Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!

 

 Now they came to Jericho.  As He went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.  Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

 

- Mark 10:46–52 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed.  And as they followed they were afraid.  Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him:  "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."  And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Grant us that we may it, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."  But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."  And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

 

  Now they came to Jericho.  As He went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.  Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.  My study Bible comments that the restoration of sight to the blind was a sign expected to be performed by the Messiah (Isaiah 29:18, 35:4-5); this is a power considered to be reserved by God for Himself (compare John 9:32).  Son of David is a messianic title, which tells us that Bartimaeus had faith that Jesus was the Christ.  There is also found in patristic commentary a spiritual interpretation of this miracle as well.  Jericho was a low-lying city associated with sin (Luke 10:30, 19:1).  (Apparently, in Christ's time, this area of the road to Jerusalem was a site of criminal activity, commonly for robbery, and associated with danger.)  Here, it symbolizes fallen humanity.  So, in a spiritual interpretation of this story, Jericho symbolizes fallen humanity, and Christ passing through is a symbol of His Incarnation in the world.  The restoration of sight which Christ gives to Bartimaeus parallels His restoring humanity to glory.  Having been made whole by Christ, my study Bible says, human nature can now follow Christ on the road to the Kingdom, which will be symbolized in Christ's subsequent entrance into Jerusalem in the passage that follows (Mark 11:1-11).  

 

 Clearly blind Bartimaeus, as my study Bible indicates, is a spiritual metaphor.  In addition to the specific patristic interpretation of this story noted above, he serves as a stand-in for us as well.  There's a particular shape to the story of Bartimaeus.  He already has faith that Jesus is the Christ, as indicated by his faith which moves him to call out to Jesus as "Son of David."  Bartimaeus is in that all-too-rare position of already knowing and understanding that he is blind, and that his blindness gives him limitations in life.  Spiritually speaking, many of us are, in fact, "blind" to our own blindness.  We can't see around our own dark corners where we hide from ourselves the things we don't want to see.  It's a common understanding that it's simply a human pattern that people are frequently blind to their own flaws, often true in people who love to point out instead the flaws in others.  But Bartimaeus, on the other hand, knows that he is blind.  His life is reduced to begging by the side of the road, for this is what he can do.  But he is not begging out of a sense of self-pity.  His condition and his circumstances render him unable to do other work.  But, that, also Bartimaeus is not satisfied with.  He knows his limitations and how his life is curtailed through this affliction, but he doesn't accept them as the final word.  In some sense, he's aware that the world he knows is not all there is.  In fact, now his opportunity to do something about his blindness and this state in which he lives by begging is approaching, coming down the road.  Here is his hope, and possibility.  And Bartimaeus makes every effort he can to get the help he needs from the one whom he has faith is the Messiah.  He shouts, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  In the center of this story, we're told that then, many warned him to be quiet .  In this place symbolic of fallenness, where there is a kind of notorious criminality, people are somehow complacent.  They don't like that Bartimaeus shouts for attention and for help or mercy.  But although many warn him to be quiet, Bartimaeus responds by crying out all the more.  He wants Jesus' attention, and he has confidence in seeking that attention.  Jesus hears him and commands that they bring Bartimaeus to Him.  The people now say, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  What does Bartimaeus do?  Throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  In Thursday's reading, we read about a man who had many possessions, who was reluctant to part with those possessions even for the reward of an eternal life, even for Christ who loved him.  But here, Bartimaeus is entirely willing to give up his old life symbolized by the throwing aside of his garment.  Bartimaeus knows what the rich young ruler from Thusday's reading perhaps doesn't know, that one must lose their life to save it, and by clinging to the old will lose even what he might have (Mark 8:35).  Bartimaeus is calling to the One who can help him, the one place where he can find what he truly needs.  He calls to the Light, to Jesus, to illumine his sight.  Jesus asks him in return, "What do you want Me to do for you?" Bartimaeus' prayer is specific,  "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  This term, Rabboni, is one of the greatest respect and yet also personal affection.  It is the one by which St. Mary Magdalene responds to Christ when she encounters Him risen at the empty tomb (John 20:16).  It means not just "Teacher," but "my Teacher."  Jesus replies, as He did to the woman whose blood flow of twelves years was stopped by touching His garment in good faith (Mark 5:34), "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  Then we're told that immediately Bartimaeus received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.  Did he go out and party and celebrate with his friends?  Did he boast of something as if it were his special achievement?  Is he satisfied to stay by the road where he is now that he has received his sight?  No, Bartimaeus knows where the light is, and his journey into his new life is just beginning.  He knows he need to follow the Light that gave him light, and so he turned and followed Jesus on the road.  He's on his way to the life he needs following the only One whose mercy could give him his sight.  Here Bartimaeus becomes a metaphor for all who've tried in all kinds of ways to escape an afflicted and limited life, and failed to find help and real guidance in the midst of a fallen world that is also blind to its own limitations.  So often we seek solutions offered by popular culture, media, or what the crowds are chasing or tell us to do.  But there is one place where the light of mercy comes from that can illumine our way out of a dark situation, a fallen life surrounded by limited expectations and hope -- and Bartimaeus is going to follow where it leads him.  We contrast Bartimaeus' limited life with the life of the rich young ruler of our recent reading.  Bartimaeus, though blind and possessing nothing, now stands to gain all for he could "see" his hope in Christ.  The rich young ruler possessed everything, but went away with nothing despite Christ's love for him.  Let us consider where our hope always lies, and follow what blind Bartimaeus knew to do.  For even one who failed (in yesterday's reading) always has hope of repentance and to follow Christ in faith toward the Kingdom.  Bartimaeus' cry to Jesus, "Have mercy on me," is the foundation of the Jesus prayer, and punctuates worship services (particularly among the Orthodox).  For His mercy is that of opening to hope and possibilities not considered, horizons to which we might be blind but may see through His light.