Word to the Wise
Sunday, October 28, 2012 - 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B
[Jer 31:7-9; Heb 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52]Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to to see." Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you."
Over the years, I have come to appreciate the dramatic qualities of many of the encounters with Jesus that appear in the gospels. I'm not a dramatist, so my observations are not professional in any sense, but I find drama helpful in understanding what is happening in a given situation because all good drama draws the spectator into the action and touches the heart and mind in a personal way. I know I've mentioned this before in regard to the Gospel of John, but today's gospel passage offers a similar opportunity. Read it through carefully. (Then go back and read the scriptures from Jeremiah and Hebrews in the light of the gospel to broaden the perspective.)
In this drama, we have three characters: the blind man [Bar Timaeus], Jesus, and the crowd (which includes his disciples). In Bar Timaeus, we have the tremendous emotional, cultural and physical meaning of blindness. We have his faith, which may be only that he has heard of Jesus as a healer. He is told that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by, but he goes further and calls to him as "Son of David!" - a messianic term! We could also recall the story in Luke 18:9-14 of the tax collector who prays "Lord have mercy on me, a sinner" when we hear Bar Timaeus yell, "Have pity on me!"
In the crowd we have a mixture of varying interests: disciples and others. They are like a mob with a mind. At first they tell him to shut up, then, when Jesus expresses an interest in him, they turn completely around and urge Bar Timaeus to come forward. 'Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."
Jesus responds to the faith of Bar Timaeus, who shouts louder and louder! We may recall the story of the sick woman who touches the tassel of his cloak in a crowd, or the Canaanite woman who comes seeking healing for her daughter! Jesus ignores the "crowd" in all of these to reach the one who comes in faith! Jesus asks a question that is more profound that we might at first see: "What do you want me to do for you?"
Our faith, in the midst of whatever blindness we have, may be imperfect. We may have to shout through a crowd of obstacles. We need to know what it is that we want Jesus to do for us. We need not fear his response. AMEN