| October 26, 2008
You are welcome to reflect on this message
Bar-Timaeus...son of Timaeus, has a compelling story. He used to be able to thread a needle at twilight, spot a mouse a mile away, enjoy the faces of his family. But that was a long time ago. Now he’s totally blind. As Mark tells us, there was one faint glimmer of light in his life of darkness. A stranger paused by the side of the road, patted him on the back and said, “I know how it is brother. I was once blind myself. There’s a man in Bethsaida, who cured my eyes with spit and mud! You don’t need to tell anybody. I just thought you’d like to know. But if you ever hear of a man named Jesus, look him up.”
Sure enough Jesus and his disciples happened by on their way up from Jericho, with a crowd tagging along behind, buzzing about Jesus. The blind beggar by the side of the road was near enough to hear it. So nothing from nothing leaves nothing. They almost get by him, when he shrieks: “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!” And everybody stops in their tracks. This is the 1st time anybody but a demon or a disciple called Jesus by the Messianic title “son of David.” What mystified everybody was, how could a blind beggar recognize what no one else could see -- that this Galilean was the Messiah? But the crowd saw the poor guy as a pest and a freeloader, and tried to shout him down. But he’d have none of it. “Son of David,” he cries louder, “have mercy on me!” And this time Jesus stopped. “Bring him to me,” he said, and the crowd changes its demeanor about Bartimaeus.
Jesus believed in personal responsibility. So his response was similar to the “man lame for 38 years by the pool:” “What do you want me to do for you?” Now there’s a question for you. What does Jesus think he wants, a pair of sunglasses? Maybe Jesus just wanted to know what the blind man believed he could do. Interestingly, that’s the same question he just asked of his disciples. And Mark seems to be making a comparison between them. In response to Jesus’ question the disciples said, “We want you to do for us whatever we ask of you!” Holy Jesus! Who wouldn’t? In other words, they want him to serve them. Bartimaeus makes the church look bad, because he wasn’t too good to ask for help. Neither the crowd nor Jesus’ disciples get it. They’re the one’s who’re blind and a blind man sees. Begging for mercy is the truest sign of humility there is. And humility is the only path for to faith. Mark allows as how even a blind man can see it!
Humility doesn’t come easy in a free state like RI, where Independent Man rests on top of the state Capitol. This was the last state to ratify the Constitution -- preferring to be its own country! All 30 by 40 miles of it. You can't get more independent than an American Baptist from Rhode Island. But to know what humility is we’ve got to stare our limitations in the face. Not just that they exist, but running into them daily, being forced to cry out like our blind man and the Philippian jailer -- "Son of David, have mercy!" Feel the humility? This is what marks the beginning of any salvation experience -- when we realize our own blindness, our own desperation, our own inability to save ourselves; our recognition that we aren’t all that independent. Because that’s when our faith in ourselves dies. That has to die before we can have faith in God. The blind man by the gate doesn’t hesitate like the dude by the pool: “Master, let me receive my sight.” Jesus said “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” How about that? But he won’t go. No mud this time, no spit either, not even a touch from his hand. Still, it was enough. Faith made it so. Bartimaeus blinks real hard, and when he opens his eyes, he can see!
This tale has no ambivalence. The verbs are strong and clean. Bartimaeus cries out from the heart. It’s a warm story with a slow beginning, but escalates into a happy ending. Primarily, it’s a story about faith. Mark uses Jesus’ question to suggest what happened to Bartimaeus ought to happen to all of us. Because spiritual blindness is more dreadful than physical blindness. And the only cure for that is faith in Jesus. Even a blind man could see what Jesus is about and wanted to follow him and maybe help others to see too. There’s a whole lot of people with 20/20 who can’t see that. They have sight, but lack vision.
Today is Reformation Sunday, in the Christian world, Founder’s Day in our church, when we honor our forebears. With a few swings of a hammer, the Protestant Reformation began almost half a millennium ago. At the time, Martin Luther never dreamed his 95 tacked onto the Wittenberg door would cause a major schism. More likely he intended a lively academic debate over abuses in the church. His major complaint was the Pope selling indulgences to raise money to build St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. When times are hard, people get desperate and will try anything that works. Jesus overturned the money-changers tables at the temple for a reason. Here’s the religion business again, selling salvation for a profit. Jesus was the world’s foremost reformer. Reformation Sunday is observed because those in the Protestant tradition look back to other reformers like Luther, Calvin, Wesley, and our own Roger Williams, to reaffirm and reform our own faith.
The Gospel of Mark helps us refocus our lives with the story of Bartimaeus – about a blind man seeing Jesus, and then to follow him. That is what the reformers did. There are similarities between Bartimaeus and the reformers. A reformer doesn’t waste his opportunities. “When he heard it was Jesus, he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Like Luther hammering to get the Pope’s attention, Bartimaeus boldly clamored for Jesus.’ There’s a lot of darkness in our world today. We need a new reformation. Let’s not waste our opportunities.
Reformers are not silenced by opposition. “Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more ...” You’ve got to admire that tenacious spirit: the classic “squeaky wheel,” who refused to be silenced. He wanted to see more than they wanted him to disappear. Nothing was going to stop him. That’s because faith is stronger than the fear of consequences. If you want something bad enough, you’ll try anything. Going against the majority; or to take on a Pope. You better think twice about something like that! There will be opposition. It’s always there, standing between Jesus and somebody who needs him.
Reformers are not concerned with the trivial. “The blind man said to him, “Master, let me see again.” This was so unlike a typical beggar, who settled for lesser things like money or a Big Mac. I’m sure it would be a treat to have a warm meal and a soft bed for a change. But faith has much bigger things in mind. Jesus offered him a blank check. “What do you want me to do for you?” Whoa! Man I could think of plenty of things I’d want him to do. With all those “big-wish” stories--the fairy godmother, Cinderella or Aladdin’s magic lamp? Who hasn’t dreamed of a genie popping out of a bottle, hitting the lottery, granting any wish you desire?
Remember when God challenged young King Solomon in a dream, “Ask what I should give to you?” And the king wanted a discerning mind. It pleased God that Solomon didn’t ask for money or long life or fame or the defeat of his enemies. But wisdom to rule well. Desperados have no time for trivialities. “I want to see!” No ifs, ands or buts. Reformers are gamblers who risk everything on the belief that God can do the impossible. It doesn’t waste itself on the inconsequential.
Luther’s concern was not trivial but major. He challenged the church’s understanding of salvation. Does one get to God by works or faith? Can we buy our way into heaven? Nothing petty about that. He got in a heap o’ trouble because he questioned the money interests of the church. In the Gospel of John the cleansing the temple directly led Jesus to the cross. Our own founder Roger Williams wasn’t about trivialities either. Freedom never is. What it costs to get it; what it costs to keep it. And we’re still reaping the benefits of this freedom still today. I hope we appreciate it.
A reformer wants to be involved and is not willing to remain behind. “Jesus said “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately Bartimaeus regained his sight and followed him.” When you think of what he could’ve done. Maybe planned a sightseeing trip to break in his new eyes. Nope. He chose to stay close to Jesus. Mark says “That’s what I’m talking about!”
Jesus was on his way to the cross and the disciples were making themselves scarce. But one of them who didn’t was Bartimaeus. Once Jesus leads you out of the darkness how can you not keep on following him? What’s in your personal life that you can’t see today? Or in our church life escapes our vision? What are we blinded by in our national life? Our global life? Whatever it is we can ask Jesus “Help me to see!” Bartimaeus turned right where the rich young ruler turned wrong. You know that made Jesus smile. Don’t waste your opportunities. Don’t be deterred by somebodies objections. Forget about trivialities and follow Jesus. With Bartimaeus and Jesus, it was love at first sight.
There’s another man, years later, about the time this church was built with a vision problem. He was in need of a “bailout” from his creditors, and joined the merchant marines. But he continued his irresponsible ways, sinking further in debt. One night he got so drunk he fell overboard, and started to sink even further, so that he was unable to reach for the life preserver. The only recourse was to shoot him with a harpoon gun and drag him back on board. But this time during his recovery, his eyes were finally opened, so that he could refocus his life. What he saw was not pretty. So much self-defeating behavior and degradation. But he repented, vowing to change his ways. Whom did he follow when he finally got off his sick bed? John Newton can speak for himself: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.” The thing is, there’s no need for us to have been blind. We only have to be willing to see through someone else's eyes.
Jesus is passing through Providence this morning. What will you ask of him? To “sit on his right or left hand in glory” demanding he serve us like the disciples? Or ask for help like Bartimaeus? Are we big enough to admit there's something we can't do, that we depend upon God? Then there’s hope. There’s also a voice, a gently one, whispering. Can hear it? “What do you want me to do for you?” And nothing would please him more than for you to be like our blind beggar: “Son of David have mercy on me. Let me see!”
Pastoral Prayer: (10/26/08)
On this day we honor our forebears, who trusted Thee, we’re grateful for ties of blood and memory and traditions that link the passing generations to each other; for the signs of love that work their magic in our hearts to keep us from becoming like the machines we operate; for the excitement of being alive at this point in history, when what is vital in the old conflicts tries to connect with what’s needed in the new ones. We pray for ourselves, so varied in our needs that no one prayer can say it all. Some of us are in too big a hurry, wanting to have it all now; others are reeling from recent losses and what used to be a rock beneath our feet has become quicksand; some are suffering from low self-esteem; others are trying to lasso a bucking conscience.
Accept our gratitude O God, for Thy grace, given without measure or price. Humble us to be receptive to it in any form it should come to us. May this worship remind us that there’s no place we can go that you’re not already there, nor can we sink any lower than the level of Thy love. |
