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).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

Go your way, your faith has made you well

 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!"   My study bible tells us:  "Have mercy is a favorite phrase of prayer in the liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church.  Mercy is God's lovingkindness, His tender compassion toward repentant sinners."

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."  A note says, "Jesus knows all things, and knows this man is blind.  Yet He asks, What do you want Me to do for you?  The man could have asked, 'Lord, give me grace to live with blindness,' but he asks for his sight.  Faith needs to be specific, and Jesus requests him to exercise his faith by asking for a specific need.  Rabboni means 'my teacher,' showing the man's affection for Jesus."  I think the text gets specific and vivid when it tells us that Jesus has stood still in the middle of the road, on this journey with His disciples toward Jerusalem, in order to call out Bartimaeus.  It's a way of focusing attention, zeroing in on the one calling out to Him, and stopping -- even while everything seems to simply be moving in an inevitable direction.

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 says, "Bartimaeus follows Jesus, becoming a disciple of His (the road is Gr. hodos, the same word used for 'the Way' in Acts 9:2), and is not commanded to silence.  Now that Jesus is heading toward an open confrontation with the Jewish leaders in the Holy City, the veiling of His identity (the messianic secret) is no longer necessary."   In the Greek, the word translated as "made (you) well" is literally "saved (you)."

Bartimaeus makes a connection with Jesus here in today's reading -- this is what we notice.  He cries out, repeatedly, "Have mercy on me!" and he won't be silenced.  Bartimaeus, it would seem, already has a sense that there is a connection here.  His referral to Jesus as Rabboni, "my Teacher," also tells us that.  There is a sense of personal connection on Bartimaeus' part, whether he has formally met Jesus or not.  When Jesus stands still, in the middle of the road (the "way"), even as He is on His way to Jerusalem, and commands Bartimaeus to be called, it's a personal connection.  It's interesting, also, that Jesus doesn't call Bartimaeus Himself, but commands others to call him.  It's like Bartimaeus is personally being called, the way we imagine angels in heaven are commanded to call one person or another to summon them to the presence of God.  There is an amazing personal connection here, where, even though Jesus is on His way to His Passion, death and Resurrection, He takes time out to command one to be called, the one who is crying out repeatedly "have mercy on me!" and who called Him, "Rabboni."  I think that this personal connection to Christ is so important that Mark's Gospel gives it to us right on this road to the greatest event in history, the central event in the history of the world -- from a Christian point of view -- the culmination of God's mission into the world, the time of inconceivable sacrifice:  that God, as human, will suffer and die, and be Resurrected to save a whole world, past, present, and future.  And yet, while He's on this mission, and clearly set His sights for Jerusalem, the blind Bartimaeus cries out, and Jesus stops everything and commands him to be called.  It's reminiscent of the healing of the woman with the blood flow, who touched His garment in the midst of a crowd, even as He was on His way to heal Jairus' daughter:  Jesus has time for everyone.  He does what He is here to do, and each one of these things take place not just in "examples" to give us a general idea of what He is about, but in personal stories, in actions that make up all the links in this chain of love, all the points of light in the great, blinding, otherworldly light that is Christ which we can't possibly contain.  These stories aren't just examples to teach us the "concept" of Christ:  rather, these stories are the heart of Christ.  His work takes place in each of us, in each of our hearts and each of our lives.  "Rabboni" is the place of the heart, the place where Jesus dwells.  He knows each one of us personally.  And that's the place where we meet Him, we carry His presence around with us, with love and affection, in a kind of Person-to-person reality of the heart:  the whole of which, a whole universe of beings, past, present, and future, we can't possibly comprehend nor know.  But if we miss the personal, we miss the story.  We miss that mystical reality that we need.  We miss the point, and I think we lose out on our faith.  Here is where Jesus steps in and tells Bartimaeus, "Your faith has made you well."  Or, more literally, "Your faith has saved you."  In that depth of trust, we find the real power of Christ to save; we may know the grandest theories, we may understand all things known to man and even more, but if we don't have that place of love, that personal connection, we're missing out.  Let us remember He's got time for each of us, and wants us to make that time for Him.  When He tells Bartimaeus, "Go your way," that way is His Way, on the road ("the way") with Him.  Bartimaeus' shout of have mercy is the "new" shout of Jericho, the one that liberates and knocks down walls so that we enter into the real promised land, with Him.