TWO WOULD-BE DISCIPLES: A PICTURE OF JUDGMENT
The setting of today’s gospel reading (Mark 10:46-52) is the city of Jericho. Jesus has been traveling south from Galilee with his disciples and others since the revelation to Peter that Jesus was the messiah. That came spontaneously from him in response to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” That acknowledgement by Peter, coupled with the coming celebration of Passover, helped Jesus decide to make the fateful journey to Jerusalem knowing in his heart that this would lead to the end. On the road he spoke on three different occasions to his disciples telling them that he would be betrayed and would suffer at the hands of others. This was information they were unprepared to hear.
On the road they encountered crowds but more importantly two different people who presented themselves to become disciples. When all was said and done the disciples must have questioned whether Jesus accepted the right one.
Earlier in the tenth chapter of Mark, a man ran up to Jesus asking how he might find eternal life. He was wealthy, young, pious, and would be an incredible asset to any growing company. But Jesus told him to sell what he had first and then give the proceeds away before joining them. It was a blow. He had much. He had too much, in fact, to do this. In spite of that, Jesus loved him but also knew his possessions possessed him. For the disciples who believed that wealth was a sign of God’s favor, they wondered aloud, “Who then can be saved?”
In today’s gospel we have the second character. He has no wealth, no outward sign of God’s favor. In fact, he has quite the opposite. His blindness was perceived in those days as a sign of God’s disfavor or, even, a sign of his sin. To boot, he was nameless. Bartimaeus is a compilation of two words that mean “son of” and “Timaeus.” He is simply the son of someone. He is like the cat that appeared in a London newspaper. It was an ad for a found cat. “Found kitten with white paws and bib. Very affectionate. Answers to the name ‘go away.’”
That is the plight of Bartimaeus. The disciples want him to go away and quit bothering Jesus. Yet Jesus responded to him. He called him from beside the road. Bartimaeus had nothing at all. He pled for his sight. Jesus gave him everything because the one thing he has is trust. It is no-name son of Timaeus and not the rich young man who became a disciple of Jesus.
This was surely confusing to the disciples. What kind of leader were they following? The attractive candidate was put off by the words of Jesus and the least attractive was accepted.
In a way I think this is the evangelist Mark unpacking the story of Jesus. It is his statement about the church and it is a portrait of judgment. Mark pictures the crowd marching merrily to Jerusalem, totally oblivious of the waiting cross. As they journey the crowd refused to be interrupted by the needs of the world, whether it was women bringing children or a blind beggar by the roadside. The disciples discouraged one and all from approaching the master in their march to Jerusalem.
But Jesus knew where this parade was heading. He knew what the cost was going to be to him. He knew that only those who were willing to deal with the issue of trust would ultimately make it. The wealthy man could not because he could not let go of what he had and trust in Jesus. Bartimaeus did trust and because of that he was enabled to follow.
This is one of the curiosities of the gospel. The seeing folk are the ones who are blind. The blind folks see.
Mark’s picture seems clear to me. To follow Jesus is a call to a committed life. That begins with trust. It is first of all a willingness to trust our wealth. That is the issue of stewardship. It is our willingness to give to God through the church as well as other institutions whose commitment is to benefit humankind. Anthony de Mello wrote this little vignette:
A businessman asked the Master: “How would spirituality help a man of the world like me?”
“It would help you to have more,” said the master.
“How?”
“By teaching you to desire less.” (One Minute Wisdom)
The challenge of stewardship is setting our priorities in this world. It is seeing that all that we have is from God and what we are asked to do is to trust God’s leadership by desiring less.
The committed life is secondly a willingness to trust God with our lives. To trust God with our lives requires that we first acknowledge our own blindness. We must curb our desire to acquire things at any cost…to be possessed by our possessions.
Thirdly, a committed life enables us to be bathed in the forgiving love of our Lord. The rich young man had everything. Because of that wealth he was insulated from the love of Jesus, who was at that very moment was reaching out to him. Bartimaeus, in his poverty, felt the healing embrace of the Son of God because he had great need.
Our church is part of the parade marching towards judgment. “No name” “go away” Timaeus calls to us from the roadside: he is hungry, homeless, powerless; she has AIDS, living in a ghetto; she is a battered woman, he is a poorly educated child…can you hear them? Or are we too caught up in our own busyness or agenda to let go and let God be our guide?
To follow Jesus is to be brought up short because no one has all of the answers about being faithful. I do believe we are being called to turn to the side, to listen to the cries of those in need and ask ourselves what are we going to do about it. Is this the time to say no to the church?
There is much fear and anxiety in what we are about as a church, but there was more fear that day in Jericho. To follow Jesus is to dare to keep going even when we can see on the horizon a cross…that is the cost of discipleship.
To follow Jesus is to give a name to “go away” Timaeus. It is to put a name to those faceless people we see along the way. That name is “Child of God;” that name is “Beloved of the Father.” We are called to minister to them. That is what this church is about. It is to say to him or her, “Because of Jesus, the one at the head of this parade, you are worth dying for.” It is for me the only reason for the journey at all.
As we do to the least we have done it for him. And if we really see the point, we, with the newly renamed Bartimaeuses of the world, will follow.
Amen
The Rev. Dr. W. Robert Abstein
St. Ann’s Church
Nashville TN
