B, Pentecost 22 Proper 25 - Mark 10:46-52 "Superior Sight with Inferior Blindness"
As human beings we are always learning about inferiority and superiority,
and how they affect our relationships with other people.
If we feel inferior around others, we tend to typecast ourselves as not
being good enough or not worthy of being in certain company. A person who sees themselves as inferior,
pictures themselves as having little to no value in the presence of a person of
great honour.
This produces one of two things.
Either, the inferior will have a sense of awe, and treat the other
person with honour, showing them deep reverence and respect. Or, on sensing
inferiority, instead of awe, will consider honour awful, and show
contempt. Like a tall poppy, we desire
and devise ways to chop down superiority in a demonstration of disrespect.
The opposite of inferiority is superiority. Where one is present the other is usually not
far away. They are like opposite sides
of the same coin. They have a
relationship like rise and fall, up and down, in and out. Even if the
relationship is chalk and cheese, there is still an association with each
other, despite the difference.
When we feel inferior, our perception of the other person’s superiority
causes reverence or irreverence, respect or disrespect.
A person who feels or sees themselves as superior, like the inferior,
will have something being produced in them too.
Superiority wants to be honoured!
When we feel superior, we want to be lifted up, noticed, and
appreciated. There’s an expectation that
all must fall down at one’s feet and pay homage.
Alternatively, we might want to use the honoured position on someone, in
some way. From a perceived height, we
might put down those who appear to be on the rise. Or, we might have a desire to use our honour
to help the inferior, either condescendingly or humbly.
Inferiority and superiority! Such
is the pecking order in the chook pen of community, living in the hen house of
humanity!
This same inferiority-superiority dynamic is at work when Jesus heals
Bartimaeus.
Jesus is passing through Jericho, travelling to Jerusalem. He is about to travel the road to his
triumphal entry and death at the cross.
This is the road on which the parable of the Good Samaritan is set. As Jesus passes through Jericho on his way to
Jerusalem, he nears Bartimaeus, a blind beggar.
Bartimaeus, literally, son of Timaeus, hears the Son of Man, Jesus of
Nazareth is going to Jerusalem. He cries out, “Jesus, Son of David, have
mercy on me!”
It is easy to overlook what is occurring here, but the same
inferiority-superiority subtleties are playing out as the account unfolds!
It’s obvious that Bartimaeus is the inferior. We might assume Jesus is the superior, and he
is, in so many ways! But, here in this
narrative, in Mark, the superior are those who rebuke the blind beggar for
crying out to Jesus, Son of David, for mercy.
In Mark’s Gospel account, his central theme is housed between two
accounts of healing. In Mark 8 Jesus
heals a blind man at Bethsaida (8:22-26), then Peter confesses him as the
Christ (8:29). Jesus begins the first of three revelations that he is going to
suffer, die, and be raised (8:31, 9:31, 10:33-34) and tell Satan to “get
behind” (8:33). And coupled with this
prophetic triptych of his death and resurrection is the theme of Jesus’ value
as the Son of Man, the Suffering Servant of humankind.
So, we arrive here on the road to Jerusalem with those who have struggle
to see Jesus as the Servant king, soon to be coronated on the cross, but with
blind beggar Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, who only had eyes of faith for
Jesus, Son of David.
The superiority of those travelling with Jesus and probably others who
begged or traded on the same stretch of road as Bartimaeus, sought to rebuke
the son of Timaeus for calling out to Jesus.
There is an irony here in the text that cannot go unmentioned. The name Timaeus, has as its root, the
meaning of honour. The word rebuke and the name Timaeus carry the same root
word meaning of honour or value. Bartimaeus a blind beggar, the lowest of the
low has the name “son of honour”. Yet
those who rebuke him are taxing or robbing him of his honour for calling out to
Jesus. Rebuking, literally in the Greek,
means to devalue and discredit. And this is what the superior seek to do to the
little honour they believe Bartimaeus holds.
The irony continues as the superior seek to censure the inferior. But Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, continues
calling out, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” This is the beggars cry
to have his honour restored. In fact, of
all the parties in this passage of Scripture, Bartimaeus reveals himself as the
one who has the best view of Jesus, despite being blind.
And so, the relationship between the two unfolds!
Jesus doesn’t patronise Bartimaeus with condescension nor does Bartimaeus
bestow any fake reverence or contempt.
Jesus honours Bartimaeus as equal.
Bartimaeus pleads for Jesus’ mercy
who is on his way to be anointed as the Christ on the cross. Crowned on the cross as the King of
Righteousness!
And Jesus stopped and said,
“Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up;
he is calling you.” And throwing off his
cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.
And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the
blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your
faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed
him on the way. Mark 10:49–52 (ESV)
Notice how Jesus doesn’t call Bartimaeus!
Instead. he tells those around him to call the beggar. So, they do! The superior ones tell him to
take courage, “Jesus is calling you.”
Yet again, here there is more irony. Bartimaeus was already showing great
courage! Rather, Jesus was calling the
superior ones around him to, “Take heart, open your eyes, have faith in the Son
of Man, who seeks to serve you and save you from the slavery of your superiority.”
Jesus honours Bartimaeus with sight, and having restored his sight,
Bartimaeus follows Jesus.
That’s all we hear about Bartimaeus.
One could arguably assume he saw and participated in Jesus’ entry into
Jerusalem on Palm Sunday because we are told, “he recovered his sight and
followed him on the way.”
Bartimaeus possibly would have seen his sight restorer, Jesus, the Son of
David, ride a colt into Jerusalem to
shouts of, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father
David! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:9–10 ESV)
Who are you in this passage of Scripture?
What part do you play? Are you
one who honours Jesus by letting him remove your blindness? Like Bartimaeus, Jesus calls you and honours
you through his servanthood, his death and resurrection. He is walking with
you, right now, on your road through death to eternity with him. Amen.
Let us lay aside our inferiority and our superiority. Let us honour Jesus
as he serves us with forgiveness, through his Word, his sacraments, and through
others who also share in his forgiveness. Amen.
