30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B); 10-24-2021

Jer 31:7-9.  Ps 126.  Heb 5:1-6.  Mk 10:46-52

Deacon Jim McFadden

            Today, we have the familiar story in the 30^th Sunday of Ordinary Time, of Jesus healing the blind man, Bartimaeus.  The eye is the organ of sight and this man simply can’t see, which causes him great pain; so, hearing that Jesus is near, he cries out from the depth of his heart, believing and trusting that Jesus will do something to alleviate his suffering.

            There are several things going on this Gospel account.  First, notice that he is on the periphery of his city, Jericho.  The city often represents in Scripture the locus of the dominant consciousness of society, which promises us that we can attain happiness by securing the goods of the world.  As we swim in this pagan culture, in our case, secular ideology, we become blind and the light of the Gospel gradually dims as we buy into the Lie  that if I have enough wealth, status, power, and pleasure that I can have a life worth living.  Bartimaeus is on the fringe, which suggests that he has not bought into the Lie, but he is deprived of the alternative consciousness of the Good News. 

            Also, he is not some anonymous character: he has a face and a name: Bartimaeus, that is, “son of Timaeus,” who will encounter Jesus in a very profound, interpersonal way. But, the question is how?  He cannot see.  He does not know whether Jesus is near or far away, but he hears Jesus.  He is listening.  And, he’s picking up a vibe from the crowd that the Lord is coming closer.  But, Bartimaeus is alone and no one is concerned about him. And, so what does Bartimaeus do?  He cries out and continues to cry out, becoming a nuisance to the crowd who try to shut him up.  But, Bartimaeus does not keep quiet and he uses the only weapon at his disposal: he cries out even more loudly: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me” (Mk 10:47).  Bartimaeus is being beautifully stubborn: he is desperate to see—at a deeper spiritual level, he hungers for grace and he’ll knock on the door of God’s heart.  He cries out, despite the pressure from the crowd to be politely silent.  He won’t and notice how he addresses Jesus: “Son of David”, which is code word for the long-awaited Messiah.  It is a profession of faith from someone who has been ignored and despised by all.  Jesus listens to his cry.  Bartimaeus was basically praying to Jesus and his prayer touched Jesus’ heart and the doors of salvation are going to open to this man who is in darkness. 

            Jesus calls to him and Bartimaeus jumps to his feet and with an ironic twist, those who had been telling him to be quiet, now lead him to the Master.  Jesus speaks to him and he asks him to express his desire.  This is important: on one hand, it’s obvious what the blindman would want.  But that misses the point. Jesus is not a magician.  He can only do a miracle if the recipient has faith.  He’s inviting Bartimaeus, he is inviting you and I to a deeper level of surrender. For that to happen we have to ask, which is exactly what Bartimaeus does: “Master, I want to see” (v. 51b).

            Jesus says to him: “Go your way; your faith has made you well” (v. 52).  Jesus recognizes in that poor, defenseless, neglected, despised human being, a person that has the power of faith, which attracts like a magnet the mercy and the power of God.  Bartimaeus is on the brink of salvation—he knows it, he knows whom he is engaged with: he jumps up, hands upraised, and cries from the depth of his soul to see:  not just physically, but to see into the heart of Jesus, where his salvation rests.  The Catechism states that “humility is the foundation of prayer” #2559).  Genuine prayer emerges from our precarious and vulnerable state; it comes from our deepest yearning to be with God.  Faith is expressed in a cry, which we see in Bartimaeus, who is a stand-in for all of us.  Do we have that attitude or are we like the crowd that tries to suppress the cry?  Lack of faith is a subtle form of blindness in which we become comfortable with the seductions of our post-modern secular culture.  We’ve become inured to the ways of the world in which we just settle to our comfort and security systems, bolstered by our political echo chambers.  We become indifferent to the evil and social injustices that oppress us and our brothers and sisters; what’s worse we’re complicit in the disharmony, dysfunction, and injustice that plagues our world. 

            But, Bartimaeus was not like that.  He was a persevering man.  He was surrounded by others who had acquiesced to the status quo, that it was useless to change, that the cry he was making was just annoying noise that was not only irksome but it would be better for all to remain silent.  They wanted him to stop crying out. 

            But, Bartimaeus didn’t.  He did not remain silent.  And, in the end, he obtained what he wanted.  He has regained his sight that had once been lost and he has been restored to the fulness of his dignity.  And, what does he do?  He gets back on his feet and resumes the journey and “followed him on the way” (v. 52c).  Bartimaeus not only has regained his sight but he now has a guide, Jesus, and a path—the same path that Jesus is traveling that leads to our salvation and eternal destiny.  Bartimaeus is showing us what discipleship is:  following Jesus “along the way” in the light of faith. 

            Brothers and sisters, this is the linchpin of the story.  Do we want to be healed of the blindness that comes with the dominant consciousness of our society.  Do we want to see what is really Real—the Kingdom of God–through the interpretive lens of the Gospel?  Do we want to see through the Mind of Christ?  Do we want to experience Reality through his Sacred Heart?  That’s the question.  Bartimaeus knew he was blind and he knew that Jesus could heal him because he was “the Son of David.” The question is: do you and I want to see? Amen.