Word to the Wise
Sunday, October 29, 2006 - 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
[Jeremiah 31:7-9; Hebrews 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52]What do you want me to do for you?
Last Sunday and this Sunday, we hear Jesus responding to a request with the words, "What do you want me to do for you?" His response is the same to both requests, but the requests are very different. Last Sunday it was the two apostles who wanted Jesus to give them a special place "in your kingdom." All that Jesus could give them was the assurance that they "would drink the cup" that he would. There was no "power pie" to divide up. This Sunday, Blind Bartimaeus, overcomes the obstacle of the crowd surrounding Jesus and begs for pity. Jesus responds the same way, "What do you want me to do for you?" This time, the faith of the blind man is the important element. "Go your way; your faith has saved you." But the Blind Man does not go his "way." He follows Jesus instead. As a matter of faith, we all come to Jesus with different requests. Some of these are unrealistic and based on a misunderstanding of what he can do for us, as James and John discovered. Other requests are within Jesus' power to give but we must overcome discouraging obstacles to present our needs. In the case of Bartimaeus, the obstacle was the crowd surrounding Jesus! There is a terrible irony there! The Blind Man "sees" that Jesus can help him. Those who are supposedly close to Jesus and can "see" him, try to silence the Blind Man. This is completely opposed to what the kingdom is designed to accomplish! Thus, they are blind. It can be a very important discovery if we know what it is that we want Jesus to do for us. Looking at the difference between John and James on one hand, and Bartimaeus on the other might help a lot in the process. AMEN.
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