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 hard 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 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 sit, 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."  So 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 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 hard 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 which was expected to be performed by the Messiah (Isaiah 29:18; 35:4-5), a power which God had reserved for God alone (compare John 9:32).  Son of David is a messianic title, and his use of this title shows that Bartimaeus had faith that Jesus was the Christ.  There's a spiritual interpretation to this miracle in patristic commentary also.  Jericho was a low-lying city associated with sin (Luke 10:30; 19:1).  Here, Jericho symbolizes fallen humanity.  So, therefore, Christ passing through Jericho becomes an image of His Incarnation in the world.  The Lord restoring sight to Bartimaeus parallels Christ's 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, symbolized by our Lord's subsequent entrance into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1-11).  

 

The restoration of sight in many ways parallels the salvation of a soul.  In the restoration of sight to a person, it is said that light is allowed once again to enter the eyes; and indeed, to perceive anything by sight in the world, it is necessary that we are able to take in the reflection of light particles on those objects.  As Christ is the Light (John 1:4-5), so as His followers we need His light in order to receive our spiritual sight, so that we may perceive what truly is and know the way that we are going in life.   Also in St. John's Gospel, after His final entry into Jerusalem, Jesus says in front of the people, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going" (John 12:35).  In this He is clearly referring to Himself as the light, who goes to the Cross, and so will be with them in the flesh yet a little while longer.  In the Creed, we call Christ "Light from Light, true God of true God."  So this metaphor -- seen as icon or image -- of Bartimaeus receiving his sight from Christ in Jericho becomes the powerful image of our salvation.  In some ways, we are all like blind Bartimaeus.  That is, none of us sees with the full sight of God, of Christ.  There are all kinds of things that remain mystical and secret, hidden from us.  But they are things that belong to the kingdom of God, and thus are things for which salvation prepares us, as we may walk toward union with Christ in its fullness.  Therefore, the road of salvation remains for all of us, even the greatest saints, and throughout our lives, for there is always something we don't yet know, can't yet see, for which the road of Christ beckons us forward.  Bartimaeus shows wisdom in his title for Jesus, Son of David, for he perceives that Jesus is the One who can give him his sight.  And once again in the Gospel of St. Mark, we observe that it is this capacity to use our voices and express ourselves, to call out to Christ, that is necessary in salvation -- either by ourselves or by others on our behalf.  For this is prayer; it is pleading.  In freedom, Christ beckons to Bartimaeus and asks, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  And we are given that blessed freedom by God to speak and to ask, to commune with our Creator.   This is also the light:  that Christ wants us to speak with Him, gives us that freedom to do so, and desires to be with us in His Incarnation, and afterward (Matthew 18:20).  For even in the midst of sin and darkness (as symbolized by Jericho), we are with the light, we may feel His presence and know Him and speak to Him and ask of Him.  For His light, even in the darkness, shines for us, no matter where the road may go, even if we're in the midst of those who cannot see (John 1:5).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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, blilnd 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 the disciples 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 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 sit, 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."  So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized 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 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, blilnd 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 on today's reading that the restoration of sight to the blind was a sign expected to be performed by the Messiah (Isaiah 29:18; 35:4-5).  It notes that this is a power which God had reserved for Himself (compare John 9:32).  The title by which Bartimaeus calls to Christ is a messianic title.  Its use is evidence of Bartimaeus' faith that Jesus is the Christ.  There is another, spiritual interpretation to this miracle found in patristic commentary, my study Bible tells us.  As Jericho was a low-lying city, which was associated with sin (Luke 10:30; 19:1), it is interpreted here to symbolize fallen humanity.  Christ passing through Jericho is an image of His Incarnation.  When the Lord restores sight to Bartimaeus it is a parallel to restoring humanity to glory (bringing "light" to his eyes).  Having been made whole by Christ, human nature can now follow Christ on the road to the Kingdom, which is symbolized by the event in our following reading on Monday, Christ entranced into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1-11).  

In St. John's Gospel, we read that Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12).  At Holy Baptism, we receive His light, and so baptism is also called Holy Illumination.  In the centuries prior to ours, blindness was thought of as a kind of darkness of the eyes, a state in which light could not be received in the eyes.  And it's true, that without light, none of us can see anything.  All that we perceive of the world is quite literally the things that sunlight shows to us.  In fact, in the understood spectrum of physical light, the colors we see and perceive with our eyes are created through the spectrum of light reflected back off of the objects we see.  Everything else in the light spectrum is absorbed.  So, if we think about light, we can truly understand why Christ is the light of the world.  He is the One who illumines for us the realities of life beyond what we can understand naturally, although even in our nature, we do perceive of what is good and what is evil, what is light and dark in that sense.  But Christ has said, again reported by St. John in his Gospel, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going" (John 12:35).  This He said to the disciples as they were approaching the time for His death on the Cross, so "a little while longer" was the time He had left as Jesus in His Incarnation.  That approximately corresponds to this point in His ministry as He approaches Jerusalem in our readings in St. Mark's Gospel.  In the Psalms, we pray, "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105), and when we consider Christ as the light of the world, then we need to think about how His teachings -- and yes, His presence, together with the Father and the Spirit -- illumine our paths in life.  So the story of Bartimaeus strikes us, that of the blind man who cries out to the one he can "see" is his Messiah, as he clings to the light of this truth until he is heard, despite the repeated attempts to shush him.  Sometimes in our world it will seem as if there is some kind of conspiracy to keep us from seeing the truth in the light of Christ, as if the whole world is in denial of His light and truth.  But in that sort of darkness that might surround us at times, we should be like blind Bartimaeus, who knows his handicap and cries out to his Messiah.  For this is the way that we ought to pray, especially if we can't see the light, and we feel surrounded by darkness.  In the Creed, we proclaim that Jesus is the "Light from Light, true God of true God," and so, we may go to Him as the source of light, the one who illumines our vision spiritually, so that we can see where we are going in life, and our path is guided by something in which we can trust, an eternal path for us.  Psalm 36:9 declares, "For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light."  Jesus fulfills these words in His life and ministry for us, and His continuing abiding presence available to us in the mysteries we're given of our faith.  In a sometimes overwhelmingly sinful and dark world, let us be just like Bartimaeus, continually crying to our Lord.  For this cry of Bartimaeus is the basis of a very good prayer (called the Jesus Prayer) for all occasions, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me."  Let us seek His light, and let none of the darkness dismay or deter us, even when we're shushed or shunned into silence.

 

 

 

And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road

 

 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 now 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 sit, 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."  So 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 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 has rather extensive notes on today's passage, beginning with the comment that the restoration of sight to the blind was a sign which was expected to be performed by the Messiah (Isaiah 29:18; 35:4-5).  This is considered to be a power which God had reserved for God alone (compare to John 9:32).  Bartimaeus calls Jesus by the messianic title Son of David, which shows us his faith that Jesus was truly the Christ.  Moreover, in addition to the terms of the story, there is a patristic spiritual interpretation to this miracle.   As my study Bible explains it, Jericho was a low-lying city long associated with sin (Luke 10:30; 19:1).  In this spiritual interpretation of the passage, therefore, Jericho symbolizes fallen humanity.  In that context, Jesus passing through Jericho is an image of the Incarnation itself; God becoming human and walking in the fallen world. When Christ restores sight to Bartimaeus, then, it parallels His restoring humanity to glory (receiving light, so to speak, and illuminating them).  Having been restored, healed, and made whole by Christ, human nature can now follow Christ on the road to the Kingdom -- symbolized by our Lord's subsequent entrance into Jerusalem (on Palm Sunday; in the passage that follows, Mark 11:1-11).

When we stop to think about the setting of Jesus and the disciples on the road toward Jerusalem, we might do well to consider how in our own lives shifting goals change our perspectives and the meanings in the things we experience.  For one example, consider a young person who chooses to set a goal of going to medical school and becoming a doctor.  This shifts perspective to a place where each experience becomes filled with potential for learning how to become a good doctor.  Mathematics helps with understanding of chemistry; even seemingly simple business experience helps with considering how to eventually run a medical office.  All things and experiences might contribute to that goal.  Jesus and the disciples on the road toward Jerusalem help to teach us that lesson, because -- as we've observed through recent readings in the Gospels -- they go toward a goal the disciples don't really understand as of yet.  Jesus' glorification will not be the kind of worldly glory they understand from the world around them; neither are they prepared by the popular expectations of the Jewish messiah to deliver Israel from her worldly troubles with a resurrection of David's kingdom.  The Passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus will shift and change everything, fill their present experiences with meanings they don't yet know -- and this is the surprising healing of human nature my study Bible speaks about regarding the spiritual understanding of today's story.  When our heads are simply filled with worldly or earthly images of what would make us great or glorious, how can we understand such sacrifice, or even what it is to be "great" on Christ's terms?  This is suggested by yesterday's reading (above), when Jesus tells John and James Zebedee, "You do not know what you ask."  For our eyes to be truly opened requires illumination on levels far deeper than material sight; it requires of us an understanding given through the light of Christ not just to intellect but to soul and spirit, to levels of the mind and heart that need healing, and adjustment to that change.   After Christ's Passion and Resurrection, and after Pentecost and all of the events of the establishment of the early Church with its persecutions, John and James Zebedee would have a much better idea of what they were asking about.  The illumination of blind Bartimaeus is the beginning of sight, to follow Christ out of the habitation of Jericho and whatever could be understood from this environment, and on into Jerusalem and beyond.  Jesus' glorification puts a completely different light on what makes greatness, what the light of glory is.  It's a different kind of goal that throws light even on suffering, for in suffering with us, our Lord engaged with the world and the pain of evil so that He could heal us and give us new meanings even in our own suffering.  In our modern world, we are often focused on a materialist perspective, one in which the things we consume and amass seem to define success and glory in life, for all kinds of reasons.  But we still (obviously) need Christ's healing in our modern "Jericho" environment.  In St. Luke's Gospel, Jesus teaches, "Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing" (Luke 12:23).  As we head towards Holy Week, and the final week of Christ's earthly life, let us keep this in mind as He goes through His Passion and to Resurrection.  For our own suffering is transfigured and healed this same way and no other.  It is only after Bartimaeus receives his sight that he can follow Jesus on the road.  When we see clearly, we can do so, too.

The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight"

 

 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 sit, 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."  So 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 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 which God had reserved for Himself (compare John 9:32).  Son of David was a messianic title, which my study Bible says shows that Bartimaeus had faith that Jesus was the Christ.  There is also a spiritual interpretation to this miracle given in patristic tradition.  Jericho was a low-lying city which was associated with sin (Luke 10:30; 19:1).  Here it is a symbol of fallen humanity.  As Christ passes through Jericho, we therefore get an image of His Incarnation.  My study Bible says that therefore, the Lord restoring sight to Bartimaeus parallels Christ's restoring humanity to glory.  Having been made whole by Christ, human nature can now follow Him on the road to the Kingdom.  This is symbolized by Jesus subsequent entrance into Jerusalem (in tomorrow's reading, Mark 11:1-11).

Bartimaeus calls out from the side of the road, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  This is perhaps one of the most ancient and oft-repeated prayers of the Church.  It punctuates our worship services and our own personal prayers.  Note how Bartimaeus addresses Jesus with a proper title for the Messiah, Son of David.  It not only tells us about Bartimaeus' faith in Jesus, it tells us that he is appropriately addressing the One to whom he is appealing.  Bartimaeus gets down to specifics, in a way that conveys honor to the One he hopes will help him.  This teaches us about proper prayer and worship, for neither comes from a sense of entitlement.  Often this kind of honor or respect is closely connected with awe, for awe conveys a sense of the power and authority of God whom we address.  Just as Bartimaeus gets down to specifics, so also does Jesus.  He, in a sense, asks more of Bartimaeus once He is addressed.  Jesus first responds by addressing him directly out of the crowd, and calling on Bartimaeus to come before Him.  The people tell Bartimaeus, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you." Then we can observe Bartimaeus' immediate obedience and fervor, for he doesn't just come to Jesus, he arises and throws off his garment to do so.  In a way, we could view that as Bartimaeus not wanting anything to come between himself and Jesus.  In another sense, he throws off his garment in order to stand fully revealed before Jesus.  This is indeed the posture of prayer, and perhaps even more significantly, of confession.  He seeks to hide nothing from his Lord.  It is, in that perspective, the perfect preparation of right-relatedness to God, to meet God.  In this posture, Jesus in turn asks Bartimaeus to be specific, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  Bartimaeus replies, specifically, addressing his need:  "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Rabboni means
"my Master."  Jesus responds as He did to the faithful woman with the flow of blood, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  Like that woman, Bartimaeus is now in full righteous relation to God, and he is one who now follows Christ on the road to Jerusalem and the Triumphal Entry.  Bartimaeus, although blind, could see what so many could not and would not see:  that Christ is Lord.  He also intuitively knows the mercy of the Lord, as this is what he invoked in crying out among the crowd.  Moreover, he comes to Christ hiding nothing, which is what confession is for, and this is the way it is meant as preparation for Communion with our Lord, full participation in Christ's life, death, and Resurrection.  As Bartimaeus follows on the road to Jerusalem, let us think what it means to stand fully before our Lord, our own "cloaks" thrown off, and to ask for our true desire, looking into the face of Christ.

 

 

What do you want Me to do for you?

 

 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 they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before the disciples; 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 sit, 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."  So 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 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.   Of today's passage, my study Bible comments that the restoration of sight to the blind was a sign that was expected to be performed by the Messiah (Isaiah 29:18; 35:4-5), a power which God had reserved for God alone (compare John 9:32).  Son of David was a messianic title, which shows that Bartimaeus had faith that Jesus was the Christ.   In patristic commentary there is also a spiritual interpretation to this miracle.  My study Bible explains that Jericho was a low-lying city associated with sin (Luke 10:30; 19:1).  In this case, it symbolizes fallen humanity.  Christ passing through Jericho then becomes an image of His Incarnation.  That He restores sight to Bartimaeus is a parallel to His restoring humanity to glory.  Having been made whole by Christ, human nature is now capable of following Christ on the road to the Kingdom, which is symbolized by our Lord's subsequent entrance into Jerusalem (the following reading as we begin chapter 11).

If we follow the spiritual interpretation of today's reading that is reported by my study Bible, we might want to ponder a little more deeply this understanding that Christ's healing power makes us capable of following Him on the road to the Kingdom.  Bartimaeus' blindness, in the language of the Gospels, makes his sight darkened.  His eyes are incapable of taking in light.  In this symbolic sense, the light of the world illuminates all things, presents to us the reality of the things of the world, for everything is made clear by light and the quality of light we're capable of seeing.  The fullest spectrum of light is a bright white, which gives us true hues and the quality of a sharp and brilliant image.  All of these metaphors of light and darkness, of illumination and blindness, are meant to help us to understanding the powerful effect of Christ and what He does to restore us to our capabilities.  In this case, that would particularly apply to our capabilities for discernment (another analogy to "seeing").  If we take this metaphor to a fuller sense, we might consider how all the world is utterly dependent upon sunlight for everything; without it, the world and all lives within the world would die or become extinct.  What Christ does by restoring Bartimaeus' capacity for taking in the light is make it possible for him to see and discern the way toward greater illumination.  As my study Bible puts it, He makes it possible for Bartimaeus to follow Him on the road to Jerusalem, toward the fullness of the Kingdom.  He gives us the capacity to discern the light, so that we also may grow and have the capability for a kind of fullness only He can lead us toward.  So we must consider healing to be, if not a simple restoration to the fullness of glory, a kind of restoration to the capability of pursuing and finding that glory, which is the true spiritual journey of the soul.  Only He can lead us there but we first need the capacity to follow Him, to grasp that He holds the spiritual truth we need and the light that feeds us and that is necessary to support all life.  Let us note Jesus' question to Bartimaeus, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  In yesterday's reading (above), Jesus asked the same question of John and James Zebedee.  But He could not fulfill their request, only that they could follow Him on the road in their own journeys as disciples into the fullness of whatever future and image that was held for them.  In today's reading, Jesus answers Bartimaeus' request in the positive, fulfilling what he asks.  But this healing makes Bartimaeus also capable, as John and James Zebedee, of following Him on the road to Jerusalem and to whatever future awaits in that life of the Kingdom for him.  And this is healing for each of us:  that we may perceive that light and follow where it leads us, for growth, flourishing, and the glory that awaits in the image He has for us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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, 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 sit, 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."  So 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 shall be your servant.  And however 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), a power which God had reserved only for God (compare John 9:32).  Son of David, used by Bartimaeus to call Jesus, is a messianic title; it shows that the blind man had faith that Jesus was the Christ (the "Anointed," meaning Messiah).  There is also a spiritual interpretation of this miracle in patristic tradition.  Jericho, my study Bible explains, was a low-lying city which was associated with sin (see Luke 10:30; 19:1); here it symbolizes fallen humanity.  As Christ passes through Jericho, it is an image (or icon) of His Incarnation.  The Lord restoring sight to Bartimaeus is a parallel to His restoring humanity to glory -- to "enlighten" Bartimaeus' eyes is to illuminate humankind.   Having been made whole by Christ, human nature can now follow Christ on the road to the Kingdom, which is symbolized by the Lord's subsequent entrance into Jerusalem (in the verses that immediately follow today's reading, which begin chapter 11).  

How many ways are there for a person to be blind?  In Christ's world, it was commonly understood that a blind person's eyes were "darkened," unable to receive light.   So to have one's sight restored was to have one's eyes opened, allowing light to illuminate sight.  These are all expressions denoting common perceptions about blindness and sight.  But they all clearly have metaphorical meanings.  To be enlightened or illuminated is to understand something, to obtain knowledge, often used to mean spiritual wisdom.  As Christians, we couple this with our understanding, especially through the Gospel of John and other Scriptural references, that God is light (see John 1:4, 5; 1 John 1:5, among many other references).  Also in John's Gospel, Jesus says, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going" (John 12:35).  Here Jesus is referencing both Himself as the light and also light as synonymous with the good, and darkness as evil or the influence of the devil.  Darkness (or the absence of light) may also be seen as a metaphor both for ignorance and even heresy.  A heresy is most often a partial truth.  Like the weeds (or tares) that resemble the wheat in the parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13:24-30), half-truths or partial truths can be more dangerous than outright lies for their ability to deceive.  So we should consider even partial darkness to be metaphorically a problem for human beings.  Each of these considerations reflects on what blindness is when we're speaking in spiritual terms:  blindness may mean being deceived by lies and half-truths, or by hypocrisy, another theme Jesus warns about constantly in the Gospels.  When He levels His criticism at the Pharisees and scribes, it is most often about their hypocrisy.  See especially Matthew 23:1-36, in which He calls them "hypocrites!" many times.  He says to them, "For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness" (Matthew 23:27-28).  This is a metaphor that builds on metaphors:  a whitewashed exterior that seems to reflect the fullness of light hides an interior which is full of darkness.  In that same passage from Matthew 23, further reflecting the theme of spiritual blindness, Jesus calls them "blind guides" and "fools and blind" who lead others into their spiritual darkness and ignorance, misleading with lies, hypocrisy, and heretical partial truths.  ("For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves" - Matthew 23:15).  Blind Bartimaeus is perhaps a symbol for a misled humanity:  blind through no fault of  one's own, but simply for having inherited and been born into a world of sin and darkness, of lies and partial truths, of those who mislead for their own gain, and with spiritual leaders who practice hypocrisy.  Jericho becomes a symbol for a world blighted by these effects, which blind us to the light of God, making it hard to find our way.  Into this world comes Christ with His brilliant light, so dazzling (see the Transfiguration reading) that those of us who are used to darkness may ourselves be blinded to it for a time, unable to take it in -- and yet, as my study Bible explains, it is His healing grace that allows us to become whole so that we may receive His light.  Bartimaeus' prayer is one that lasts through the ages and is still with us.   With the quality of faith and trust, the Lord's grace and mercy enable us to truly see and to become accustomed to His light,  so that we may dwell in it.  Let us welcome that light as we walk on the road with Him as does the healed Bartimaeus, toward Jerusalem, becoming more accustomed to His illumination -- so that we, also, may celebrate the Resurrection with Him, in His glory.

 

 

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 His 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 that we may sit, 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."  So 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 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 was a power God had reserved for Himself (compare to John 9:32).  Son of David is a messianic title.  As used by Bartimaeus, it shows that he had faith that Jesus was the Christ.  In patristic commentary, there is a spiritual interpretation given to this miracle of the restoration of sight.  Jericho was a low-lying city which was associated with sin (Luke 10:30, 19:1).  Here, my study Bible explains, it symbolizes fallen humanity.  Christ passing through Jericho therefore is an image of His Incarnation.  That the Lord restores sigh tot Bartimaeus is a parallel to restoring humanity to glory; the restoration of sight to the blind means they are able to "receive light."  Having been made whole by Christ, human nature can now follow Christ on the road to the Kingdom, symbolized by Jesus' subsequent entrance in Jerusalem, in the following reading (Mark 11:1-11).  

So what does it mean to receive one's sight?  Certainly most of us would think that to be deprived of sight is a deprivation indeed.  One may still have other sensory perception such as hearing and touch, and these indeed provide necessary input for good things in life, such as the hearing of music or the human voice, and the capacity to feel objects and touch, such as the handshake or embrace of another person, even the presence of a beloved pet.  But sight seems to be in a category of its own in terms of how much we rely on eyesight to tell us about the world around ourselves, to understand what is happening or to behold beauty as well as other things we perceive.  To "see" is used even as a metaphor for understanding, and in that context it is good to think about this miracle of sight for Bartimaeus.  Of course, one hastens to add, we do not want to minimize the achievements and good life of those whose sight is impaired.  But when approaching Scripture, it is wise to think in metaphors in order to understand its meanings.  In terms of blindness, the ancient world understood blindness to be a kind of darkness, in which quite literally the light of day was not perceived by the eyes.  It was understood as a condition in which light did not permeate the eyes; to see, on the other hand, was to be illumined, for light to enter the eye.  And therein we can understand the metaphor of sight, especially in spiritual terms of illumination, and understanding.  To receive light in metaphorical terms is to receive wisdom, to have one's eyes opened to something is to understand what one was ignorant of beforehand.  In this case, as Jericho symbolizes a sinful and fallen world, it is Christ who illumines the world by liberating us from the blindness of sin, Christ who helps us to see a better way, a better life -- and all the metaphors of light used in the context of the New Testament apply here.  John's Gospel in particular uses "light" to mean God and the life that the Son brings ito the world.  John's Prologue tells us, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John 1:4-5).  In John 12:35, Jesus says to the people, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going."  In yesterday's reading and commentary, we wrote about Christ's power of liberation and salvation, spoken of metaphorically as ransom, which liberates a captive.  In illuminating the eyes of Bartimaeus, Jesus also liberates one held captive to darkness, enhancing the metaphors we understand about the Incarnation and the healing power of the Incarnation itself.  God has become human so that we may see beyond our captivity to sin, to selfishness, to a sense that life is all about what we can grab, what pleasures we can chase, where love hasn't much meaning beyond possibly getting something we want.  This is the point of view of a world opposite to Jesus' view of greatness:  where to be great is to "lord it over" others (see yesterday's reading, above).  We can contrast Christ's expressions of compassion (including the healing of Bartimaeus) with one in which affliction is just one's tough luck, and there is no transcendent meaning for suffering whatsoever, where love does not mean care or kindness or sympathy, and there is no consideration for others.  This is a world of darkness, where meanings are absent, and where we are not called upon to find meaning in mutual love or expressions of community.  In spiritual terms, that a world where darkness covers beauty and goodness, where we are blind to expressions of love and compassion and the courtesies that sometimes make life bearable; that is, where material power alone is all in all and coercion is the only way of life.  The entire meaning of the Incarnation is love, and it is there in which we understand that God is love:  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son . . . " (John 3:16).  Christ did not have to become human, did not have to heal or extend Himself to human beings, did not have to offer Himself on the Cross so that we might be healed and death defeated, did not have to suffer so that we are no longer slaves to the one who wants us to believe that a dog-eat-dog life is all there is.  What is illumination, and what is sight?  Let us dispel those who would teach us that bullying and coercion are all there is, and kindness or sympathy for victims or those left out is nothing.  A life without mercy is a life without Christ, and one missing the fullness of what it is to be a human being.   For He shows us the way of light through such a world, and it is the way of life abundantly.

 

 

And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road

 

 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 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 sit, 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."  So 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 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 restoration of sight to the blind was a sign that was expected to be performed by the Messiah (Isaiah 29:18, 25:4-5).  It was considered to be a power that God had reserved for God alone (compare to John 9:32).  Son of David is a messianic title, which shows that Bartimaeus had faith that Jesus was the Christ.  My study bible also says that there is a patristic interpretation with a spiritual orientation to this miracle.  Jericho was a low-lying city which was associated with sin (Luke 10:30, 19:1).  In the spiritual interpretation of this story, Jericho symbolizes fallen humanity.  That Christ passes through the city is an image of the Incarnation.  Christ restoring sight to Bartimaeus is a parallel to restoring humanity to glory, a kind of illumination.  Once the spiritually blind are made whole by Christ, human nature can can now follow Christ on the road to the Kingdom, which is symbolized by Jesus' subsequent entrance into Jerusalem (11:1-11).  

What is blindness, and how do we understand it?  Today we have scientific innovations that make correction of physical blindness (or degrees of blindness) something that no longer seems only possible to God.  But then again, at the time of Christ, to restore sight was a seeming impossibility, something unheard-of.  So the prophetic understanding that this would be a sign of the Messiah still stands within the context of the time of Jesus Christ.  But how shall we consider this story today?  Of course we understand Jericho as a place of peril, of sin and violence.  Jesus set the parable of the The Good Samaritan in Jericho for just such a reason; this road was a dangerous place to travel.  Even historically in the Scriptures, Jericho figured as a place of sin.  We also have to see, as my study bible pointed out, that Jesus must pass through Jericho to get to Jerusalem.  Just like for Joshua and the ancient Israelites, this city must somehow be conquered or passed through before Jesus can reach the holy city to establish His Kingdom.  So much depends upon how we think of that city and of Christ's Kingdom.  Jericho, the low-lying city, can even be thought of as akin to the time that Jesus will spend in Hades, the underworld, preaching the good news of the gospel to all who have passed, and linked to His time in the tomb prior to Resurrection.  In the earliest teaching documents of the Church, such as the Didache, and also prominent in Jewish tradition, is the understanding of the "two ways" of spiritual truth.  That is, the way of life and the way of death.  In a sense, the Incarnation of Christ is the story of the root of life itself (John 14:6), passing through the place of death, and by doing so, defeating death.  Bartimaeus as a blind man, symbolizes those without the light of Christ's truth and life, those who grasp in the dark for mercy for their afflicted condition.  But he is also the son of honor, for he is the "son of Timaeus" (as the name Bartimaeus means).  Timaeus has a Greek root, which means honor or worth, that virtue that is true substance and value.  Blind Bartimaeus knows that he is afflicted, but he cannot help himself.  He is also aware of the place from which his help will come, and shouts to Christ as the "son of David," the Messiah, the one who will restore the true Kingdom.  If we apply Bartimaeus' story to ourselves, we must see that he may mirror us in the sense that he knows he is diminished, afflicted, held back by something that is not his fault.  His sin or imperfection is all about what he can't see, and only Christ can restore that sight.  Jesus says, "Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going" (John 12:35).  When we know that for some reason our lives aren't working, when we seem to be running into dead ends, there is one place we go for illumination, for light to show us the path we need, the way of life that leads out of the way of death, and that is to Christ.  Let us note that the text tells us that Bartimaeus threw aside his garment to run to Christ when he was called.  It is symbolic that the past had been exhausted for him, nothing that had been tried before could help, and he was ready to toss aside his past for the future offered by Christ's life and light (John 1:4).  To get past death, we need the One who destroyed death by passing through it in order to give us an abundance of life, Resurrection.  When our past no longer works for us, when everything we know does not prepare us for the present affliction, let us turn to the One for whom there is no such thing as "hopeless," the refuge for all.  He who turns no one away will hear our cries for mercy.  But like Bartimaeus, let us cast aside the garments of the past, and follow Him on the road where He leads to the holy Kingdom of God.

 

And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road

 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!"  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 aid 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 they 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 that we may sit, 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."  So 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 shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first of all 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!"  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 aid to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.  Let us first note that Jesus is on the road to Jerusalem, and Jericho is on this road.  Jericho was a low-lying city, which was associated with sin (Luke 10:30, 19:1).   Often blindness is symbolically associated with sin, and sin's detriment to ourselves as a sense in which there is something we lack or that we are missing, that keeps us from completeness, wholeness.  Moreover, the restoration of sight to the blind was a sign which was expected of the Messiah (Isaiah 29:18, 35:4-5), a power that was reserved by God for God  (compare John 9:32).  My study bible points out that Bartimaeus shows his faith that Jesus was the Christ, by calling Him Son of David, a title for the Messiah.  A traditional spiritual interpretation of this story is that Jericho, with its reputation for sin, is a symbol of fallen humanity.  Christ passing through  is an image of the Incarnation itself.  Christ's restoration of Bartimaeus' sight is a metaphor for His restoration of humanity to glory.  As human nature is made whole by Christ, it can now follow Christ on the road to the Kingdom, shown in Christ's subsequent Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (11:1-11).

If we think of blindness as a metaphor, we think of a person who misses something because they can't see it.  It's as if you have a set of facts from which you must operate in life, like, for example, approaching a street one must cross, only one can't see the cars coming or the obstacles in the way.  Blindness becomes a metaphor, in that sense, for not knowing what we are doing, not truly understanding the whole picture of our reality.  (Of course this is not at all to throw disparagement on those who are physically blind!  This is meant to portray only a metaphor for a spiritual condition.)  Frequently, in an argument, one might reproach another for not understanding or accepting what one considers to be obvious, by telling one's opponent, "You are blind!"  Jesus also uses blindness as a metaphor for spiritual darkness by saying of the religious leaders, "They are blind leaders of the blind" (Matthew 15:14).  In this way He meant to convey that they were misguided by what they could not see or perceive, and their own leadership would lead to stumbling for all who followed them.  So, in this context, we might ask ourselves regarding this story of blind Bartimaeus, what it is that Jesus brings to the world, and to us as individuals, that we need in order to truly see.  That is, in spiritual terms, what does Jesus give us that illuminates our lives, our places in the world and the cosmos, that adds a dimension both necessary for our wholeness and which is missing from a sinful point of view.  If we think of sin not as something horribly evil on our part, but as something denoting ignorance (for which blindness is metaphor), then we come to a certain kind of perspective we might not usually have on the matter.  Christ offers us enlightenment, also a metaphor for a restoration of the ability to see.  He opens our eyes (another metaphor) to possibilities of the fullness of life that we can't encounter in a worldly perspective, because a worldly perspective misses the mystical reality that nurtures body, soul, and spirit in wholeness.  As Jesus is in today's reading passing through Jericho, let us consider another metaphor for ourselves at this time.  We pass through a kind of Jericho, an affliction that leaves us vulnerable, even crippled at the moment.  The entire world experiences together at this time a pandemic of the coronavirus.  Virtually the entire economy of the world is shut down -- as over 150 countries are afflicted -- in order to combat the spread of this virus for which we have no vaccine and no known cure.   There is an enormous amount of fear associated with this circumstance, and just as with the faith Christ asks of us, fear is the wrong direction for those of us who put our faith in Christ.  Our way is to continue to walk forward and place our trust in Him, looking for the illumination we need to go through, the bright spots of light we can follow, and the endurance which He teaches His disciples of all ages and through all time.  Christ asks us for courage, and that is a part of the light we need, as well.  Jericho is a "low-lying city" -- and so we might pass through what we could call a low point.  But "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).  As our timing coincides with Lent, we understand that as Christians, it is already a time for more focused prayer, inspirational literature, Scripture reading, and even if we do so virtually, corporate worship.  We also have open to us to pray at home the Prayers of the Hours, the various services the Church has used throughout the centuries in monasteries.  Praying through the Psalms is another good practice for Lent.  All of these Lenten practices help to build up our strength and fortitude.  They build our courage.  They give us a sense that what we need is not panic and fear, nor anxiety, but the bedrock of our faith that has always fully accepted that life will have difficulties, and never have we been blind to the understanding of the nature of our world, and even the evil that is within it, including affliction and illness.  As Christians, and with the One whom we call our Leader, we follow Him through danger and difficulty, and not with blindness to any of the reality of our world.  Jesus, in today's reading, is on His way to Jerusalem, on His way to Palm Sunday, which is right around the corner (this Sunday, or next week for the Eastern Orthodox).  So we find ourselves together with Him.  He is the cure for our blindness, for our fear and anxiety, for the courage He offers and the faith He strengthens, for His love which always teaches and leads in the light.  Let us step up to this moment and really fulfill our mission as His disciples, and be the fullness of what we can be in His healing and wholeness for humanity.  He teaches us endurance and calm in the storm (see this reading, and this one).    Let us look to His light, and not be one of the blind led by the spiritually blind.  At this time, with all things, it is our faith that will make us well, helping to cling to the positive, using all things for good purpose, and setting ourselves on a steady course through our difficulties, keeping our eyes open for the best way forward.  Moreover, we use our God-given gift of intelligence to do our best and prudently approach our efforts at mitigation, acting responsibly on behalf of all, and following the best advice of experts.  Let us remember that Bartimaeus' prayer is the basis of the prayer of the Church through the ages, the best short prayer we can utter, even doing so perpetually as a good practice, "Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me!"  Let us also follow Jesus on the road.

And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road

 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 sit, 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."  So 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 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 on this passage that the restoration of sight to the blind was a sign expected to be performed by the Messiah (Isaiah 39:18; 35:4-5).  This was a power God had reserved for Himself (compare John 9:32).  Son of David is a messianic title, an expression by Bartimaeus of his faith that Jesus was the Christ. 

The text tells us a certain process that happens in Bartimaeus' encounter with Jesus.  First, he repeatedly cries out, showing his faith that Jesus is the Messiah by calling Him "Son of David."   He not only shows faith, but also persistence in his pleas to Christ, despite the fact that he's told to be quiet by the crowds.  The text says that Jesus stood still and commanded Bartimaeus to be called.  This is an interesting image of Jesus, and one that has an imperial quality to it.  He stood still and took time out to issue a command to call Bartimaeus.  It gives us a kind of icon of Christ commanding angels to respond to a plea or prayer.  In the Greek, the word for "call" has an indication of shouting with a loud voice.  This verse gives us a sense of the crowd echoing with loud voices toward Bartimaeus after Jesus tells them to "call" him, a way in which a message comes across a long distance.   It's as if Bartimaeus is far removed from Christ in distances that span much more than merely space, and yet Christ hears and gives the command through multiple messengers that he be called across that distance.  We may be spiritually far from Christ, but in this sense of the crowd relaying the loud calls toward Bartimaeus, Christ's response may be relayed to us through hierarchies of messengers, angels and saints, or perhaps those more spiritually wise than we are, that He has heard.  Even in His great distance from us, Christ may "stand still" for us and respond.  Perhaps most interesting of all that as Bartimaeus rises and comes to Christ, he throws aside his garment.  A garment is frequently meant to indicate persona or role, something we "put on," and Bartimaeus casts off the "old man" (Ephesians 4:22-24) as he comes to Christ.   He's ready to leave his current state, his whole identity behind, to come to Christ to be renewed and healed.  Like an emperor willingly hearing the plea of a subject, Jesus asks Bartimaeus, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  The power in this picture is clear:  it all rests with Jesus.  Bartimaeus is granted his desire, and given his sight.  And it is affirmed by Christ that it is Bartimaeus' faith that has made him well.  What does the new man Bartimaeus do?  He joins the crowd of disciples who follow Christ on the road to Jerusalem.   Jericho was a rather notorious town which was associated with sin -- a form of blindness.  Bartimaeus leaves this place where he is a blind beggar, and because of his faith and Christ's response, he continues -- now seeing -- on the road to Jerusalem with Jesus and the disciples.  Can we presume that in Jerusalem, Bartimaeus will see everything?  That is, all of Christ's Passion?  Will he now become a witness to the Crucifixion in Jerusalem?  To the cleansing of the temple, the disputes with the leadership, the pronouncement of Pilate, and the crowd that shouts for Jesus' death?  If we are to understand the implications of this healing, Bartimaeus is, in a certain sense, the old Israel, who cries to the Son of David -- and who will now witness what will happen with the Messiah and what is to come.  He will presumably remain with the disciples in Jerusalem and come to know of the Resurrection and the story of the empty tomb.  Perhaps he will even be present at one of the occasions when Christ appears, such as at the Ascension.  All we can do is guess -- but the text leads us to an interesting place.  Surely for these details of Bartimaeus and  his story to appear in the Gospel, he must have been known to the early Church.  Bartimaeus may be, in some sense, the whole of Israel, formerly blind but now seeing, and witnessing -- like the disciples -- what is done to the Messiah, and the fullness of what is to come.  He gains his sight in order to become a witness to this extraordinary story of Christ, a new covenant being born, a revelation for the ages and fulfillment of all the law and the prophets (Matthew 5:17).  Like Bartimaeus, let us pray that our blindness be healed, and be prepared to become someone new for this incredible process of grace we can witness, and the transformation and changes it brings.  Let us note that to receive sight is not the end of our story, but only the beginning.