THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
25 OCTOBER 2015
The
disciples of Jesus do not seem to have trouble seeing with their physical
eyes. They must have seen something
attractive in the itinerant preacher from Nazareth that caused them to follow
him. On the way, they saw him cure many
and draw huge crowds to listen to him.
But their eyesight was limited.
They could not see that little children are first in the Kingdom of God
and tried to keep them away from Jesus.
Peter could not see suffering as part of the Messiah’s job description,
because he could only see victory. James
and John could not see that greatness lies in being humble servants, because
they were too ambitious for power and prestige.
As they
enter Jericho, they could see the throngs of pilgrims getting ready to make
their final ascent from the lowest place on the earth to Jerusalem. They could see Herod’s fancy palace and the
residences of the wealthy in this city that was the Palm Springs of the time. Odds are pretty good that they do not see the
blind beggar sitting by the side of the road.
But they
certainly could hear him! Without
physical sight, the blind beggar probably heard the gossip about Jesus and the
speculation about whether he might be the Messiah. When he hears that Jesus of Nazareth is
passing by, he yells at the top of his lungs and calls Jesus by a messianic
title: son of David. He yells for Jesus to have pity on him. Even when the crowd tries to silence him, he
yells louder. When Jesus calls him over,
his reaction is very different from the rich young man who went away sad. He leaves behind his only possession, a
cloak, to run to Jesus and responds to the same question that Jesus had asked
James and John, “What do you want me to do for you?” Bartimaeus is not interested in wealth or
power or prestige. He simply wants to
see. Once Jesus graces him with the gift
of physical sight, he follows him on the way to his triumphant entry into Jerusalem,
to his death, and ultimately to his resurrection.
Bartimaeus
has a lot to teach us about being good disciples. Like Peter, we have trouble seeing the Lord’s
presence at difficult times in our lives, especially when we are confronted
with our own weakness and sinfulness. We
find that we cannot rely on our own talents and strengths to get us
through. Bartimaeus teaches us how to be
humble enough to ask for the Lord’s help.
Bartimaeus
teaches us to be persistent. He does not give up when Jesus does not
immediately respond to his yelling. He
keeps calling out, even when the crowd hassles him. In our world of instant gratification, we
want answers to our prayers NOW. When
things go badly for us, we tend to give up and think that our prayers will not
be answered. Bartimaeus teaches us to
continue to call out in prayer and trust that God will provide what we
need.
Once he becomes aware of the Lord’s
grace, Bartimaeus abandons his only possession and runs toward Jesus. That cloak had been his protection against
the blazing sun in the day and the bitter cold at night. When we become more aware of the Lord’s
graced presence in our lives, we need to respond quickly. Bartimaeus teaches us to let go of whatever
is holding us back and become a more vital part of the community of believers
gathered here every Sunday.
Bartimaeus
follows Jesus on the way to Jerusalem, because he is a changed man. There are times in our lives when we see the
Lord’s graced presence in a more profound way.
It can happen on a Christ Renews
His Parish weekend, or at the First Communion of our children, or at
unexpected times when the Lord gets our undivided attention. When we see the grace of the Lord working in
our lives, we are changed and see life very differently. We cannot go back to sitting by the side of
the road and watch as everyone else go by.
We join our fellow pilgrims and walk with the Son of David to the New
and Eternal Jerusalem, always trusting that the Lord can heal our blind spots
and keep our eyes fixed on his presence.
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