Mark 10:46-52 [Pentecost 23 CWS B]
Pastor Ron Koehler Grace—Benson/Vail
October 28, 2018
Dear Friends in Christ, If you were to list the ways that you have suffered during your life…or are suffering now, how long would the list be? And as you scanned your list, what things would stand out? It might be the things that happened because you did something dumb. I have things like that. I split my head open and got stitches because I did something to my brother and he chased me through the house. I jumped in the bathtub and cracked my scalp open on the soap dish. Kinda’ dumb. Maybe not as dumb as hitting a basketball with a baseball bat and having it bounce off and split my head open another time, but still dumb. We’ve probably all got things we’ve suffered because we did sinful things too. We suffered being grounded because we disobeyed parents. We disobeyed the government and had to pay the traffic fine…and a bump in insurance rates too. Yeah, we earn some of that suffering we endure. But there are things we suffer simply because they happen to us. We’re minding our own business and we suffer at the hands of another person. We’re born with some particular thing that causes us difficulty throughout our lives—we’re diabetic or have a congenital heart issue or something with our hearing or our speech or a host of other things. That was the kind of thing caused Bartimaeus to suffer; it was a physical affliction that reduced him to begging for help just to get by. For whatever reason, God allowed that in his life just as God allows some of these other things in our lives. Instead of blaming God or sitting there with an unanswerable question like, “How can a loving God allow this or that suffering to go on?”, we can learn something today. We can learn something about why some suffering goes on and we can definitely learn how to handle our suffering as we think about the day that Bartimaeus met Jesus. Look at Bartimaeus for an Example of What to do when Suffering Call to Jesus for Mercy Blindness is a difficult thing to live with. It is no secret that many people who have no eyesight lead wonderful, productive lives. People who are born without sight know nothing other than that and find ways to function in a world where most have a benefit they do not have. And our modern world has all kinds of blessings to assist someone who is blind. The Braille system has been around since 1820. It allows for reading and writing. Think of all the audio blessings as well—radio, TV, online resources, cell phones. None of that was available in Israel in 30 AD! We don’t know if the man we meet in the gospel today was born blind or if he became blind, but it doesn’t really matter; Bartimaeus was blind and it was a hardship even more severe than it is today.
Blindness meant that he was reduced to begging along the road where people were entering and leaving the city of Jericho. To get by, Bartimaeus relied on the charity of others. This also put him in a position to hear many things. The most important thing he had heard was about Jesus. News of his miracles and teaching had spread to the point that Bartimaeus knew who he was. In fact, he knew exactly who he was! He recognized him as the promised Messiah! So when Jesus, his disciples, and a large crowd of people were passing by, Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was part of the commotion and he shouted out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” After many people attempted to quiet him, he shouted out again, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Bartimaeus understood and believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah. We’ll talk about Jesus’ statement regarding his faith, which is certainly proof of this, but Bartimaeus made it clear to Jesus and everyone else in the crowd when he addressed Jesus as “Son of David.” That was a very specific title for the Savior who was promised and everyone knew it. So, Bartimaeus CALLED TO JESUS FOR MERCY precisely because he knew who he was. When you and I are suffering, when our life is full of hurts and traumas and tragedies, we can call to Jesus too. It is truly shocking—and yet common enough—that you and I suffer in silence. We accept our circumstance and remain unhappy. That doesn’t make much sense when we also know the One who can mercifully bring relief. It is also surprising that often we will share our problems with friends or family, but don’t share our stress and problems with Jesus, the merciful one, who can do something about it. We know Jesus too! We know that he is truly our Savior and the one who watches over our lives. We know that he possesses divine power and divine love—and those two things in combination make him the One to go to or mercy. The repeated shouting of Bartimaeus gives us an example of what to do with the suffering we endure as long as we’re in this world: Call to Jesus for Mercy. Present Your Request to Him “ἐλέησόν με”—does that sound familiar? It will to some of us. We normally hear it as κύριε, ἐλέησόν, or more likely today, “Lord, have mercy.” We use that in some of our worship services, like the Service of Word and Sacrament. That’s what Bartimaeus shouted, “ἐλέησόν με,” “have mercy on me.” We cry out to God for mercy, just as he did. It is worth considering whether we mean it as much as Bartimaeus did. Are we just following a scripted service, or do we have the faith and the concern for our sinful condition and the desire for his blessings that Bartimaeus did? The man wouldn’t stop even though everyone was “shushing” him, which might serve as a lesson in persistence when we are seeking God’s help. If he was going to present his request to Jesus, he needed to get his attention. And despite the efforts of the crowd, he did.
How quickly a two-word response from Jesus changed the attitude of the crowd—and the future of Bartimaeus! If you ever think that you and your concerns are not important enough to capture the attention of your Savior, think again! Look at this hopeless, blind beggar, Bartimaeus, for inspiration! Look at how he approached Jesus once he knew Jesus would listen to him! He threw off his outer cloak, jumped to his feet, and made his way to Jesus, following the direction of the now helpful crowd. This was what he had been waiting for—a chance to present his request to Jesus! And his request was pretty straightforward: “Rabbi, I want to see.” Again, how much more blessed are we right now than Bartimaeus was! We don’t have to wait for a random run-in with Jesus. We don’t have to rely on Jesus calling us forward or the help of a crowd to steer us to him. We have access to our merciful Savior every minute of every day! If we have a lot on our mind and we’re feeling the stress of responsibility or deadlines or just trying to manage to make it through another day, we can ask Jesus for help immediately…and repeatedly…and know that he is listening to us. He may be even waiting for us to remember to ask him, wanting us to exercise our faith! With a trusting heart present your requests to him when you are sick…when you’re faced with a family situation or a big life decision…when school or sports or parents are stressing you out and you are emotionally suffering. And definitely plead for his mercy as you recall your sins each day. No matter the problem or how huge it may seem, the Savior who loves you and died for you, promises to hear you. He is listening and he has the power and love to answer your prayers! Accept his Answer in Faith As you heard this account, did you wonder why Jesus asked Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” This is the all-knowing Messiah and this is a blind man who has been brought through the crowd to him. What did he think the man was going to ask for?! Some suggest that Jesus asked for the benefit of the crowd, so that all could hear and then all could see that Jesus had performed a miracle. I wonder, though, if it wasn’t more for Bartimaeus himself, to give him the chance to specifically ask Jesus. The Lord knows our sufferings. He knows why we have them…what purpose they serve…how long we ought to live with the challenges…and if he would like to remove them. But remember, we don’t have “chance” run-ins with Jesus like this beggar did. We have an actual relationship with our Savior. Jesus’ invitations for us to pray tell us that he wants us to specifically share our thoughts and feelings with him. He wants us to specifically ask for his help. Why? Because it reveals our faith in him. It shows that we know that he is the One who loves us and can help us. He wants us to acknowledge him and express our understanding of the difference between what we need and what we simply want. He wants to hear from us just like he wants us to hear him through the words of the Bible.
Many Bible verses about prayer steer us in this direction. Think of what Jesus said on another occasion: Ask and it will be given to you… (Matthew 7:7) Or the words of James: This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him (5:14-15). You and I have a standing invitation to go to Jesus. And when we do call on him for mercy and make our request to him, it is important that we ACCEPT HIS ANSWER IN FAITH. How blessed was Bartimaeus to hear from Jesus, “Go, your faith has healed you.”?! It is not by accident that Mark records that “immediately” Bartimaeus received his sight. There is no mistaking the miracle performed by Jesus. And for as much as we’re considering this morning that we have even easier access to Jesus than Bartimaeus did…and a clearer understanding of Jesus’ power to help…and encouragement from Bartimaeus for us to reach out to Jesus in prayer with our requests for his mercy…make no mistake—this is about Jesus. He is the Son of David, the promised Messiah. He has divine power and is full of mercy and the willingness to help us in our time of need. He was the one working his way toward Jerusalem so that he could lay down his life for all the sin that causes us to suffer—including the consequential suffering we bear because of our actions, the suffering we endure because of the sinful world around us, and the pushing and prodding of the devil that brings suffering into our lives. For all of that and more, Jesus lived and died and rose. Just like blind Bartimaeus, when you find yourself suffering, HE is the one you go to. Bartimaeus could now see where he was going—and he chose to follow along with Jesus. He was healed because of his trust in Jesus. Understand that it was the object of his faith that healed and saved him. His faith was properly placed in the One who could help him. And so it is with us. It is not the volume of faith we have. It is not the strength of our faith. It is the placement of our faith. It is the acknowledgement that Jesus is God and Savior and that our faith is placed in him, the One who can ease our suffering, give us the strength to endure it if we must, or take the suffering away altogether. That faith in Jesus allows us to accept not only the “yes” answers to solving our suffering, but also a “no” answer like he gave the Apostle Paul, who asked several times for the thing that made him suffer to be taken away. Bartimaeus received an immediate answer; sometimes we get a “wait” response. Faith accepts that too. We can accept any answer from Jesus because we know that all things are allowed or done for our spiritual good. After all, Jesus is the one who then completed the 15-mile walk from Jericho to Jerusalem where he offered his perfect life for our sin-ravaged lives. This miracle was Jesus showing his divine glory and using it to help a man who knew who he was and trusted in him. The merciful Savior was not too busy or preoccupied with his sufferings and death, which were just ahead of him, to help a soul in need. He’s not too busy for you either. LOOK AT BARTIMAEUS FOR AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT TO DO WHEN SUFFERING: Call to Jesus for Mercy, Present your Requests to Him, and Accept his Answer in Faith. Amen. Now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.