The same Jesus who passed by Bartimaeus is alive today. The Good News is that no matter what has happened in our past, Jesus walks into the dusty streets of our lives this day. We simply need the eyes of living faith to see Him and the renewed heart to follow Him on the way. Prayer is the fuel which keeps living faith alive and keeps our eyes open to see.
Helen Keller was inspiring in the way she dealt with her deafness and blindness. She once wrote a magazine article entitled: ‘Three Days To See’. In that article, she outlined what she would like to see if she were granted just three days of sight. It was a powerful, thought-provoking article.
On the first day, she said she wanted to see her friends. The second day, she said she would like to be able to look at nature around her. And on the third day, she said she would like to spend her time in her home city, New York, watching the busy city and the bustle of work. She concluded with these words: “I, who am blind, can give one hint to those who see: Use your eyes as if tomorrow you were stricken blind.”
Blindness in the 21st century is bad enough, but it was much worse in Jesus’ day. Today, a blind person at least has the hope of living a useful life with proper training.
Like Bartimaeus, we can all get stuck on the side of the road in different ways at different times in our lives. Bartimaeus was a poor blind beggar with faith, dishonored and marginalized, but became an example of discipleship for all of us. First of all, he was insistent and deliberate, not like the person who said, “I planned on joining the procrastinators club, but maybe next week.”
Bartimaeus kept calling out, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me,” even though many people rebuked him and told him to be quiet. So, Bartimaeus kept calling out to Jesus even louder.
Not like, at a CWL meeting, when the leader asked an elderly member to open the meeting with prayer, for the purpose of invoking God’s blessing on their meeting. She did so in a soft voice. Another lady, straining to hear, shouted, “I can’t hear you!” To which she replied, “I wasn’t talking to you.”
The bystanders in today’s Gospel wanted to manage and control the moment, telling him to be quiet; they did not think that the marginalized man wanted to get healed and be restored to community life. To love as Jesus loves is to hear the cry of the lonely voice.
Bartimaeus has already heard the gossip of the town and how Jesus had healed others. He listened carefully and when he sensed that Jesus was close enough, he yelled out for help saying, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me”.
Have you ever sensed that Jesus is close to you? Have the noises of the crowds and this world deafened you so much that you are oblivious to his presence?
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In the midst of the many things that go on around you, be careful to listen, because the son of God may be passing by your life!
Bartimaeus may not have known, but it was his first and last opportunity to see Jesus because Jesus was on his final journey to Jerusalem to be crucified. If Jesus chose to come this night, it would be your last chance too – think about that. Jesus hears him and calls for him – Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
Christian life is never lived in isolation from others: only in company with others can we find salvation and fullness of life, and also help others stuck on the side of the road without any faith.
Another kind of blindness is the blindness of the disciples. The disciples of course could physically see. But in this case, they could not see the will of God. Do you catch the irony here? It is the religious crowd, on their way to a religious festival – who misses the will of God! Helen Keller said, “Better to be blind and to see with your heart, than to have two good eyes and see nothing.”
We can all get stuck on the side of the road in different ways at different times in our lives. But we have to call on the name of Jesus for help. We have to fight for our right to be heard. Fight for our healing.
Where is Jesus passing through in our own lives? He always shows up for those who have their spiritual eyes opened to see Him. How about in our workplace? How about in our relationships? How about in our families? Are we running out to meet Him?
–Dcn. Terry Murphy