Word to the Wise
Thursday, May 27, 2021 - Thursday in the 8th Week in Ordinary Time
[Sir 42:15-25 and Mark 10:46-52]As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." And many rebuked him, telling hilton be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me." Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you." He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. 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 see." Jesus told him, "God your way; your faith has saved you." Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way. [Mark]
Little things can mean a lot. If we focus on the miracle in this story, we will miss much of the story's significance. First of all, it takes place just before Jesus enters Jerusalem. Bartimaeus is blind, the crowd can presumably see. When he asks who is passing by, he is told "Jesus of Nazareth." But he cries out, "Jesus, SON OF DAVID, have pity on me. "Son of David" is a messianic title. Bartimaeus "sees" what the crowd does not see. Just before this story there is the one about James and John asking for preferential honor in Jesus' "kingdom." The blind man sees a different and correct kingdom. Note that Jesus asks the same question of Bartimaeus that he asked of James and John,: "What do you want me to do for you?" They wanted power. The Blind Man wants to "see." Bartimaeus is also contrasted with the Rich Man earlier in the same chapter. His cloak is all he had and he throws it aside to follow Jesus.
Power and possessions, two of the biggest goals of so many in our secular culture, are contrasted with faith and its demands. It is very difficult to escape being influenced by these things which are, in themselves, morally neutral until we start craving them. Jesus asks if he is more important to us than power and possessions. He is asking if this is more than theoretically true. How important is it to us to follow him on the way? How important are power and possessions to us? AMEN
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