There’s an old expression, “When ya got nothin’, ya got nothin’ to lose.”
That’s kind of the way I see our blind protagonist in the gospel appointed for Pentecost 22, Year B in the Revised Common Lectionary (Mark 10:46-52). “Blind Bartimaeus,” as he is often called, is really one of the saddest figures we meet in the gospels. Sure, there’s the man born blind in John 9 and the Gerasene Demoniac and a bunch of other sad, afflicted, and helpless souls Jesus encounters in his earthly journey. BUT: all these other folks at least have a community. Bartimaeus doesn’t seem to have anyone on his side. In fact, he doesn’t even have a real name. The Bible tells us he’s the son of Timaeus, but we knew that anyway since the prefix “bar” means “son of.” This is a guy who has lost his own identity.
Go figure: When Jesus asks Bartimaeus what he can do for him, the blind man says, “My teacher, let me see again.” Notice he says, “see again.” Bartimaeus wasn’t born blind. He’s lost his sight, and with it he’s lost his job, his ability to contribute, and his place in the community. No wonder nobody remembers his first name. He’s not even begging at a temple or synagogue. He’s out on the road, presumably by himself, somewhere between Jericho and Bethphage, begging from those who pass by. He’s an outcast.
But this guy has one thing left—hope. We can tell from the way he talks that he’s heard of this Jesus guy, a guy who is very likely the Messiah. A guy who can heal the sick and the lame and make things right and whole again. So, when Bartimaeus hears that Jesus is coming his way, he starts raising a ruckus. He calls Jesus “Son of David.” He’s not just acknowledging Jesus’ genealogy, he’s invoking the name of Israel’s greatest kick-ass king. In this way he’s declaring that Jesus is the heir to Israel’s throne and probably the long-awaited Messiah. This is a pretty daring claim to make, and it doesn’t sit well with everyone who hears. The retinue following Jesus or the folks traveling the same road have so little regard for the blind beggar that they tell him to put a sock in it when he starts calling for Jesus. But this doesn’t stop Bartimaeus. No, sir. He’s going all out in the hope God will bring him back to himself.
When Jesus calls him over, Bartimaeus jumps up and throws off his cloak—which was probably the only thing of value he had left. When you’re desperate and you have next to nothing, you have to gamble even the little bit you have. Jesus usually touches the people he heals, but in this guy’s case all he has to do is tell him he’s been made well because of his faith.
I wonder how Bartimaeus reacted to this. I wonder if the world seemed more beautiful to him with his eyesight restored. Was the grass greener than he remembered? Was the sky deeper blue? One thing’s for sure—the world was not the same as it had been before he lost his vision. It never is when we’ve suffered great loss. When we go through a time of utter despair, depression, loneliness or whatever and find we’ve come out on the other side, we can’t be the people we were before. Our survival has to bring about a kind of repentance. Whatever Bartimaeus was before he lost his sight, he was a follow of Jesus once he got it back.
The story impresses me with a couple of things. First, the old saying “while there’s life there’s hope” is all wrong. The truth is, while there’s hope there’s life. I always ask people who come to me for pastoral care if they can imagine a time when they won’t feel the way they currently feel. If they answer “no” I know I’m in way over my head. That’s because they’re confessing to being hopeless. Whatever our situation, we need to beg Jesus for mercy and a new vision to see ourselves in a new way, to see what God has done and is doing, and to see the road forward. If we can’t, we’ll be dead inside.
The other thing Bartimaeus teaches us is some real gutsy proclamation. After all, the guy had nothing to lose. When he was told to be quiet, he shouted Jesus’ name even louder. Desperate times call for boldness, and that boldness can lead to empowerment and joy.
May God’s joy be with you this week. Thank
you again for stopping by.
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