Homily for October 25, 2009

Father Tom’s Homily
30th Sunday
October 25, 2009

As a theme of today’s gospel, we could use Willie Nelson’s song “On the Road Again.” Because for the past six weeks our Sunday gospel readings have followed Jesus’ journey with his disciples from Cesarea Philippi to Jerusalem.
In Mark’s gospel this journey of about 100 miles takes place from chapter 8 to 10. It is an important journey for Jesus, his disciples and for us.
The journey begins with Jesus’ invitation to follow him. It is given to his reluctant disciples - reluctant because Jesus predicts that in Jerusalem he will be crucified. Peter was so reluctant that he tries to talk Jesus out of making the journey to his death. Jesus harshly rebukes Peter, “Get behind me, Satan.” Meaning, “Peter, you are the voice of the tempter. Do not prevent me. Get in line behind me. Follow me.”

Thus the journey begins. In Mark’s gospel, chapters 8-10, Jesus gives his disciples lessons in what it means to truly follow him as they travel together. Mark’s account of this school in discipleship seems highly critical of the apostles.
They were not happy campers. Mark notes in chapter 10, “They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem. Jesus was walking ahead of them, those who followed were apprehensive.”
Because of the shocking revelation about the crucifixion, they are reluctant about the journey. Also shocking were some of the examples of the true disciple that Jesus gave them.

The true disciple, Jesus says, is like a child, and also like a servant to others.
Jesus says, “Unless you become as little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” And, “Whoever wishes to be great among you must serve the rest.”
They should want to become like little children and like servants who wait on others? No wonder they were lagging behind Jesus on the road.

Today’s gospel reading gives the final episode of the journey. It is as they are leaving Jericho for the last leg of the walk to Jerusalem. And here is given another example of the true disciple, one is the most shocking to the disciples. It is an utterly poor beggar who is blind.
As Mark the storyteller so skillful tells us, Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, represents a positive contrast to the apostles whose clumsy actions have been noted in Mark’s story before reaching Jericho.

Let us imagine the scene in today’s gospel. Jericho is the last stop on the long walk to Jerusalem. On this journey, large crowds are on their way to the feast of Passover in the Holy City. The road out of Jericho is a final 15-mile stretch of the pilgrim’s journey.
The road out of Jericho would be lined with the city’s beggars because the odds were good that pious pilgrims would be in the mood and would have some extra coins to give alms. There on that crowded road as the cries of beggars filled the air, Jesus meets Bartimaeus, the destitute blind man.

We need to take note of Bartimaeus’ cloak. It is very likely his most treasured possession.
At night he would wrap himself in this cloak for warmth against the chilly night air. By day it was also an important element of his livelihood. Like most beggars, he would spread his cloak on the ground before him to receive the coins tossed to him.

When he is told that Jesus is calling him, Bartimaeus throws aside his cloak and came quickly to Jesus.
Mark often uses contrast in telling the story of Jesus. Here the obvious contrast is with the rich young man whom we heard about a few miles earlier in chapter 10.
That sincere, respectable, religious, rich man cannot break with his possessions. And so he walks away from Jesus’ invitation to be his disciple. In contrast, this shabby illiterate beggar abandons the one possession he has and gladly follows Jesus.

Mark also draws a devastating contrast between the request of the two disciples in the episode just before today’s story and beggar’s simple request.
You recall that in last Sunday’s gospel James and John asked Jesus for a special favor. Jesus said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” Word for word that is the same thing Jesus says to Bartimaeus in today’s gospel. “What do you want me to do for you?”
How different the request of the two disciples and the blind beggar. James and John ask that they sit alongside Jesus in his kingdom. They are asking for status and privilege. Bartimaeus says simply, “Master, I want to see.”
For Bartimaeus, blindness was a visual impairment. For most of us, blindness is a spiritual handicap. In the light of the gospel we understand that the rich young man was blinded by his possessions, and James and John were blinded by ambition.

In Mark’s account of their journey with Jesus to Jerusalem, all the disciples stumble about in their efforts to follow Jesus, blinded in one way or another.
So you see, Bartimaeus is not an insignificant figure. He is the example of the true disciple.

Mark also shows us a similarity between Peter and Bartimaeus. Both recognized Jesus as the Messiah. At the very beginning of the journey in Cesarea Phillipi, Peter acknowledges Jesus in these words, “You are the Messiah.”
Now in Jericho, Bartimaeus calls out to Jesus, “Son of David,” which is a title of the Messiah. After calling Jesus the Messiah, Peter, blinded by fear, is reluctant to make the journey to Jerusalem. But Bartimaeus with great enthusiasm follows Jesus on the way to the Holy City.

The blind man is a good symbol for all disciples because he is a needy beggar. He knew he was blind and he asks for sight.
It is important for us to recognize that we are needy. In many ways we are blind. We come to the Lord in weakness, not through strength. The true disciple is the one who accepts his/her weakness and calls out to Jesus for healing.

On that final stretch of the journey to the Holy City, the pilgrims of old would sing from memory psalms for the journey to their spiritual home. One of the psalms goes like this, “We rejoiced when we heard them say, let us go up to the house of the Lord.”
We can imagine Jesus and his disciples singing with the weary crowds on this last leg from Jericho, and joining the shouts of joy when at last they first caught sight of the beautiful temple in the distance ahead of them.

There is a special journey song for those of us who have recognized our own spiritual blindness and have called out to Jesus for healing.
It is that old hymn, “Amazing Grace.”
“I once was lost, but now am found,
was blind, but now I see.”