6^th November 2012

Rev Dr Max Champion at St John's UCA Mt Waverley Sunday 28th October 2012

Lessons - Psalm 126; Hebrews 7:23-28; Mark 10:46-52

Jesus said to the two disciples and the blind beggar: 'What do you
want me to do for you?' (Mark 10:36,51)

It would be easy to ignore the short story of 'blind Bartimaeus' as being just another example of Jesus' miraculous power, if it were not for its central place in Mark's Gospel. It comes at the end of a long section in which Jesus' teaching is seriously misunderstood by the crowds, his family and disciples. And it comes immediately before Jesus sets out for Jerusalem on the way to the cross.

As the story unfolds, a greater contrast is hard to imagine. In the previous episode, James and John have demanded special recognition of their faith. But here, a blind beggar asks only for compassion! The question is posed, 'Who really sees who Jesus is?', 'Who is blind to his true identity?'

Both James and John and Bartimaeus approach Jesus and ask him to do something for them. Jesus offers himself to them in exactly the same way:
'What do you want me to do for you?' (vv36,51.) 'How can I serve your need?'

But that is where the similarities end! The brothers are self-important; the beggar has 'no claim to greatness'. They demand recognition; he cries out for mercy. Unlike them, 'he does not imagine that Jesus owes him anything. He merely hopes for kindness and generosity. He has no dreams of grandeur, no sense of his own goodness, just the confidence that Jesus will have compassion on him.' (Greg Shanahan, 'Give me sight that I may live' in The Auburn Report, October 1991, p10.)

It is a curious and scary thing to see that those who should have 'seen'
the truth are 'blind' while one who is 'blind' has 'true insight'. Jesus'
disciples are blind to the mercy of God in him, but one who is not a disciple - whose affliction was believed to be the result of sin - sees in Jesus the embodiment of God's compassion in restoring faith and hope.

The stark contrast between the blindness of the 'insiders' and the insight of this 'outsider' is seen in how they address Jesus.

* The brothers call him 'Teacher': a general title of respect for an educator in matters of faith.

* The blind beggar, though, refers to him as 'Master': the highest title of honour in the Jewish schools indicating the deepest and closest knowledge of God. [Unfortunately this is obscured in the New Revised Standard Version which renders the Hebrew simply as 'teacher'.] He also insists on calling Jesus 'Son of David' (vv 47,48): a messianic title signifying the 'restoration of the fortunes of Zion' (Psalm 126) when the dispirited People of God would once again know laughter and joy.

Their approach to Jesus is also radically different.

* Bartimaeus is passionate, enthusiastic, determined. Ignoring the pleas of many bystanders to 'be quiet' (v48), but encouraged by others to 'take heart and get up' (v49), he twice calls out for compassion.

He will not be silenced in the presence of this messianic figure in whom he sees hope embodied. He is not concerned about his own dignity or worth.
Nor does he accept the way things are. He simply cries out for healing -
persistently, unselfconsciously, exuberantly!

* Not so with the brothers! They think that teachers of faith and morality should give people 'whatever they want'! They are so preoccupied with their need to be affirmed and rewarded that, despite being Jesus' constant companions, they are blind to what it means to be his 'disciples'. They do not see that following on the way with him is a privilege that has come to them solely as a result of the miracle of grace in their lives.

The question put to us in this encounter is this.

Is 'Jesus of Nazareth' (v47) merely a 'teacher' of religious and moral wisdom who tells us whatever we want to hear and rewards his followers for
their goodness?

Or, is he the messianic 'Son of David' and 'Master' who tells us what we need to hear and summons us to follow on the way of costly self-giving love in bearing witness to the miracle of sins forgiven, afflictions healed and the power of death defeated?

Neither James and John nor the blind beggar 'see' the full extent of what Jesus has done for them in serving their needs. That must await the dramatic events that unfold on the way to Jerusalem and reach the climax in Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Remarkably, however, it is the blind man - not the disciples who already have been told three times of what lies ahead (8:31; 9:31; 10:32) - who glimpses the way forward.

Ironically, it is the 'sinful', blind man - not the pious disciples - who sees in Jesus the self-giving compassion of God for broken humanity. He sees in the messianic 'Son of David' the embodiment of God's healing compassion - not a 'teacher' dispensing honours to the self-righteous. He sees that God meets human need, not by bolstering our self-importance but by showing kindness and mercy.

Bartimaeus - not the disciples - is the model of true discipleship. He sees clearly that Jesus is more than a miracle-worker to be admired or manipulated for our own ends. 'Immediately he regained his sight and followed Jesus "on the way".' (v52)! The healing of his 'sight' has given him such a deep 'insight' into who Jesus is that he begins a new life with
Jesus on the way to the cross and resurrection.

Thus he shows us that discipleship is a journey to be undertaken by those who are aware of their own blindness and are overjoyed when they 'see' in Jesus no less than the mercy of God.

He enables us to see that being a disciple of Jesus means being on the way that is sustained by God's mercy - a compassion unlike any other which, as Hebrews says, has been demonstrated in an act of unsurpassable self-
sacrifice once and for all (Hebrews 7:23-28).

Being a disciple is not a path to recognition through human achievement.
Jesus' disciples are 'beggars' who take pleasure in God's kindness, knowing that his grace is sufficient for every need. Bartimaeus enables us to see that, despite our blindness, blurred vision and partial insight, we may gladly and unselfconsciously follow Jesus on the way as 'Son of David'
and 'Master' without thought for our own importance and worth.

To 'see' things in this light is to 'see through' pretension and to 'see'
that faith (v52) means living in the light of God's grace 'with no claim
to our own greatness'.

If we 'see' only our own goodness then we will be 'blind' to the reality of God's grace in Jesus. We will 'see' him just as a 'teacher' who 'rewards us for what we do' and we will be 'blind' to the healing presence of God who makes us 'well' / 'whole' (v52).

The tragedy is that those who are closest to Jesus - his disciples /
Church - are at greatest risk of not seeing who he really is!

The miracle is that people, like you and me, who are naturally blind to God's healing presence in Jesus - and prone to overestimate our own goodness and worth - do come to see God's mercy 'for us' so clearly that we cannot help but follow him on the way that leads to rejection, suffering, death, resurrection and ascension.

That is why it is necessary that, like Bartimaeus, we ask for our blindness to be cured so that we too may see for ourselves the miracle of grace and gladly, unselfconsciously and exuberantly follow the 'Son of David' as our Lord and 'Master'.

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Rev Dr Max Champion is minister in the St John's Uniting Church, Mt Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Dr Champion is Chair of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the UCA.