Proper 25 Year B

Job 42:1-6, 10-17, Psalm 34:1-8 (19-22), Hebrews 7:23-28, Mark 10:46-52

Our gospel today takes place at a turning point in the ministry of Jesus. Up until now Jesus has been traveling around with his disciples, teaching and healing. The disciples have been confused at times, but continue to follow Jesus because they believe he is the Messiah.  Even though they continue in this belief and continue to follow Jesus, they do not understand that their time with Jesus is limited.

In the stories that lead up to today’s gospel reading, Jesus has been telling the disciples about the suffering he is to experience and endure.  However, the disciples continue to deny it.  They deny it so much so that in the gospel reading we heard last week, James and John ask Jesus if they can be honored by him and to sit at his right and at his left.  Jesus rebukes them and says that he came to serve not to be served and those who wish to be honored as he is honored must do the same.  

They must be the servant of all.  

In today’s gospel Jesus continues to redirect the disciples by showing them his path, his path of healing and his path that leads to Jerusalem. Today’s gospel is a turning point in the ministry of Jesus because it is the end of his ministry outside of Jerusalem.

Now that we have some context, let’s take a closer look at today’s gospel…

A blind man named Bartimaeus is sitting by the side of the road outside of the city of Jericho.  We know from later in the story that at one point Bartimaeus had sight but lost it.  During this time period it was believed that illness was caused by sin, so whether his blindness was caused by his own sin or the sin of his parents, the community cast him out to the fringes of society.  As Jesus and the crowd walk by he calls out to Jesus for mercy, he does not ask for healing, but mercy. The word mercy refers to a willingness to repay one’s debt to another, by asking for mercy the one asking believes the other person owes him a debt. Bartimaeus recognizes the divinity of Jesus without the ability to see and believes that Jesus, as the Son of David, owes him mercy. Because Jesus is the Son of David, and therefore the Messiah, he is responsible for the people of his Kingdom.

When Jesus calls Bartimaeus to him a few people from the crowd comfort him and tell him to take heart and approach Jesus.  Then Jesus asks Bartimaeus “What do you want me to do for you?”  Jesus does what Bartimaeus asks, not for any other reason than because of his faith. Bartimaeus asks for something that seems impossible, and Jesus makes it possible.

So what would you do if failure didn't matter? I don't mean "didn't matter" in the sense that there would be no cost or disappointment, but rather what would you try if the attempt itself was worth it whether it succeeded or not?

Would you be like Bartimaeus and shout out for healing, even though the people around you try to silence you?

I wonder if Bartimaeus was so used to failure and disappointment that he saw no reason not to call out, no reason to not to try one more time?  Perhaps faithfulness itself is defined by trusting God enough to dare impossible deeds?

Whatever the case, how would you use your voice to call out to God?  Maybe your shout would be for justice, or peace, or equality, or any of the other handful of things that the world calls idealistic, but is so desperately needed.  Maybe your voice would be heard through your actions by volunteering at a food pantry, or tutoring a child who needs help at school, or visiting a person who is homebound who most have forgotten.

So often, these things, whether great or small, seem either so hopelessly impossible or so ridiculously insignificant that we just don't try. Yet the promise of the Gospel is that we are free – free to risk, to dare, to love, to live, to work, to dream, and to struggle – whether what we attempt seems great or small, likely or nearly impossible. Because we have God's promise, that there is no small gesture and there is no impossible deed. And for this reason we are free, even to fail, trusting that God will bring all things, even our failed efforts, to a good end