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Sunday June 29, 2008 "The Miracle of Bartimaeus" Mark 10: 46-52 |
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Location: Blogs Brad's BlogBrad's Sermons |
 | | Posted by: Brad Miller | 6/30/2008 10:38 AM | Sometimes I think our biggest problem as humans is that we don’t always say what we mean, or do what we say. I bet all of us have been on both sides of this conversation: “How are things going with you?” “Good, thanks, and you?” “Not bad.”
But how many times when greeted this way have you wanted to really lay out was what going on: how work was a pain, how the kids have been sick, how money is tight at the end of the month…? And who knows, it may be that the person on the other side of the conversation is not really coming clean, either.
Alright, alright, it’s just social convention. No one really wants to hear about all your little ailments and aches and pains and what a jerk your boss has been.
Once a few years ago I had a few minutes between appointments and so I decided to call my father. He answered and I asked, “How are you doin’?” And he started to tell me his problems…and c’mon, I was just being polite. I started to laugh, and interrupted him. “Hey Dad, you know what? I only have a couple of minutes and really, I was just being polite. I don’t really want to know how you are doin’.” He paused, then said, “Okay let’s start over.” “So, Dad, how you doin’” “Grrreeat,” he replied. “Glad to hear it,” I said. At which point both of us started to laugh.
Sure, it is a bit of a silly point, but how often do we go about following social convention, being polite, not saying what is really on our mind because… well… it’s just not done?
But as we have gone through this month of focusing on some of the miraculous events in the Bible, we have seen several instances where this social taboo is broken.
We saw the widow who had nowhere to turn come to the prophet Elisha and say, “My husband was a devout follower of yours, and now he’s dead and I am about to lose everything, even my children. What are you going to do about it?” Now, that’s not very polite. Why should Elisha be dragged into something just because her husband was a poor businessman and found himself with debt that he could not cover? It was his fault that the widow was in this position, not Elisha’s! But there she was, knocking on the prophet’s door for relief. How rude!
We have seen Elijah stand in front of the king and take a singularly unpopular position against idol worship. Didn’t he know you aren’t supposed to criticize kings and other royalty? Where’s that gonna get you? You’re not going to be invited to any state dinners, I guarantee you that.
We even have seen Jesus break the rules simply because it needed to be done.
The paralytic man by the pools at Bethsaida needed help and Jesus gave it to him in the form of a healing miracle. In so doing, Jesus did something that just wasn’t done: he worked on the Sabbath. Why did he do it?
Why did any of these people do what they did? What caused them to break the boundaries of social convention? Because they were at a stage where simply following the rules of polite society and keeping quiet was not going to do them, or anyone, any good! They needed to say what was on their mind, because no one else was going to do anything unless they did.
The last of our series of miracles is probably one of the best known of all: the miracle of the restoration of sight to the blind man, Bartimaeus.
I love Mark’s account of this because it is so much like the entire gospel of Mark: it is stripped bare of any flowery language, of any pretense, of any grand theological explanation. The author of Mark simply tells the story as it happened.
Jesus and his followers, which numbered a huge crowd at this point, were leaving Jericho. As they left, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, son of Timaeus, was sitting by the side of the road and when he realized it was Jesus coming by, he began to shout out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” Others not only told him to be quiet, they “sternly ordered” him to be quiet. But, he shouted all the louder, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”
Jesus, stopped, and told his followers to bring this man to him. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. “Rabbi, let me see again.”
Jesus said, “Your faith has made you well. Go.”
And Bartimaeus followed Jesus on the way.
In reading through several scholarly commentaries about this simple, straightforward story, I was dumbfounded that literally none of the commentators focused on what jumped out at me: Bartimaeus had his sight restored because he broke social convention, even with those around him trying to get him to have some dignity and quiet down. He made a spectacle of himself because he knew that Jesus could help him. And he was right.
No, the other commentators wanted to talk about how the placement of this story was important because it is the last miracle before Jesus entered Jerusalem on what has become known as Palm Sunday. Some wanted to concentrate on how it fit into the typology of miracles. Some wanted to concentrate on Jericho, and try and sort out it’s importance to the story. Still others wanted to delve into Bartiamaeus background, or the background of his father, Timeaus.
There was some interesting stuff there, but over and over I kept wondering, how come they aren’t dealing with the most straightforward issue here: Jesus brought sight to a blind man because the blind man had the wherewithal to ask for help.
Maybe I am a little thick, but I think that’s the story here. No matter how many people told him, “Don’t bother this great man. He’s not interested in your problems.” No matter how many times they tried to shush him. No matter what anyone else thought, Bartimaeus knew that if he could get Jesus’ attention, things could be better.
There is something powerful in this example. How often do we not speak up, on our own behalf, or on behalf of others, because of a belief that no one else is interested in those problems? How often do we not get the help we need, help that is available, because we don’t speak up?
Back to my father, the man who wanted to tell me all his problems that day on the phone. Well, in this example we are sitting in his doctors office and the doctor is asking my dad how he is feeling. “Fine.” “Any complaints?” “No, not really.” It was all I could do to not jump out of my chair and shout. I was stunned. “Well,” I interrupted, “What about those dizzy spells you’ve been having? What about the fall you took a couple of days ago when we were going down the stairs. How about the momentary slurred speech you had right after you fell?” “Oh, that was nothing.” “Well, I think the doctor ought to know about those things.”
The doctor finally broke in and said, “Erwin, tell me about the dizzy spells,” as my father shot me a look that would have peeled paint.
I have been told by many people that my father’s behavior in that situation is a generational thing. Oh really? Then why have I witnessed friends my age and younger doing the same thing? I have been told my father’s behavior in that situation was “a guy thing.” Maybe. I will admit to having done something like that a time or two, but I have also talked to several women who have not sought medical help when something was bothering them. Some of them are in this sanctuary, today!
My point is this: when we won’t speak up when we need medical help, what is the chance that we will speak up when we find ourselves in the position of the widow, a bit down on our luck? What is the chance that we will speak up when our spiritual health is suffering? When we feel alone and disconnected from God?
The miracles we have studied these last four weeks do a lot to highlight the miraculous power of God. But they raise a question: if those involved in these miracles were silent, would they have taken place?
Had Elisha been unaware of the widow’s plight, would her children have become slaves to pay her husband’s debt?
Had the paralytic not told Jesus his story, would he have ever gotten into the healing pool?
Had Elijah not confronted King Ahab, could the awesome power of God’s presence have been made known on Mt. Carmel?
Had blind Bartimaeus not shouted out, would he have lived out his life in darkness?
I don’t know the answer to those questions, but there is enough of a pattern that makes me wonder.
But they did speak up.
They did act out.
They did what they needed to do.
Jesus is another example of this. He healed on the Sabbath because it was the right thing to do. He challenged the Temple authorities because it was the right thing to do. He turned over the tables of the money changers in the temple, because it was the right thing to do. He healed the Roman Centurion’ daughter because it was the right thing to do.
I don’t know about you, but having Jesus as an example of how I am supposed to act is a little daunting. But having these other “normal” folks as examples, is very helpful.
Because we have all been scared at times, but been afraid to share our fear.
Because we have all been “paralyzed” at times, unable to make a decision or move forward.
Because we all have witnessed injustices, but did not know how to speak up.
Because we all have our own blind spots, and need God’s help to see clearly.
Because we are human, we need to heed these examples and speak up when we need help, cry out when we grieve, fall on our knees before Jesus when we know that Jesus is the only one who can help.
But it’s not just about asking for help. It’s also about speaking up when we see unfairness, injustice, pain and suffering. It’s about living our lives as closely to the example of Jesus as we can. It’s about not letting people shush us when our speaking up will help. It’s about living our lives as Jesus taught us and God expects us to.
Several years ago I came across something written by Howard Thurman, Christian theologian, pastor and mystic. He was one of the big influences on Martin Luther King, Jr. when MLK was a doctoral student at Boston University and Howard Thurman was the Dean of the Chapel. It speaks to me about the need to be true to what we know is right, to speaking up no matte who tells us not to, to living our life authentically, as disciples of Jesus Christ.
It is entitled “Do It Anyway” and it also inspired a song by Martina McBride a few years ago…a song which we have heard sung in this sanctuary.
“People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered:
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives:
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies:
Be successful anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you:
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight:
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous:
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow:
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough:
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God:
It was never between you and them anyway.”
Amen and Amen.
Let us pray: Gracious God, we give you thanks for giving us our voices. Help us to use them when we need help, when we need you, when we need to help others. Gracious God, we give you thanks for hearing our voices. Help us to hear other voices as you hear ours. Gracious God, we give you thanks for the miracle of your presence in our lives. Help us to be agents of your miraculous presence through our hearing, our speaking and our doing, now and always. Amen. | | | Permalink | Trackback |
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