PROPER 25 (30) – Year B
23rd Sunday after Pentecost — October 27, 2024
Gospel Lectionary Text
Mark 10:46-52
10:46 They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside.
10:47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
10:48 Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
10:49 Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you."
10:50 So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.
10:51 Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again."
10:52 Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
CONTEXT
Welcome to the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost. As we journey with Jesus toward Jerusalem, we meet Bartimaeus — a blind beggar by the roadside. Jesus asks him a beautiful question: "What do you want me to do for you?"
At first glance, the answer seems obvious. But anyone who has wrestled with identifying their deepest desires knows how challenging it can be. Unlike our basic instincts, desires are mimetic — we imitate them from others. We don't have our own; we borrow them from those around us.
Bartimaeus resists imitating the desire of the crowd who wants to silence him. Instead, he borrows his desire from the Merciful One and cries out for mercy. When Jesus calls him forth, Bartimaeus seeks to see with his eyes what he's already seen with his heart — the source of his deepest longing. Jesus praises that desire and says, “Go; your faith has made you well.”
Question
From whom are you borrowing your desires? What do you really want?
Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit, wild and free. Do as you please. Shine your light on me that I might see things as they are, not as I am. Free me to act in your name with courage, creativity, and compassion. See the complete prayer
Word from Below Reflections
The Art of Seeing
By Joel Van Dyke |
To the embarrassment of those around him, the blind beggar yells and screams until Jesus decides to stop, inviting Bartimeaus to a public meeting with him in the middle of the street. Those around Bartimaeus had tried desperately to shut him up in an attempt to save him from impending shame. Bartimaeus, however, sees (discerns)...
Blind Bartimaeus
By Kris Rocke |
Beautiful questions yield beautiful answers. They open space for the Spirit to work, and involve us in our own transformation. Ultimately, they free us to see in new ways and act creatively. On the other hand, small questions yield small answers. The Japanese word “mu” can be understood to mean “un-ask the question.” Mu is...
Saper Vedere
By Joel Van Dyke |
Our lectionary text this week invites us into one of the principal issues for us at Street Psalms - knowing how to see. Ironically, our teacher this week in learning how to see is actually a blind man. Many Biblical scholars have placed this text at the end of a portion of Mark's Gospel that...
Understanding the Bible anew through the Mimetic Theory of René Girard.
Weekly Homily by James Alison