I Want to See

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost - October 26, 2003

  by The Rev. Linda Yeager, Deacon

- Isaiah 59:1-19
- Psalm 13
- Hebrews 5:12-6:1,9-12
- Mark 10:46-52

(From The Lectionary Page)

The very first class I took on my path to become a deacon was one on personal spirituality.  During one of these class sessions, the instructor spoke about reading scripture and how to make a passage personally meaningful. The passage that he selected for us to use as an example was today's gospel passage from Mark about the blind Bartimaeus.

We read and listen to scripture passages for many reasons: to learn, to gain inspiration, to encourage, to understand.  But when a passage gains a personal meaning for us, when it speaks to us in our lives today, then we claim it as ours.  Then, every time we encounter that passage, we respond as if it were written for us specifically.  And, of course, it was.

Let us walk through this incident together.  First we put the passage in the context of the time in which it was written.  This can involve closing our eyes and imaging, or it can mean reading a commentary that explains some of the details of the historical setting, or both.  To place this story, we need to know that Jericho lies in the Jordan River valley on the road to Jerusalem. Jericho is on the usual pilgrim route from Galilee; from Jericho, one must climb some four thousand feet to reach Jerusalem, and the distance is more than 20 miles.  So it would be a two-day journey.  Picture if you will the blind son of Timaeus.  He lived in Jericho, and because of his handicap had no hope of going to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage.  In the Holy Land, the heat and dust cause frequent and varied eye diseases, and there are even today many eye hospitals. In our Lord's time there were no medical cures for blindness. Bartimaeus had no hope of a medical cure.  He sat at the side of the road that led west from Jericho; there he could entreat the kindness of pilgrims who happened to pass that way.

As he sat there day after day, Bartimaeus likely overheard the conversations of the pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem.  He surely had heard the name of Jesus of Nazareth many times; evidently he had heard how Jesus had given sight to others.  As we picture Bartimaeus, we want to make sure that we see his cloak.  A cloak was a very important possession because it served as protection and warmth.  The hot days in Jericho often turn to frigid nights, and a man's cloak was his tent, his covering, often his only possession.

Excitement began to well up inside Bartimaeus when he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing the spot where he sat to beg.  He knew that he might never again have the chance to meet this man who could heal his blindness.  He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

The disciples were trying to move on along the road.  They knew that this was an important journey to Jerusalem, for Jesus had told them so.  They wanted also to protect Jesus from those who would interrupt the journey and tire their master.  Others, also in awe of Jesus, were perhaps embarrassed by the wild ravings of this blind beggar.  They harshly told Bartimaeus to be quiet, to back off.  Can you picture others crowding in front of him, trying to obliterate him from Jesus' sight?

But Bartimaeus was desperate -- there was no medical cure, this was his only hope.  So, with renewed vigor, he called out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Now picture Jesus.  He heard Bartimaeus' cry, even if he couldn't see him. He perceived that the man' cry expressed a genuine need.  So our Lord halted and said, "Call him here."

There must have been a sense of authority in his voice, for the others called to Bartimaeus saying, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you."

Next, Bartimaeus threw off his cloak, sprang up and came to Jesus. Visualize Bartimaeus throwing off his cloak, perhaps his only possession, leaving it where it lay, open to being taken by some other person desirous of warmth at night.  Bartimaeus left his cloak, jumped up and was probably led to Jesus.  Now Jesus asked him the same question that he asked James and John in last week's gospel: "What do you want me to do for you"?  Jesus knew what Bartimaeus wanted before he asked, just as he knew what James and John wanted before they asked.  But he always gave his hearers an opportunity to show their real selves. Bartimaeus knew exactly what he wanted: he wanted to see.  As soon as Bartimaeus named his need, Jesus assured him that his faith had restored him. Imagine, if you will, Bartimaeus joining the group of pilgrims as they made their way to Jerusalem, to their spiritual home on earth.  Oh, and I'll bet he got his cloak back, too.

This passage proclaims the exuberant joy of sight, of seeing, and of following.  What, then, does this passage have to do with our lives today? It's easy to recognize that Jesus is interested in every condition of people. It's also plain to see that we are to imitate Bartimaeus and come to Jesus. Bartimaeus can symbolize all who want to come to Christ.  He was a blind beggar, with no resources of his own, with only his need to impel him. He heard about Jesus through the preaching of others and called upon him as Lord. He was rebuked by some people, but paid no attention to them; when he was invited to come to Jesus, he did so, casting his fears aside; he responded instantly. He asked directly for sight and immediately received it.  Then, intrigued by the idea of his faith having healed him, the newly liberated Bartimaeus perceived that there was even more to be seen, so he followed the one who healed him.

Jesus expects us to come, to see, and to grow in faith.  How does this story relate to you personally?  Where do you see yourself or others that you know in this story? All of us are blind in some sense of the word; all of us need Jesus to heal us.  Put yourself in Bartimaeus' place.  What is it that you need from Jesus?  Of course he already knows, but he wants our attention.  He wants us to ask him with the sureness that he can answer our need.  We have heard about Jesus, even more than Bartimaeus had.  We also have obstacles in our path that prevent us from reaching him, whether the obstacles are shame or fear or lack of faith or grief or suffering or lack of time or whatever it is that stands in our way.  Don't forget that Jesus knew who Bartimaeus was; he was looking for him, too.  Jesus is seeking us.  He wants us to come to him for healing.  What is it that will enable us to see and to follow? Only individually can we each answer for our life and our experience of faith.  For some, this story might mean recognition of sins in a clearer light.  The need of others is for the exact opposite; to see themselves more as being loved and worthy in God's sight.  For me, it means that my faith becomes more personal when I express it. It means that even though Jesus knows what I need, Jesus expects me to discover what that is and to ask for it; I, too, want to see. And I recognize others -- others who may be hidden from the crowd -- who also want to see.

The gospel does not mention Bartimaeus again.  The last words tell us that Bartimaeus regained his sight and followed Jesus on the way.  Maybe that meant no more than that he followed Jesus to Jerusalem and made his thank offering in the temple, and then returned to Jericho.  Of course, his life would never be the same, and he would be reminded in every waking hour of his gratitude to Jesus. There would have been many ways in which he could serve God, just as there are many ways in which all of us can serve.  That is for us, in our gratitude, to decide.

We will shortly have the opportunity to come to the altar rail for healing in the service today.  Whether you come to the rail or whether you kneel in solitary conversation with Jesus, let him know what it is that you need and what are the obstacles that stand in the way.  Then let us throw off the cloaks that we hide under and let us rely on his grace to save and transform us into the people he intends us to be.  Christ does the healing.  We are called to be thankful and to follow him.