First United Methodist Church
October 27th, 2024
Rev. Lauren Hall
Do Unto Others: Respect
There is a peculiar pattern in Scripture that those who have every reason to worship and give thanks, too often don’t, while those who seem afflicted and have all kinds of reason to doubt or complain, often surprise you with their profound faith.
Or maybe it’s not so much that it’s a peculiar pattern in Scripture, but in life. Blessings, or the things that we were once grateful for, are suddenly taken for granted. Before we realize it, the things we used to work hard for and really appreciate become the things we think we deserve or are entitled to.
Remember the days when owning a house with an indoor toilet was a big deal? Most of us here probably don’t remember those days, but if you go back just 100 years, an indoor toilet was a luxury item. So was a car. Fifty years ago cell phones were unheard of, and computers were still in the hands of the government and way too big to be called a tablet. In modern society, we have developed a worldview where all these things have become expectations and all it takes is a disruption – an illness, a broken relationship, a painful loss or a deep disappointment – and suddenly we realize our vulnerability and how precious these entitlements really are.
That seems to be the theme in our gospel readings for the past several weeks. This week we meet the blind man, Bartimaeus. Having heard Jesus is coming, he starts calling out, addressing Jesus as “Son of David” and asking for mercy. And then, when the people around him try to shush him into more respectful silence… he yells even louder! And it works. Jesus hears him and bids him to come near, and suddenly the crowds change their tune and offer encouragement: “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” While I would have likely been tempted to mutter, “yeah, no thanks to you,” Bartimaeus has no time for pettiness and excitedly throws off his cloak and rushes expectantly to Jesus.
Before Bartimaeus is healed, however, let’s look at this text a little more closely. Bartimaeus calls out to Jesus as he is leaving Jerico. Bartimaeus has been sitting on the side of the road all day, but when he calls out, they tell him to be quiet. They essentially tell him to keep to the margins, to stay away, to not interrupt. The crowd doesn’t respect him and doesn’t think he deserves to be healed by Jesus.
Why is that?
When we read this passage, we have to keep in mind that the amazing part of this scripture isn’t that he was healed, but that Jesus stopped and noticed him. In the first century, both blindness and poverty are taken as signs of punishment for sin.
That’s why those around him try to hush him up – it’s embarrassing to have such a sinner call out to a revered teacher. Yet he calls and Jesus answers. And simply by recognizing his need, trusting that Jesus can provide, and being willing to give up what he has in order to follow, Bartimaeus has been saved, restored, invited into the kingdom. A miracle.
When Jesus challenges him with the question, “What do you want me to do for you?” I think Bartimaeus surprises the crowd by saying, “Teacher, let me see again.” I think they probably expected him to say, “Don’t you see that I am blind? Give me food. Give me money. I’ve heard that you can do anything.” He was a beggar, after all.
The crowd isn’t tuned into Jesus like Bartimaeus is. And they don’t seem to understand Bartimaeus either. They see him as a beggar. Jesus sees him as a person who needs to be made whole. Bartimaeus has all kinds of reasons to be discouraged if not resentful, but in spite of, or, perhaps, because of his loss and suffering he realizes what a gift it is to be near Jesus and is excited to make his petition known.
We’ve been walking with Jesus through the tenth chapter of Mark. The contrasts between this blind beggar and the previous folks Jesus has been dealing with couldn’t be greater. Compared with the rich man, Bartimaeus is dirt poor, sitting “along the way” or, perhaps more vividly, “in the gutter.” Yet while the rich man could not give up his wealth to follow, Bartimaeus, when Jesus calls him, throws off his cloak – quite possibly the only thing that has brought him comfort for several years – it has kept him warm and it probably holds his spoils of begging. In his act of throwing off his cloak, we see the image of one who leaves his former life behind in order to join him as a follower.
And then there are the disciples. Jesus asks both the disciples and Bartimaeus what they want from him. But while the disciples ask for status and power, Bartimaeus simply wants his basic needs met: “let me see again.” And, as a result, he immediately moves from sitting “by the way” to following Jesus “on the way.” He has gone, that is, from beggar to disciple.
What Jesus says to him is, in this context, important to note. We translate it “Your faith has made you well,” but the Greek word for “well” is also “whole” and, importantly, “saved.” So we might read it as “Your faith has saved you.” Earlier in the chapter the rich man asked how he could inherit eternal life. When Jesus told him to admit his dependence on God (by giving up wealth) and solidarity with others (by giving his wealth to the poor), he couldn’t do it. When the disciples themselves saw what they believed was an extreme requirement, they also despaired (“then who can be saved?”). Jesus answers them, “With humans it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Mark’s depiction of the disciples makes it plain that they didn’t understand who the Messiah was or why they were going to Jerusalem. James and John’s request resulted in a quarrel among the disciples. They showed an uncaring, even nasty attitude toward a blind man calling out to Jesus. When the bystanders sternly order him to be quiet, what we really need to see in ourselves is that when we are blinded by merely a human vision, even long-time followers can get in the way of God’s power and purpose.
But the persecuted, Gentile church for which Mark wrote would also have heard this as a message of hope: that “outsiders” are included in the Kingdom; that Jesus “sees” us when others think we aren’t worthy, and that God’s purpose is accomplished when people experience healing and dramatic change regardless of their station on the socio-economic ladder.
And that’s what we need to see today. God showed up for Bartimaeus and he threw off his cloak and asked for something that he couldn’t get from anybody else – his sight. When Jesus restored it, Bartimaeus chose life with Jesus, a much more difficult life than his former life as a beggar, but a much more complete life. Bartimaeus is portrayed as a model of Christian discipleship. And Jesus’ followers tried to keep him from having this encounter.
It comes down to whether we are among those who are telling the outsider, the stranger, the marginalized to be quiet and not disturb the status quo, or whether we choose to be those who say, “Take heart, he is calling you.” Take heart, this message is for you. This hope is for you, and not just for us. Sure, we have blindnesses that need to be healed as well. Yes, we need to hear the voice of Jesus calling us and asking us what we need. We are a part of those to whom Jesus has come. But we often – knowingly or unknowingly – hoard that message, that voice, that partner with whom we walk as though he were our special possession and not the one who came to the whole world. Like James and John in last week’s text, we want to claim places of honor as our right.
What walking with Jesus teaches us is that we aren’t the ones guiding the path. We aren’t the ones who are determining where to go. We’ve surrendered that responsibility when we decided to follow Jesus. Bartimaeus saw that. We could learn from one who was blind but now sees. Because he asked. Let me see.
And so, as we conclude today, I want to challenge you a little bit as we consider some questions: What is this story inviting us to do? Where do you fit into it? Are you one of the outsiders who needs to experience God’s love and grace? Or are you a person in the crowd, someone who has heard Jesus’ words and been changed by them, shushing the bystander who cries out? Who are the outsiders that we are keeping from encountering Jesus? What do we need to do so that we can notice and respond to people like Bartimaeus, who seek Christ’s healing love?
“Take heart; get up, [the Lord] is calling you.”
Let’s pray…
Open our eyes, Lord, and help us to see Jesus as he reaches out to heal our blindness. Help us to let go of all those things that keep us in darkness.
We think that we want to be healed of this blindness, but actually we have become so comfortable in our darkness that we fear the light. It is as though we are living in a cave, and rather than take a risk to face the light, we prefer to face the dark wall. Give us courage to take risks which will result in not only our own transformation, but also the transformation opportunities for others. Forgive our stubborn resistance to change and help us to see those who need to become part of our faith community. Take our hands and lead us to the light. Help us to be ready for your reformation. AMEN.
Invitation to Discipleship
What we put into the world is part of the ongoing creation of the world. As you go out into the community this week, respect the “other” and take the time to hear and learn their stories. Go in peace.
