stopped. Now everyone knows what only a few people knew prior to its opening. George Lucas and Stars Wars are a real hit.
Now it goes without saying, that George Lucas is not Jesus, and Star Wars is not the gospel. Nevertheless, in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus, like George Lucas, seemingly goes unrecognized by people who should have known that He is the Christ, the promised Messiah. People had every reason to believe in Jesus because of His teachings, His miracles, His power over the wind and storm, and even death. While Mark makes it clear that outsiders recognized Jesus, insiders, the people who knew scripture and biblical history, those who had seen Jesus walk on water, still the storm, feed the multitudes, heal the sick, and raise the dead, didn’t seem to get it.
Of course, that’s nothing new, is it? Moses, through the power of God, led the Hebrew people out of slavery and Egypt, and to the Promised Land. The Israelites had seen the ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, manna from heaven and water from the rock. They had heard the thunder and seen the lightning and the smoke on the mountain when Moses climbed Mt. Sinai to receive the law. Even so, they grumbled and complained, and turned to idols when Moses would leave them to speak with God.
Yet it was Rahab, a Canaanite woman, who told the Israelite spies she hid from the vigilantes in Jericho, that she knew all about how this slave nation had become a true nation thanks to the power of God. So what happens with Jesus? His disciples ask puzzled, who is this who calms the storm? King Herod, himself raised as a Jew, thinks Jesus must be John the Baptist who has come back from the dead. His own disciples argue about who will be the greatest when Jesus sits upon the throne. Time and time again, the demons Jesus cast out, recognize Him as the Son of the most high God. Yet the ones who are supposed to know Him best, the ones who are in communication with Him day in and day out, can’t seem to see Jesus for who He is.
A Roman centurion asks Jesus to heal his servant. A woman who was considered unclean, because she had an unstoppable flow of blood, knew Jesus had the power to heal her. A Syrophoenician woman, seemingly insulted by Jesus, refused to give up because she wanted her daughter to be cured — and now a blind man, considered unclean because he couldn’t see, in an era when some assumed that sickness was a sign of sin, can see that Jesus is the Son of David. Take time to consider this.
The blind Bartimaeus can see that Jesus is the Son of David while Jesus’ followers are still blind! This story follows the incident where Jesus caught the disciples arguing about who would be the greatest in the kingdom, and Jesus rebuked them, and taught them that the one who was the servant of all, was the greatest of all. A rich man came to Jesus, described as righteous, did recognized Jesus for who He was, but he couldn’t bear to leave behind his possessions, and walked away sad because he wasn’t willing to give up his riches to follow Jesus. Over and over again, the Religious leaders test Jesus, yet they fail to acknowledge the truth; Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah.
And now the blind man Bartimaeus sitting beside the road outside of Jericho recognizes not only that Jesus is the Son of David, but that Jesus has the power to heal him. Interestingly, this is the only time Jesus is called Son of David in the gospel of Mark, and it’s an important title. God makes a promise to David that one of his descendants will always be on the throne over His people. Yet this promise seems to be broken when the Babylonians conquer Judah, destroy Jerusalem and the Temple, and take away the leaders of the people into exile.
Two generations later, when some of the people return from Babylon, there was no king, only a governor. And over the centuries, during times of servitude and freedom, there was still no Son of David on the throne. Yet, many people still believed that God would restore the throne and put one of David’s descendants in power to reign over them. There were those who waited for a Suffering Servant, and some who waited for a military leader, but there was still an expectancy in Jesus’ time, and some wondered if Jesus might in fact be the Messiah they were looking for.
Jericho was a venerable and ancient city, already eight thousand years old in the first century. Many consider it the oldest continually inhabited city on earth. In recent decades, Herod the Great had added a hippodrome and a royal palace, but Herod also died in Jericho. For him the city was a dead end. Jericho is also the last stop for Jesus and His disciples before He enters Jerusalem triumphantly for a week of glory, gory death, and resurrection. Soon the crowds will hail Him with cries of “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven (Mark 11:9-10)!” Here in Jericho sits a blind man begging money from travelers who pass him where he rests on the roadside.
Bartimaeus is seated by the road along an important trade route, and it’s also just outside the last stop for pilgrims on their way to the holy city. For Bartimaeus, this seems like a good spot for business. It’s still some fifteen miles, much of it uphill, for merchants, pilgrims, and Jesus. They’re all going to Jerusalem for the Passover, and perhaps it occurs to the pilgrims that throwing a coin to a beggar wouldn’t be the worst thing they could do before entering the Holy City. What could it hurt? People have the chance to drop a few coins to ease their conscience. And Bartimaeus is loud. Everyone’s going to hear him thank you if you drop a coin, and they’re going to hear him if you simply pass by.
Augustine, the fourth century African theologian, imagined that perhaps this beggar had fallen from a high station to this misery. According to him, the blind man “…had fallen from some position of great prosperity and was now regarded as an object of the most notorious and the most remarkable wretchedness, because in addition to being blind he also had to sit begging.” Augustine suggested that Bartimaeus, in a way, stood for all fallen humanity, who are blind and should be calling out to Jesus.
At this point Bartimaeus, hearing that Jesus is passing by, cries aloud, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ It’s here that we hear an echo of Psalm 6:3 in this cry: Have mercy, have pity! Some felt that Bartimaeus’ cries were too loud. As often happens in churches, as here at the roadside, there are those who are more concerned with what they consider decorum or proper etiquette. These are people who evidently haven’t been paying attention to the fact that Jesus always hears the cries of those who come to Him in faith, even the Gentiles, the outsiders, and those whom society considers as unclean people.
There’s a scene near the opening of “The Simpsons Movie” in which the Simpson family is at church and Grandpa begins to speak prophetically. (It’s worth noting that as irreverent as the show is, the Simpsons are one of the few television families who regularly attend church.) Speaking ecstatically, Grandpa warns everyone in the congregation that terrible things are about to occur. In the next scene we see the Simpsons packed into their car, looking embarrassed because they’ve been kicked out of church, while Marge says, “What’s the point of going to church every Sunday? If someone we love has a genuine religious experience, we ignore it!
In this passage from Mark, a true religious experience is about to happen, but as the scripture says: “Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’” (10:48) But Bartimaeus wouldn’t be silenced. And Jesus stopping His journey, stood still, and told the people near him to bring Bartimaeus over to Him. And so the blind beggar was told: “Take heart; get up, he is calling you (10:49).” What encouraging words! What would we say when we rise from death and we’re told, “Take heart! Get up! Jesus is calling you!’
One overlooked detail of this story is that when Bartimaeus springs up and goes to Jesus, he throws off his cloak. More than one commentator notes that it’s likely that this cloak was spread out before Bartimaeus, and that the coins thrown to him landed on the cloak. Normally, he would periodically gather the coins, but at the moment Jesus calls him, Bartimaeus rises with such enthusiasm that his coins must have flown in all directions. Here’s something else for us to contemplate.
Most of us don’t consider the economic cost of discipleship. Most think that following Jesus only involves our time. However, shouldn’t true discipleship have an effect on where we work, what we wear, what we eat, or what we buy? Following Jesus should, for example, make us question if the clothes we wear comes at the cost of near slavery for those who assemble the clothing. Do we really consider the impact we have from the purchases we make, the places we frequent, or the people we befriend? Or do we simply look at the bottom line? Luther taught that we live simultaneously in two kingdoms: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of man. We must be faithful followers of Jesus in both. We can only serve one master.
The rich young man walked away sad because he wasn’t ready to serve the heavenly Master. Blind Bartimaeus, on the other hand, throws caution — and possibly all his coins — to the wind for the chance to receive mercy and healing from Jesus. But the wealthy man, just two stories earlier in Mark’s gospel, doesn’t follow Jesus. Mark then points out that the blind man did. The disciples were worried about what place they would have in the kingdom — Bartimaeus has a more fundamental need — he simply wants to see. It would seem, he already sees. What more telling gesture can we find for the joy and freedom that comes with following Jesus?
Bartimaeus threw off his cloak. It could have been lost. He can’t see it. He no longer has any landmarks. He moves forward blindly, yet he’s unconcerned! Jesus then asks Bartimaeus what He can do for him, and Bartimaeus addresses Him with the Aramaic word Rabbouni. Jesus is addressed with this word for teacher only one other place in scripture — when Mary Magdalene addresses the risen Lord in the garden with that word. Bartimaeus asks to be healed. Jesus speaks, and he’s healed.
Mark tells us, “Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way (10:52).” Interestingly, this is the last healing miracle in Mark’s gospel. This is the last significant act in the ministry of Jesus before the fateful week in Jerusalem, and it raises questions we must answer. First, what do we see when we see Jesus? How clearly do we see Him? Are we blind even though we think we’re able to see? Second, what are we going to choose — safety, security, possessions, or Jesus? None of us knows what Jesus will ask of us — but if Jesus asks, what will our answer be?
In the Old Testament, when Hannah prayed to God in the tabernacle for a child, she prayed, weeping so bitterly that the annoyed priest Eli thought she was drunk. God answered her prayers, and she gave her son Samuel back to God to serve in the temple. Bartimaeus cries so loud that the people in the crowd are annoyed. Are we more worried about appearances and what other people think, than we are about our witness to Jesus? Do we somehow think that Jesus was sent only for a select group of people?
There are a great number of people all around us who are hurting, who are suffering and struggling, and they know they need Jesus, even if they haven’t heard His name yet. Will they see the Jesus they need when they hear our words and see our lives?
We, as joint heirs with Jesus, the promised Messiah, must help to open the eyes of those, too blinded by the evils of this world, so that they too are able to see Jesus for who He really is, the promised Son of David, God’s only Son our Lord and Savior.
Through us, the world needs to hear the words of Jesus: Be of good cheer, rise up, he calls you. Go in peace! Go in wholeness. Go with God’s Shalom. Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem to suffer and die for our sins. As Jesus tells the rich young man, we must get rid of all that gets between us and God and come follow Jesus. Yes, that path is narrow. Yes, that path leads to the cross. But the path of discipleship also leads to the tomb and to the resurrection to new life. So let us be of good cheer. Let us be of good hope! Let us open our eyes to see the good and gracious God we serve. And let us, through our words and deeds, help others to see Jesus as well.
Amen.
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