So, today’s gospel reading is a continuation from where we left off with last week’s gospel reading. The problem with taking snippets of scripture each week is that we often lose the bigger picture, the full and more complete message that the gospel writer is trying to reveal to their readers, that you might better appreciate if you were just reading through Mark’s gospel. Today’s gospel reading, Jesus restoring sight to the blind beggar Bartimaeus is more than just a healing story. It’s the closing story of what we could call ‘a theological journey’ that Mark has been leading his readers through. Now, in Mark’s gospel the order that the stories have been written is as important as the stories themselves, as they often indicate a deeper meaning or are clues to a deeper theological understanding. Mark also strings stories together, kind of like, well, a mini-series. And he opens and closes these ‘mini-series’ with similar stories, to give the reader a clue, a pointer, to look at the deeper message between the two stories. These opening and closing stories biblical scholars call “bookends”. Today’s story of Bartimaeus receiving his sight is the closing bookend or closing cover story. The opening bookend is in chapter 8, also a healing of a blind man, but we are not told his name; Jesus touches the blind man’s eyes, twice actually, before his sight is fully restored—remember that story, the first time Jesus touches him his sight is a bit wonky, people look like trees walking? Jesus touches his eyes a second time to clear his vision. Now, it’s the stories in between these two healings of the blind men that are the journey of discovery you could say. If I had to give this mini-series a title, I’d call it: Christianity 1.0. Mark is actually leading his readers along a path of revelation, helping them open their eyes, so to speak, to ‘see’ who this Jesus person really is, and what it means to be one of his disciples. I have listed more stories than I’ll speak to today. We will hit the highlights, as it were.
First story, after the opening bookend: Jesus asks the disciples what people are saying about him, who do they think that he is? And Peter declares: we know you are the Messiah. And Jesus asks them to keep this quiet for now, and lets the disciples know what is to come for him, that he will be put to death and rise again in three days. He is preparing them for this eventuality. But they don’t seem to understand. Next we have the story of the Transfiguration—Jesus on the mountaintop in full the glory of his Awesome Majesty, in conversation with the ancient and most revered prophets of Israel--Moses and Elijah. Then we have a story of Jesus healing a young boy with an evil spirit, whom the disciples where unable to heal. Hmm, what do you think that means? Jesus tells them a second time of his coming death. This is followed by the first argument among the disciples as to which of them was the greatest, and Jesus tells them they’ve got it backwards, the first will be last and the last first. Then Mark tells us about the disciples shooing away the children that have come to Jesus, and how he then tells them not to send the children away, instead Jesus blesses them , and tells the disciples that whoever doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child, will never be able to enter it. The disciples are perturbed that others are healing in Jesus name, but not in Jesus presence, and Jesus tells them it’s ok “Whoever it not against us is for us.”
Last week’s story came on the heels of Jesus telling the disciples how hard it is for wealthy people to enter the kingdom of God; that it would easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Peter is perturbed by this, reminding Jesus that the twelve of them have left everything they had to follow him. Jesus reassures them that those who leave everything for the sake of the gospel will be rewarded a hundred times over and also receive eternal life. But, then also reminds them that those who feel they should be first to get there will be last, and the last will be first.
This amazes some and frightens others Mark tells us, because this gospel of servant-hood, is the opposite of how most people want to live. Most of us, given a choice, don’t want to be servants but to be the ones who have servants. Jesus tells them again what his ministry of servant hood will lead him to, and this time is graphic detail: that he will be handed over to the Gentiles, condemned, mocked, flogged, killed and then three days later rise again. James and John, looking at potential opportunities for themselves here, ask Jesus essentially for a favour. And Jesus replies: What would you like me to do for you? Well, when the time comes, can he arrange things so that the two of them will sit on either side of Jesus at the table of honour in heaven? They were after all, in the first group of the twelve disciples Jesus called, so maybe they felt entitled? It seems they have an understanding of who Jesus is, but have missed the point about how that translates into the fullness of Jesus’ role as Messiah, or what it means for them to be a faithful follower of Jesus. They’re focusing on themselves and how they can capitalize on their close association with Jesus, instead of the self sacrifice Jesus is facing. They just don’t see the full picture, the upside down message of Messiah as servant king. The other ten disciples get quite angry at James and John for their impertinence and seemingly self centered request. Jesus reminds them again, a third time “Whoever wished to be first among you must be the slave of all.” Jesus tells them outright. “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk 10:45 NLT)
And that leads us to our closing bookend, today’s story about how Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, sitting on the roadside, has his sight restored to him by Jesus. It is significant that Mark tells us this man’s name, as so many of those whom Jesus has healed remained nameless. In ancient Hebrew, names held meaning. Now, any name with ‘bar’ in front of it originally meant the ‘son of’—rather like the Gaelic Mc or Mac originally meant the son of. Timaeus means honour, so Bartimaeus means ‘son of honour’. This blind beggar whom the crowd wanted to ignore, is to be honoured—and Mark wants his readers to know that. The “Son of honour” who is supposedly blind, will not be ignored, he is not afraid to call out loudly to and repeatedly to Jesus, Son of David, and this is significant. This is the first time in this gospel that Mark refers to Jesus as the Son of David. The supposedly blind beggar ‘sees’; he understands who Jesus is, in the grand scheme of God’s Kingdom, in the grand scheme of the history of the Jews. Jesus stands still, waiting, listening, and tells them to bring the blind beggar to him. Interestingly, Jesus asks Bartimaeus the same thing he said to his disciples James and John: “What do you want me to do for you?” Bartimaeus says: “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus knows he has a man of true faith, and tells him “Go, your faith has made you well.” And this beggar, who is seen by the crowd as a nobody, who Mark tells us is really an honourable man, has his sight instantly restored. Jesus doesn’t even need to touch him, unlike the first blind man Mark tells us about, who needed Jesus to touch him twice to be healed. Mark tells us Bartimaeus’ sight is restored, which means he wasn’t always blind. He became blind, and a beggar, a man with nothing in his life, dependent on others for charity. He lost everything, stripped of all the things in life—like wealth—remember the camel story, like societal pressures --remember the story of the children, like servant leadership-remember the stories of the true leader is being a servant? What do you think Mark’s message is here? The blind dependant beggar is the one who sees and understands Jesus for who he truly is; which just highlights even more the inability of the disciples to see, hear and understand. All those things that Jesus was talking about in the other stories—those are things that impede our vision, that block our seeing who Jesus truly is, and how faith in Jesus can heal us. Even those with 20-20 vision can be spiritually blind! When our spiritual eyes are opened in faith to a life following the ways of Jesus, that’s when true healing begins.
What did Bartimaeus do once his sight was restored? Well, he didn’t go back to his old life; Bartimaeus followed Jesus on the way Mark says—on the way to Jerusalem—and we know what happened when he got there. This, then, is our true life journey. To see the way of Jesus and follow, to the very end.
Because as Jesus’ life death and resurrection has shown us, the end, is really a new beginning. Amen.