Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!

 

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

 

- Mark 10:46–52 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

Who touched Me?

 

 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.  And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."  So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.  

 

Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"  But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."  

 

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.  Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.  When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep?  The child is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.  Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."  Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age.  And they were overcome with great amazement.  But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.

 

- Mark 5:21–43 

 

On Saturday we read that Jesus and the disciples, following a harrowing, stormy journey across the Sea of Galilee, came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.  And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains.  And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.  When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.  And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I implore You by God that You do not torment me."  For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"  Then He asked him, "What is your name?"  And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."  Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.  Now a large herd of swine was feeding there in the mountains.  So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."  And at once Jesus gave them permission.  Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.  So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country.  And they went out to see what it was that had happened.  Then they came to Jesus, and saw the  one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.  Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.  And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.  However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled. 

 

 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.  And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."  So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.    Here Jesus has returned to Capernaum, the "headquarters" of His Galilean ministry, where all know Him.   We can see that Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue, is completely familiar with Jesus.  

 

 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"  But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."   My study Bible comments that authority over life and death is in the hand of God alone (Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6).  As Christ is of one essence with the Father, He has such authority (John 5:21).  This woman's healing, it says, is a demonstration of Christ's power to cleanse and heal (see Matthew 8:1-4).   In the Old Testament, hemorrhage caused ceremonial defilement, and it imposed religious and social restrictions, as contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  This woman has suffered for twelve years, not only from her ailment but also from the many physicians she's already consulted and only grown worse.  Although she accounts herself unclean, she nonetheless approaches Jesus secretly and with great faith.  Jesus tells her to go in peace, that her faith has made her well.  He corrects her thinking, as she could not hide her touch, neither was she excluded from Him because of her illness.  Finally, He exhibits her faith to everyone. so they might imitate her.

 

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.  Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.  When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep?  The child is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.  Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."  Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age.  And they were overcome with great amazement.  But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.  The resurrection of Jairus' daughter is an affirmation of Christ's power over life and death.  According to my study Bible, this healing, together with other resurrections performed by Christ in the Gospels (such as the raising of Lazarus in John 11:1-44) confirm the promise given to the prophet Ezekiel that God will one day open the graves and raise all the dead (Ezekiel 37:1-14).  My study Bible comments that while many people have exercised authority over the living, it's only the Son of God who "has power over both the living and the dead" (words found in the Eastern Orthodox funeral service).  Let us note here that while Christ has power through His word alone (John 11:43), he also touched the child in taking her by the hand, showing (as in the healing of the woman's blood flow) that His body is life-giving.  

 

Touch plays a significant part in today's reading.  That is, the touch that allows people to receive the power of Christ to heal, even to restore life.  We should not be surprised at this, for we are to understand that it is the Incarnation itself that restores us.  God became human to assume all the things of humanity, so that humanity could be healed.  Therefore (and thereby) His body is life-giving.  In the first instance in today's reading,  this woman with the twelve-years flow of blood comes behind Him, in a crowd, and believes, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."  Surely the text indicates to us that this crowd was bumping into one another as it was, for the disciples are incredulous that He'd like them to tell Him who touched Him.  They say, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  The impossibility for them of telling Jesus just who it was tells us how crowded this scene was.  But what is the difference between her touch and the possible accidental touch of others in crowd that throngs Jesus?  It is her faith that makes the difference.  Jesus tells her, and the crowd, and His disciples, and us as well that this is so, when He tells her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."  It's remarkable that we're also told she came and confessed to Him what she'd done, even as she feared and trembled, for this is a kind of face-to-face meeting with God.  It is the same sense in coming to repentance and coming before God for reconciliation.  She is reconciled indeed, even as "unclean" as her blood flow makes her, for He calls her "Daughter."  Then there is the case of the little girl, a daughter of one of the rulers of the synagogue.  She is just twelve years old, St. Mark tells us, the age of the number of years the older woman had suffered.  Jesus raises her up, taking her by the hand, commanding the little girl to arise.  In the first case of the woman with the blood flow, the faith was hers that made the difference, and effectively Christ felt His own power go out of Him to heal her.  In this case, the faith of the parents, so desperately needing to be strengthened by Jesus and His closest disciples, is what is at work.  This says to us that the prayers of the Church have an effect, even that we, in our prayers and in our faith, can take stewardship of a kind to help others to come to that healing touch of Christ.  Just as we pay even for the dead in the Church, so our prayers are heard for others even for God's mercy after death.  Surely the stories of resurrection in the Gospels teach us that as well.  (In addition to the story of the raising of Lazarus in John 11, see also the raising of the son of the widow of Nain at Luke 7:11-17).  Surely the power of God is everywhere, and thus our prayers to God are effectively without barrier.  Let us not forget that Christ's body, life-giving as it is for us, also was part of His Ascension, thus the power to heal humanity follows into territory we can't possibly limit nor predict.  Let us not forget our great gift of the Incarnation, feeding us in the Eucharist, and the tremendous and irreplaceable gift of faith.

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well

 

 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.  And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  And the woman was made well from that hour.  When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went out into all that land. 

 

- Matthew 9:18–26 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus passed on from healing a paralytic, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.  Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  But go and learn what this means:  'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.  No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.  Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

 

  While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.  And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  And the woman was made well from that hour.  When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went out into all that land.  On today's reading, my study Bible comments that authority over life and death is in the hand of God alone (Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6).  As He is of one essence with the Father, Christ has this authority (John 5:21).  The healing of the woman with the flow of blood is a demonstration of Christ's power to cleanse and heal (see Matthew 8:1-4).  In the Old Testament, hemorrhage caused ceremonial defilement.  It imposed religious and social restrictions, as contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  This woman, having suffered so long, and accounting herself unclean, nonetheless approaches Jesus in secrecy but with great faith.  In verse 22, Jesus brings her good cheer because of her faith; He corrects her thinking -- as she could not hide her touch from Him, nor is she excluded from Him because of her illness; and He exhibits her faith to everyone, so they might imitate her. 

This woman's suffering is exemplary, and important to know.  It's an essential part of the story.  She's been suffering with a flow of blood, a hemorrhage, for twelve years.   Luke's Gospel tells us that she "had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any" (Luke 8:43).  One can only imagine what it would be to deal with an ongoing medical problem for twelve years, and still seek hope despite losing one's livelihood in the process.  But the presence of Christ is one that inspires, and in this case even the hem of His garment becomes a source of inspiration.  Her sense is that if she might just touch His hem, she might be healed, and it is so.  Again, Luke's Gospel reports the response to this connection of touch.  Jesus turns and says, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me" (Luke 8:46).  The story gives us once more a sense of how faith makes connections which enable Christ's holy power to work.  Although Jesus does not consciously know who touched Him, He nonetheless understood power going out from Himself, as if the power of God works in a way that seeks out faith and makes a connection to it.  Her desire to touch Him becomes as much of the "work" or "energy" in the story as Christ's power is.  This is significant, because it speaks to us of communion, of this divine power working to build communion upon faith, to make connection, and to create wholeness.  For this reason, Jesus praises her faith, and encourages all to be like her.  Note how, in the case of the ruler of the synagogue's daughter, Jesus is asked to come and touch her in order to heal her, to lay His hand upon her.  In order to heal the girl, He must put the ridiculing crowd outside so as to protect faith.  He gives her His touch by taking her by the hand and raising her up.  The story of the woman with the blood flow teaches us how significant faith itself is, for in that case it isn't Jesus who actively seeks to heal her first; it is her faith which seeks Him out and to which His divine power responded in order to heal.  We do not need to wait for an invitation from Christ to seek Him and to seek His healing for us in our lives, but we do need faith and humility.  For this is the price of entry into community.

 

 

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.

 

 

Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?

 

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

 

- Luke 17:11-19 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus taught the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."  And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.'"

 

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  It's important to note that Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem, toward the Cross, and His "exodus" from this world.  He passes through Galilee (a place of mixed populations) and Samaria, so the presence of strangers or outsiders figures strongly here, and particularly in connection to principles of faith rather than ethnicity.  My study Bible explains that leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of the time.  In addition to tremendous physical suffering, leprosy meant total banishment and isolation from society.  It is also a symbol of our sin.

Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.   Now the priests, in Jewish practice, were the ones in charge of the oversight and treatment of lepers and leprous houses; one needed a certificate from a priest to be allowed back into community.   My study Bible cites St. Cyril of Alexandria, who comments that Jesus wants to show the priests by a tangible miracle that He is superior to Moses.  The priests hold Moses to be greater than Christ, but Christ heals a leper immediately and with His own divine authority.  When Miriam was struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and yet she was only healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).  

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."  Jesus asks, "But where are the nine?"  My study Bible comments that Christ came to heal all of fallen humanity, yet only a small portion receive Him in faith and thanksgiving to give glory to God.  Therefore, "many are called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16).  My study Bible adds that, for Orthodox Christians, the lesson is that worship is the number one priority.  

It's an interesting commentary that my study Bible suggests that the lesson from today's reading is that worship is the number one priority.  At first glance, one might consider that the message here is all about gratitude and its cultivation.  But when one stops to think about it, one might wonder how gratitude is possible without the foundation of worship, laying down the Source of all things for which we're grateful.  Additionally, we could consider -- in the context of a lesson about gratitude -- that the nine didn't return to thank Jesus for their healing.  But it's possible that they might have done so without the proper idea of who Jesus is.  Jesus does not ask about the nine in the context of their lack of gratitude to Him personally, but for their failure to give glory to God for their healing.  Actually, the word here is cleansing, not healing.  In the tradition of the Bible, leprosy was seen as a sign of sin, and so "cleansing" here is more than healing a physical disease.  It is eliminating a contagion that debilitated not just the body, but rendered one separate from community, and that community is defined especially in the context of worship.  Therefore, once again, there is a tie to the failure to give glory to God.  These ten would have been excluded from community, a community defined by worship.  Once they are cleansed, and thus able to return to community, part of their joy must be a return to worship in community.  But the nine have failed to take joy in this, as God is not part of their focus here.  So this cleansing is quite similar to an understanding about our own possibilities for repentance, and thus "cleansing" from things which ail us in many ways, and keep us far from God.  Repentance is a kind of medicine for healing our minds, giving us a way to see life more clearly, and outside of the places in which we're stuck or in exile from community.  A habitual problem such as an addiction, or a kind of narcissism or selfishness that feeds the ego in some way, or possibly taking a secret joy in cruelty such as gossip, are all examples of sin which mires us in a place of isolation and exclusion and the breaking of community.  Ultimately repentance must be seen in its true meaning, as a change of mind, and one that comes with consequences to our lives.  In the light of today's reading, repentance must mean the restoration to community, in right relation to both God and neighbor.  This , of course, has worship as a foundation.  For without this focus on God as the center of our lives, how does the rest fall into place?  Let us consider these words and teachings today, and how important they are for our lives.  That "higher power" that helps one conquer addiction, that would destroy the pretext of narcissism and self-centeredness as our be-all and end-all, that denies the cruel gossip a secret joy at the diminishing and breaking of community, all of these things falter and fail upon the wheel of worship, the rock that either breaks or crushes.  That is, the one thing upon which we stumble and might return to true self, or which eventually may crush us together with the false notions of self we nurse or cling to (Luke 20:18).  It is worship that provide the foundation for our understanding of what ails us, as well as the cure, the place where we find ourselves.  For without gratitude to God, we are missing the point, and we haven't really returned "home."  In this understanding, we must also take note that it is just the foreigner who returns glory to God, making it even more clear what true community rests upon.  This is assuredly so, as Jesus tells him, "Your faith has made you well."

 

 

 

 

Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?

 

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

 

- Luke 17:11-19 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."  And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.'"

 

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  Leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of the time of Christ.  My study Bible explains that it brought both great physical suffering in addition to total banishment and isolation from society. It is also a symbol of our sin.  That these lepers stood afar off from Christ tells us about their isolation.

 

And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  Priests were in charge of issuing certificates for lepers to be allowed to rejoin the society.  In Luke 5:12-16, we read of another occasion upon which a leper was healed and sent to show himself to the priest in accordance with the Mosaic Law regarding leprosy.  Once again, this will have the effect of showing to the priests the power of Christ to heal (compare to the story of Miriam's leprosy and Moses' intercession in Numbers 12:10-15).  

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."  Of Christ's question, "Where are the nine?" my study Bible comments that Christ came to heal all of fallen humanity, yet only a small portion receive Him in faith and thanksgiving to give glory to God.  Hence, "many are called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16).  The lesson for faithful Christians, it says, is that worship is the number one priority. 

There are a couple of things to note that come to mind with this story.  First of all, if we look at the earlier case in Luke's chapter 5, Jesus tells the healed leper to "go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded."  Jesus asks, "Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  To "give glory to God" was, in fact, a form of an oath statement indicating true testimony (see John 9:24).  So, we know that intercession and an offering for cleansing were always a part of the understanding of the healing and treatment of leprosy, particularly after healing.  When the nine show no gratitude to Christ, it is in a kind of parallel with a failure to make an offering to God as commanded by Moses.  There is no acknowledgement on the part of the nine as to where their healing came from, that God has indeed healed them.  They additionally fail to acknowledge the divinity in Christ through whom they were healed.  We have to ask why they were blind to this fact -- and also why they show no gratitude to Christ at all.  So not only have they failed to recognize the divinity in Christ, but they have failed in terms of the law of Moses to give the glory to God in the spiritual fullness of the story.  It tells us something about our own blindness to that which sustains us and heals us, our own lack of gratitude when we consider our blessings and how we are sustained by God.  For if there is pride involved here on all of their parts -- except for this Samaritan who was healed, a foreigner -- then it speaks to us about how pride blinds us to the reality of spiritual truth in our own lives.  These nine perhaps entrust their healing only to their religious heritage and not to the reality of God working and present in Jesus.  It teaches us that pride may blind us to the presence of the Spirit of God when the Spirit is at work in our lives, and also about the importance of wakefulness, spiritual alertness.  What just happened?  How did they become healed?  Only the Samaritan, the foreigner, seems to truly understand what has happened in his life and how he was healed; why did the rest of them fail?  This gives us a picture of a fine line between pride in even a beautiful and good heritage and the humility that remains always a deep requirement for spiritual truth and understanding.  It teaches us that humility remains a key for truly being able to see reality, and in order to truly see God's presence in our lives, to grasp the living communion that is present to us.  Let us consider, also, the implications in this story for ourselves and our own lives even on a smaller scale.  Do we look around and recognize those to whom we should be grateful?  Do we acknowledge their efforts on our behalf?  So often it seems simply to be human nature to attribute all good things that happen in our lives to our own good qualities or something about ourselves, but we overlook so much that comes, in fact, from others.  A lack of gratitude seems to be a sort of psychological plague in a society beset by anxiety and depression.  These go hand in hand, and the practice of gratitude is often recommended as part of a healing practice for these ailments.  Let us consider that those who act out of faith and love of Christ -- even as they extend any generosity, kindness, or charity to another -- are also those worthy of a blessing by God (see Mark 9:41, Matthew 10:41-43).  Let us be alert to our spiritual reality and to our benefactors that come in many forms and may be acting in the name of God.  Ultimately, every good and perfect gift comes from above (James 1:17).  Let us remember the power and meaning of gratitude, and what its absence can mean for us.

 

For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well"

 

 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.  And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  And the woman was made well from that hour.  When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went out into all that land. 

 

- Matthew 9:18-26 

 

Yesterday we read that, after healing a paralytic, as Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.  Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  But go and learn what this means:  'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.  Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.  No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.  Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

 

  While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.  And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  And the woman was made well from that hour.  When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went out into all that land. My study Bible comments on today's passage that authority over life and death is in the hand of God alone (Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6).  Being of one essence with the Father, Jesus has this authority (John 5:21).  The healing of the woman with the blood flow demonstrates Christ's power both to cleanse and to heal (see Matthew 8:1-4, in which Jesus healed a leper by touch).  In the Old Testament, my study Bible explains, hemorrhage caused ceremonial defilement, which imposed religious and social restrictions, for contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  This suffering woman accounts herself unclean, but she nevertheless approaches Jesus secretly and also with great faith.  Jesus brings her good cheer because of her faith.  He also corrects her thinking, because she could neither hide her touch from Him, nor is she excluded from Him because of her illness.  Finally, Jesus exhibits her faith to all, so that they might imitate her.  

My study Bible really focuses in on the trouble of the woman with the blood flow.  She has been crippled from the society and participation in it because of this affliction.  We see Christ's mercy at work in His response to her, but we also see something quite powerful that doesn't involve an apparently conscious decision on the part of Jesus.  In this text, here in Matthew's Gospel, we're told that Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  In Luke's Gospel telling of this story, Jesus asks, "Who touched Me?" and later says, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."  We should keep in mind that when we read additional details in one Gospel over another that the Gospels are made from witness statements, and come from oral testimony, so this should not surprise us nor should it be considered unusual.  But taking either text, what we see here is the response of the divine to this woman's faith.  While Jesus perceives power going out from Himself (in Luke's Gospel), here in Matthew, He turned around, and it is only when He saw her that He responded to tell her that her faith made her well.  It might seem to be a slight form of elucidation of meaning, but nevertheless what we can see is His divinity responding to her faith, and specifically to her act of faith in touching the hem of His garment.  The human Jesus may be quite aware that power has gone out of Him, and that it is the faith of this woman that has made her well, but nevertheless it was the human Jesus who needed to turn around to see her to fully understand what happened.   The divinity of Christ, on the other hand, responded to her faith before Jesus' human sight could be aware of her.  What this seems to mean for us would be an assurance that the divine power of Christ is present and working, whether or not the human Jesus walks among us still.  What we can be assured of is the response of God to our faith, the response of the divine to real faith -- and I would say especially to acts of faith.  That is, to faith put into action and thus made manifest somehow by what we do.  This is what the woman does by reaching out and touching the hem of Christ's garment.  She puts her faith into an action, and the response of Christ's divine power is immediate, even before He is aware of who touched Him.  So let us take heart from this story, and understand that while the world is beset with its own problems, we are not left abandoned by God.  For God's Spirit is present for us and working in us (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  We must be particularly aware of God the Holy Spirit this week, as tomorrow is the celebration of Pentecost in the West (in the Eastern Churches, it is one week from tomorrow).  Let us give thanks and be aware of God's great gift to us.  We may not experience the kind of immediacy that this woman experienced in the presence of Jesus Himself, but our prayers are heard and God's power is at work to help us to God's way for us (Philippians 4:13).

 

 

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.