Mark 10:46-52
Ordinary 22B; Proper 25
Thanks to this week’s guest writer! John Wurster is pastor at St. Philip Presbyterian Church in Houston.
The blind man is called Bartimaeus. He sits in the dust outside of Jericho. Dust and darkness. That’s what his life is. He longs to see again. He remembers days gone by, bright colors and sunny days and faces. The memories are distant for him, obscured by the darkness, but they are not entirely gone. Bartimaeus longs to see again. He knows there could be something else, something more than dust and darkness. He has heard people speak about Jesus, this man from Galilee who has been traveling in the area, making his way to Jerusalem. Bartimaeus has heard that this Jesus speaks about religion in a new way. He speaks about love and forgiveness and compassion. He brings healing and hope and wholeness. His words and his touch make people well.
Jesus passes by the blind man Bartimaeus. As Bartimaeus becomes aware of it, he calls out for mercy, for healing. And Jesus hears him and responds to him and restores him. What happens when Bartimaeus can see again? He follows Jesus. He sees Jesus and he follows him. Call it a reformation. Bartimaeus was blind but then he sees. When he sees, he follows Jesus. So simple, yet so hard.
There is a lot going on in Mark 10. The lectionary has taken us through the entire chapter over the past month: The Pharisees test Jesus with a question on divorce. Jesus’ own disciples try to prevent children from coming to him. A rich man walks away from Jesus because he finds the cost of following Jesus too demanding. The disciples named James and John bicker about who can be great, completely missing Jesus’ teaching about humility and service.
In contrast, at the end of this chapter sits the blind man Bartimaeus, who comes to see more than anyone, identifying Jesus as one who brings healing and hope and wholeness. As the scene unfolds, Bartimaeus leaves his own darkness behind to follow Jesus. Test Jesus, limit Jesus, resist Jesus, misunderstand Jesus — that’s all the other characters in Mark10. But Bartimaeus follows Jesus, seeing more than anyone else.
This passage hinges on the question Jesus addresses to Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” (v. 51). The question is essentially the same one Jesus directs to James and John in 10:36. There the two disciples respond to Jesus with their bid for grandeur, a request to stay eternally close to Jesus and, in so doing, to occupy what they perceive to be positions of honor, privilege and power. Jesus deflects their request, suggesting that they don’t understand fully the costs of discipleship nor its rewards. They don’t realize what they are asking.
When he has the chance to respond to Jesus’ question, Bartimaeus voices a different kind of longing. Bartimaeus knows well what is missing in his life, and he asks Jesus to restore his sight. Maybe it is the authenticity of the request — here is someone who knows what he is asking. Or maybe it’s the humility of Bartimaeus. Or maybe it’s his direct, repeated and plaintive cry, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” Maybe it’s some combination of all of those things; but Jesus is persuaded, moved and compelled by Bartimaeus, granting his request and connecting it to his faith.
“What do you want me to do for you?” is one of those questions capable of spinning out of the Bible to address contemporary readers. It’s not just a question Jesus asks of Bartimaeus, but, rather, it’s also a question Jesus asks us. While responses could vary from person to person, we might consider making Bartimaeus’s request our own and ask Jesus to help us see better. In a murky and unsettled time, what might we gain with improved sight? Through Christ’s mercy, perhaps we could receive the vision to notice blessings, to detect God’s presence, to discern the Spirit’s movements, to distinguish between truths and falsehoods, to perceive the paths of justice and righteousness. “Lord, let us see more clearly, so that we can follow you more nearly.”
His sight regained, Bartimaeus sets about following Jesus “on the way” (v. 52). That way leads directly to Jerusalem. The encounter between Jesus and Bartimaeus at the very end of Mark 10 is the final scene before Jesus enters Jerusalem in Chapter 11 amidst the waving branches and the shouting crowds. Following along the way for Jesus’ last week, Bartimaeus sees Jesus cleanse the temple, debate the religious authorities, praise the generous widow and much more. Bartimaeus sees that the way of Jesus is the way of the cross, the way of suffering and selflessness. Following along this way, Bartimaeus sees Jesus betrayed, arrested, denied, sentenced, beaten, abandoned, crucified and buried. However, the way of Jesus does not end with the tomb, so Bartimaeus also bears witness to the mystery and the power of the resurrection. While he may be among the very last to follow Jesus in the gospels, there is still much for Bartimaeus to see as he follows along the way for Jesus’ final week. Much to see, and even more to believe.
Questions
- How does the story of Bartimaeus fit with the progression of Mark’s narrative in Chapter 10? How does that passage speak to the other scenes in this chapter?
- What is the significance in the placement of this passage just prior to Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem?
- While others begin their journey with Jesus in the early days of his ministry, the days of miracles and wonders in Galilee, Bartimaeus’s time with Jesus on the way happens amidst the shadows of Jerusalem. What effect does Bartimaeus/s relatively short time with Jesus have on his experience of discipleship?
- Do you have a response to Jesus’ question, “What do you want me to do for you?” What are the challenges in trying to voice an answer to that question?
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