2443AFC102524 – … but now I can see.
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Mark 10:49-52 – 49 Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” 50 So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher*, let me see again.” 52 Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. *The word Rabbouni is an elevated and more respectful form of the title Rabbi which also refers to the top religious leader in Judaism, like the president of the Great Sanhedrin who functioned as the religious leader of the nation. Thus Bartimæus calls Jesus by two titles – “Jesus, Son of David,” and “Rabbouni.” This is the same title with which Mary of Magdala addressed Jesus immediately after his Resurrection.
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in Truth and Love. I confess I am excited about the Key Verse selection today. This short passage contains an outline of faith, redemption, and salvation. We’ll take it apart and see (← no pun here) what we can find. Here are the main points:
- “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”
- Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
- So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”
- He threw aside his cloak,
- sprang up,
- and came to Jesus.
- Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?”
- The blind man replied to him, “Rabbouni,* I want to see.”
- Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”
- Immediately he received his sight and
- followed him on the way.
Let’s start at the beginning of this selection: “Jesus stood still.” In Sunday’s Gospel reading, we will hear that Jesus is departing from Jericho with a large crowd following and surrounding him. Jesus is nearing the end of his long – and final – journey to Jerusalem. A blind man name Bartimæus – Bar meaning son in Aramaic (and Hebrew). and Timæus. In Aramaic, it is Son of Timæus but what is the meaning of the word Timæus? It comes from the Greek τιμή (timē) meaning Honor. He is ”The son of honor.”
There is a story nearly identical to this one in the Gospel of Luke, but in that story the event happens as Jesus and his followers were approaching Jericho, and the blind man is not named. In Matthew’s Gospel, there are two blind men, both are unnamed, and in all of these stories, sight is restored because of the faith expressed in asking for healing. The fact that it occurs in some form in all three of the synoptic Gospels is a good indication that it is an important message that should be studied because it was obviously studied much in the early church.
So, along with the story of “The Son of Honor,” we also have superimposed on it the story of a man who is condemned to a life of begging because he is obviously unclean – he has the blemish of blindness. Because of this there is a less-well-known – and probably less feasible – history of the derivation of Bartimæus from bar-tim’ai = “son of the unclean,” and this derivation carries the allegorical meaning of “the Gentiles” or those who are spiritually blind. Although a little improbable, it does give the story an interesting, albeit subtle, double lesson.
Let’s take a closer look at this passage and study the characters and the actions.
As a matter of custom, blind men who were beggars wore certain cloaks to identify them, so that people could recognize their needs. Now we have Bartimæus seated by the road to Jericho, a very lucrative location, wearing a uniform that identifies him as qualified to be a beggar. He is “trustworthy” because he is following the rules. He hears a crowd approaching and learns that “Jesus of Nazareth” (or Jesus the Nazorean in some translations) was the source of the commotion. Bartimæus has apparently heard of Jesus and also apparently knew of certain prophecies which applied to Jesus. He calls out to him, not as Jesus the Nazorean, but as “Jesus, Son of David.”
At this point in the narrative, the sizable crowd is still passing Bartimaeus’ position. It seems Jesus is a little farther back in the pack because it is the leaders of the crowd, the folks who have worked their way up to the front, who first interact with Bartimæus. Now, Bartimæus is making quite a racket
with his shouting, and he keeps it up despite the fact that he is told to be quiet, and scolded for “speaking out of place.” After all, he is obviously a sinful man who is being punished by God with blindness, and he has no right calling out to the Master, the Teacher, Jesus. With great F.A.I.T.H., he shouts all the louder, “Son of David, have pity on me!
And Jesus STOPPED. When I see this in my mind’s eye, I see Jesus smiling – partly out of curiosity and surprise, and partly because he knows what’s coming next! Jesus speaks to some folks nearby and says, “Call him.” 3) So they called him. Sometimes the people around us are the ones whose witness helps us respond to Jesus’ call. We can imagine they were excited because Jesus was going to help someone they had known for years, and perhaps he would perform another sign for them! And then something BIG happened! 4) Bartimæus threw aside his cloak!
Let’s do a quick recap here. Bartimæus knows Jesus is coming near, and he called out to him. Belovéd, we also know Jesus is near, near enough that we can always call to him. Bartimæus was told to be quiet and not to bother someone as important as Jesus whom they called Rabbouni. Bartimæus was not discouraged, however. He insisted on getting Jesus’ attention. SO MUST WE Belovéd. When we Take it to the Lord in Prayer, (↔ Music Link) sometimes we just need to keep on takin’ it! Now, Jesus isn’t looking to prove anything by waiting a beat – or two – before we hear his answer. He’s watching for that zeal that Bartimæus showed when he 4) threw aside his cloak. What does that mean in our faith journey? Why would he do such a thing?
Remember the story about the garden shed full of manure and the young lassie who enthusiastically started shoveling it away? That lassie believed that, with all that manure, there had to be a pony in there somewhere. Bartimæus believed he wasn’t going to need that cloak any longer because he was going to regain his sight. He shed his “uniform,” the outer cover of his identity, because he would no longer need it! no more begging! No more exclusion from the Temple! No more dark nights and days, because he was going to see!. What might you, or I, or we need to cast away as an Act of Faith? What aspect of the World do we allow to define us and to hide our faith? Casting off that cloak was like what we do when we repent. We give up what we don’t want to have ruling and ruining our lives any longer. Are we still “weak and heavy laden?” Bartimæus “sprang up” and went to meet the Lord.” We should call out to Jesus, cast aside our Worldly trappings, and jump up to meet Jesus, as well. Everybody needs at least one (at the very least) “come-to-Jesus moment.” Jesus stops and waits for us because we are servants of the Servant: John 12:26 – 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. (← from last week’s post) Let’s throw off whatever the World uses to limit us and spring forward in F.A.I.T.H. to receive the Gift of Sight he has prepared for us.
That Gift of Sight is more than just being able to tell the difference between and elephant and a loaf of bread. It is also spiritual sight, that Sight that is the driving might behind discernment. Discernment is what helps us craft our request for Jesus when he asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” For Bartimæus, the answer was related to restoration, healing, right of entry to the Temple and therefore fulfillment of his obligation to worship as God had decreed. When we pray and ask for “just a little miracle,” does it bring us closer to the World, or closer to God? And which movement will the Lord most favor? Bartimæus told Jesus exactly what he knew was needed – his sight. Most translations read “regain my sight,” or “restore my sight.” Bartimæus was likely not born blind, but somewhere along the line lost his sight. ʻŌmea, we know we are born into sin, and we know that we can be reborn into righteousness. The difficulty comes in staying there. “Somewhere along the line,” we sometimes lose our sight, we become blinded by the World, but then, through God’s Amazing Grace (↔ Music Link), we regain that Sight that allows us to see the Presence of Jesus as he passes by so that we can, like Bartimæus “reach out and Touch the Lord” (↔ Music Link) by taking a step of faith toward him. And Bartimæus had no doubt about going to the Font of Grace, the Son of David, to announce his prodigious faith. from him we can learn to keep on asking. Because why?
Because we always get an answer when we pray [1] in faith, believing, [2] without ceasing, [3] and without seeking to satisfy our own appetites (See James 4:3). We might not always like the answer we get, but we can rest assured it is always the answer we need. Notice now what Jesus says to him: “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Jesus did not tell him “you’re outta line here.” Jesus did not tell him, “That sounds reasonable. You have your sight back.” Jesus said, “your faith has saved you.” Bartimæus asked for his sight and he got that and forgiveness as well! If we acknowledge our sins and repent, confess our sins and do restoration, and seek and accept God’s forgiveness, we will have restored to us that Sight with which the innocent see Life in the World. We will be renewed, revived, refreshed, and relieved – relieved of our burden of sin and the Death that accompanies it because we are born again into new Life. What a stupendously generous Gift THAT is!! And it happens <<SNAP!!>> just like that. see what it says there at #10)? It says, “Immediately he received his sight.” My, oh, my! That is the kind of prayer response we all long for! IMMEDIATE. Personally, now, I believe that the immediacy of that response had its foundation in what Jesus expected next.
See that #11)? Immediately he received his sight, and followed him on The Way. (obviously my own emphases there). “Seek, and you shall find. Ask and you will receive. Knock, and it will be opened for you.” But all in God’s good time; and that’s the thing we just can’t handle sometimes. Man proposes but God disposes. Sometimes that might be because we need to sort out our priorities better to give God Primacy in all things. Sometimes that might be because we defeat ourselves before we finish asking by that “oh, never mind …” kind of attitude. Everything – every thing – we have is GIVEN TO US. Faith demands that we give a “thank you” in return, and then make use of all we are given. Sometimes we might not see that what we ask is not for our Salvation. On that note, I have one last thing of interest to show you (Well, I hope it’s interesting!)
Have you seen those fish symbols people put up like on the trunk of their car or on a business sign? Do you know why? It’s because of ΙΧΘΥΣ That is the Greek word ichthus – fish. It has been used as an anagram for Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr which means Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. And it looks like this:
The Σ represents the word Soter – Savior. This is emphasized in a passage by The Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:27-28 – 27 Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, 28 and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation.* And this is God’s doing. *sōtērias from sótér = Savior. Soter is the same word as in this symbol – ἰχθύος, and the root of the word for salvation.
All of this is God’s doing. Remember this?
LIGHT ≡ GOD ≡ TRUTH ≡ WAY ≡ LIFE ≡ ETERNAL ≡ LOVE
It’s all in the Absolutely Perfect Plan, it’s all YOLO-F, it’s all ours if we 4) throw off the World, 5) leap up, and 6) come to Jesus – every time we Feel the Spirit (↔ Music Link). When and how do we feel the Spirit? Look to John 4:24 – 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. When we ask for what the World considers impossible, we ask as an act of Worship and Truth. God hears, God answers, God unlocks the shutter that close away the Light. The light of the World is Jesus, and when his Light is in us, we are the Light of the World because we are The Body of Christ, (↔ Music Link) that is, the Church. Like the man said, “Once I was blind, … but now I can see.”
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.
“Hey Chick! What’s with the elephant and loaf of bread quip?”
Old dad’s joke:
Dad – Johnnie, what’s the difference between an elephant and a loaf of bread?
Johnnie – I dunno! What’s the difference?
Dad – See Johnnie, that’s why we don’t send you grocery shopping!
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
