Proper 25, Yr B (2024) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
Proper 25, Year B (2024) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
Mark 10:46-52 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
In the name of the one, holy, and living God:
in whom we live, and move, and have our being. Amen.
“What do you want me to do for you?”
Does that question sound familiar?
That’s the same question
that Jesus asked James and John in last week’s gospel story
after they approached Jesus
and asked if he would do for them whatever they wanted.
I wonder why Mark placed these two stories together
in his telling of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
Today we hear that Jesus, his disciples, and a large crowd are leaving Jericho
– only 13 miles from Jerusalem –
when Bartimaeus, a blind beggar sitting on the side of the road, shouts out,
“Jesus, son of David,
have mercy on me!”
Bartimaeus…
son of Timaeus,
a blind beggar.
It is curious that this man is known -
and named,
as is his father.
Since Bartimaeus was named in this story, he apparently was a “somebody”
although now he is a blind beggar sitting by the roadside.
His life circumstances seem to have changed.
So, Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus,
calls out to Jesus, Son of David.
Although physically blind, Bartimaeus clearly knows who Jesus is:
Jesus is the Messiah,
the Son of David,
the true King of Israel,
the healer and restorer of the world.
Known calls out to known.
Not once, but twice, Bartimaeus calls out:
“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
So far, the only people in the Gospel of Mark to recognize Jesus and so name him
are the disciples and demons.
Now an ordinary man has recognized Jesus’ true identity.
As Jesus and his disciples are passing by and Bartimaeus hears of it, he shouts out,
“Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!”
The crowds try to hush him.
He is blind
and now poor.
He must not speak to Jesus.
But, propriety doesn’t stop him.
He can’t see Jesus but yells out anyway,
“Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!”
He shouts even louder the second time,
loud enough for Jesus to hear over the rumblings of the crowd.
And when Jesus hears him, he tells his disciples, “Call him here.”
“Take heart,” they tell Bartimaeus,
“get up,
he is calling you.”
Without hesitation Bartimaeus throws off his cloak,
springs up,
and runs to Jesus.
There is no timidity in this man.
Perhaps he is desperate…
perhaps he is filled with hope…
whatever fuels his resolve to seek Jesus’ attention and mercy,
he takes a risk in speaking up and asking for help.
“Jesus,
Son of David,
have mercy on me!”
“What do you want me to do for you?”
There’s that question again.
“My teacher,
let me see again.”
What a contrast to last week’s story of James and John.
James and John also were bold in asking Jesus to do for them what they wanted,
but their request was born out of arrogance or fear, or maybe both!
Bartimaeus calls out to Jesus with humility and hope.
“Jesus,
son of David,
have mercy on me!”
“Jesus,
Son of God,
look with compassion and love upon me!”
“Jesus,
Holy One of Israel,
let your healing grace touch me.
“My teacher,
let me see again.”
By his request we know that Bartimaeus was not born blind….
Let me see again, he says.
He once had his sight, but for some reason has lost it.
Bartimaeus is bold about asking for what he needs.
It is interesting that Jesus asks Bartimaeus what he wants from him.
Presumably Jesus can see that this man is blind,
but he makes no assumption that receiving sight is what Bartimaeus wants.
“What do you want me to do for you?”
He allows Bartimaeus to name his own need for healing.
And Bartimaeus does just that… “let me see again.”
Let me see again!
This story, though short, is packed!
A blind man, perhaps shunned by many…certainly shushed by this crowd,
speaks with boldness…
in fact, shouts out to the acclaimed Jesus.
He shouts out with bold humility for mercy.
That is hard to do.
That courage is hard to muster.
That faith seems the faith of saints…utter belief in Jesus’ healing power.
Take heart, they say.
Get up!
Jesus is calling you.
Be of courage …get up and go!
Jesus is calling you.
Might anyone here this morning feel like a beggar sitting on the side of the road in the midst of a crowd?
Does anyone here feel like a person,
a child of a parent,
bearing your given name
and yet somewhat alone in the midst of a crowd,
in deep need of healing?
Perhaps we all do!
Brokenness, in any form, can be overpowering.
Sometimes it is hard to see any hope of light in the midst of darkness.
And yet, Bartimaeus, somehow… some way… shouts out for mercy…
perhaps Jesus is his last hope.
Jesus,
Son of David,
have mercy on me!
Let me see again.
Heal me.
Restore me to sound body
and mind
and vision.
Brokenness can come in many forms and fashions:
it can be physical or mental,
it can be a weariness or malaise,
it can be feeling consumed with the darkness of the world around us…
with its judgment and anger and bigotry and hatred and violence.
And, sometimes, we are not clear the way forward.
But then there is a glimpse of the Holy passing by.
Jesus,
Son of David,
have mercy on me!
Sometimes we meet the Holy with such vigor that we throw off our cloaks
and run towards it with reckless abandon.
Sometimes we meet the Holy in a quiet space
as we whisper for God’s grace to come.
Bartimaeus offers us the image of approaching God with boldness,
asking for help,
naming our needs,
trusting that God will provide healing…
throwing aside whatever binds us
and moving forward with hope.
For what do we need God’s healing?
I imagine during these times
that most of us have a list of needs!
Our prayer can be as simple as Bartimaeus’ prayer:
Jesus,
Son of David,
Have mercy on me.
Have mercy on me.
And then with humility and boldness we name our needs.
Perhaps this prayer seems too simple:
not enough words
or not complex enough in content.
But perhaps that is the point.
We don’t need fancy clothes or language or thought to approach God…
only humility
and the courage to name our need for God’s mercy.
Give it a try…
Jesus,
Son of David,
have mercy on me.
Amen.
