October 25th Mark 10:46-52 Bartimaeus receives his sight
For Christmas this year Sainsbury’s have a few suggestions for the man in your life.
An iDect telephone. A Canon camera, a Nintendo Wii, An assortment of glasses from which to drink, and a George foreman healthy eating grill.
I can say that my husband will be receiving none of the above, although we did buy the first bit of his Christmas present on Thursday afternoon!
I wonder what is on your Christmas list?
What is it that you want.
It is a cliché that when you ask a beauty paegant contestant what she wants that she will say world peace?
So what is there on our Christmas list somewhere between world peace and a pair of really nice thermal socks for keeping feet warm even in the coldest church buildings.
There are of course presents that we quite like, or quite fancy the sound of what will lie languishing at the back of a cupboard or drawer, only to be brought out when the person who gave them to us comes around to visit.
Because it’s not just what we get which is important, but what we are going to do with it. Many of us who have indulged in the cost of a gym subscription know to our cost that the money will leave the bank account but that what is really important is the going to the gym.
Bartimaeus was a man who knew what he wanted.
Bartimaeus is a curious character who is described in an interesting way. Most of the people who Jesus’ heals are not named, but here is Bartimaeus, but he is named as somebody’s son. He is only somebody’s son, Timaeus’ boy. Presumably he had some other name, but he was know as Timaeus’ boy. Not just that of course he was known as Blind Bartimaeus. Timaeus’ blind boy. That’s who he was, just Timaeus’ blind boy.
John Ayers speaks about this, for years he was Mr Ayers, the Revd Ayers, now of course he is Canon Ayers, John jokes that the next accolade will be poor old. ‘Poor old Canon Ayers’.
So back to the outskirts of Jericho, Timaeus’ blind boy is sitting begging on the roadside. But Timaeus’ blind boy can see something which others are just beginning to get the hang of and it will be a while yet before the others fully understand the implications of anyway. The Son of Timaeus sits at the roadside shouting, Son of David, have mercy on me!
For Jesus to be acclaimed as the Son of David is hugely important, however feminists may feel about David’s appalling behaviour towards Bathsheba David is held up as the example of great Kingship. The moment when Israel lives as rulers of a huge part of the near east, a king who sought God, and whom God blessed, a special king. To be the Son of David is a position from which one can be merciful and Bartimaeus knows that he needs mercy.
Jesus asks him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
Batimaeus doesn’t want world peace, a new cloak, or a nice new full wineskin.
Bartimaues knows what he needs.
“Rabbi I want to see”
Bartimeaus was wanting his sight, in the old fashioned puritan sense of the word he was wanting his sight, he was lacking his sight and that’s what he wanted. He knew, he believed that Jesus, Son of David could give it to him and so he asked for it.
What did he do when his sight was restored.
The words are quite simple, quite easy in that it just says, Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
This is not as simple as it may first appear, the road is an interesting road. Remember this story is set on the outskirts of Jericho. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, in fact he will soon arrive to be greeted as a superhero, at least at first.
But the road between Jericho and Jerusalem is not an easy one. It’s about 15 miles and it rises 3 and a half thousand feet in that distance, it can be hot and rocky and is not an easy road.
We know that it is not an easy road because when Jesus wants an example of a difficult road this is the one he chooses as the setting for the story of the good Samaritan. This is a harsh, and difficult road, renowned for its robbers and general unkindness to travellers. The traveller in the story of the good Samaritan travels down the hill, but Jesus is about to travel up, to tackle the climb. This is no road for a blind man.
But Bartimaeus isn’t blind any more, he receives his sight, and follows Jesus along this hard and difficult road.
If Jesus appeared now and said to us, “What do you want me to do for you?” what would we say?
We could ask for world peace,
We could ask for an extra hour in bed every night.
We could to win the lottery and never have to work again or ever worry about money.
Or we could ask for what it is that we need. The thing which we need which would most help us be able to follow Jesus along the road.
Father, hear the prayer we offer:
not for ease that prayer shall be,
but for strength, that we may ever
live our lives courageously.
Not for ever in green pastures
do we ask our way to be ;
but the steep and rugged pathway
may we tread rejoicingly.
Not forever by still waters
would we idly rest and stay;
but would smite the living fountains
from the rocks along our way.
Be our strength in hours of weakness,
in our wanderings be our Guide;
through endeavour, failure, danger,
Saviour, be thou at our side.