Gospel for October 27, 2024

This stained glass window in in St Mary’s church in Rye England depicts the account of Bartimaeus crying out to Jesus.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Mark 10:46-52
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem.  Jericho is about seventeen miles from Jerusalem, which would probably be a day’s trip on foot.  We get the impression that Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd are travelling as a kind of mass movement that is gathering momentum.

But despite the confusion of the crowds and the determined intention of Jesus to make his way to Jerusalem in time for Passover, he still has time for a blind man.

Mark’s attention to detail here is interesting.  Bar Timaeus, literally the “son of Timaeus”, sits begging by the roadside.  This is his only means of making a living.  But now he will beg for something other than money from Jesus!

When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

The crowd around Jesus are impatient with this “unimportant” man:

Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Perhaps they assume Jesus shouldn’t be bothered by this mere beggar.  But to Jesus no one is unimportant.  Somehow above the din of the crowd Jesus hears the beggar!

Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.”

Notice the change of tone in the crowd — the same crowd that had been hushing the beggar just moments before.

….they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.”

Mark captures the sense of eagerness in this blind man:  

So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.

Jesus doesn’t assume that he knows what the blind man wants.  He gives the beggar the opportunity to take the initiative:  

Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man’s response is simple and direct:

“My teacher, let me see again.”

What happens next is the summary of his faithful response to Jesus:  

Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

The point is clear — faith in Jesus is the means of receiving wholeness.  And, significantly, Bartimaeus doesn’t go off on his own — the moment his sight is restored, he begins to follow Jesus!

APPLY:  

No one is insignificant or lost in the crowd as far as Jesus is concerned.  He hears the cry of the blind, the deaf, the lame, the lost.

But how often do we find ourselves impatient with those who cry out in their need?  We want to move on to Jerusalem, so to speak, without those annoying interruptions.

Thankfully, Jesus is never annoyed by those who cry out to him!  Thanks be to God!  Otherwise we might find ourselves overlooked as well!

Bartimaeus is a paradigm for our response to Jesus when he comes near, as he always does.  When Jesus comes near we cry out to him for mercy; when he invites us to approach him, we eagerly spring to his side; when he asks what we need, we simply ask; we believe in him; and then we follow him.

RESPOND: 

When our oldest son was a little boy, his aunt was babysitting him one day.  When my wife and I got back from our excursion, we were met by my wife’s sister. Her eyes were as big as saucers.

She went on to relate that she had asked our then four-year old what he’d like to play, and he had said: “I will be Bartimaeus, the man who could not see. You will be Jesus and you will heal me.”

Frankly, I hope that now that he is 32 years old that he will revisit that memory.  We all experience blindness, albeit usually spiritual blindness.  My prayer is that my son, and all of us, will cry out to Jesus when we know he is passing nearby. That we will spring to our feet when he calls us, with enthusiasm. That we will ask to see him! That we will see him by faith, and that we will follow him.

Our Lord, you do come near. When you do, may I call out to you, come to you, trust in you, and follow you as you empower me to see you!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“Stained glass window, St Mary’s church, Rye” by Jules and Jenny is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. I cropped the top of the photo which showed the top of the window with Elijah and John the Baptist.

Gospel for October 24, 2021

This stained glass window in in St Mary’s church in Rye England depicts the account of Bartimaeus crying out to Jesus.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Mark 10:46-52
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem.  Jericho is about seventeen miles from Jerusalem, which would probably be a day’s trip on foot.  We get the impression that Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd are travelling as a kind of mass movement that is gathering momentum.

But despite the confusion of the crowds and the determined intention of Jesus to make his way to Jerusalem in time for Passover, he still has time for a blind man.

Mark’s attention to detail here is interesting.  Bar Timaeus, literally the “son of Timaeus”, sits begging by the roadside.  This is his only means of making a living.  But now he will beg for something other than money from Jesus!

When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

The crowd around Jesus are impatient with this “unimportant” man:

Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Perhaps they assume Jesus shouldn’t be bothered by this mere beggar.  But to Jesus no one is unimportant.  Somehow above the din of the crowd Jesus hears the beggar!

Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.”

Notice the change of tone in the crowd — the same crowd that had been hushing the beggar just moments before.

….they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.”

Mark captures the sense of eagerness in this blind man:  

So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.

Jesus doesn’t assume that he knows what the blind man wants.  He gives the beggar the opportunity to take the initiative:  

Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man’s response is simple and direct:

“My teacher, let me see again.”

What happens next is the summary of his faithful response to Jesus:  

Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

The point is clear — faith in Jesus is the means of receiving wholeness.  And, significantly, Bartimaeus doesn’t go off on his own — the moment his sight is restored, he begins to follow Jesus!

APPLY:  

No one is insignificant or lost in the crowd as far as Jesus is concerned.  He hears the cry of the blind, the deaf, the lame, the lost.

But how often do we find ourselves impatient with those who cry out in their need?  We want to move on to Jerusalem, so to speak, without those annoying interruptions.

Thankfully, Jesus is never annoyed by those who cry out to him!  Thanks be to God!  Otherwise we might find ourselves overlooked as well!

Bartimaeus is a paradigm for our response to Jesus when he comes near, as he always does.  When Jesus comes near we cry out to him for mercy; when he invites us to approach him, we eagerly spring to his side; when he asks what we need, we simply ask; we believe in him; and then we follow him.

RESPOND: 

When our oldest son was a little boy, his aunt was babysitting him one day.  When my wife and I got back from our excursion, we were met by my wife’s sister. Her eyes were as big as saucers.

She went on to relate that she had asked our then four-year old what he’d like to play, and he had said: “I will be Bartimaeus, the man who could not see. You will be Jesus and you will heal me.”

Frankly, I hope that now that he is 32 years old that he will revisit that memory.  We all experience blindness, albeit usually spiritual blindness.  My prayer is that my son, and all of us, will cry out to Jesus when we know he is passing nearby. That we will spring to our feet when he calls us, with enthusiasm. That we will ask to see him! That we will see him by faith, and that we will follow him.

Our Lord, you do come near. When you do, may I call out to you, come to you, trust in you, and follow you as you empower me to see you!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“Stained glass window, St Mary’s church, Rye” by Jules and Jenny is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. I cropped the top of the photo which showed the top of the window with Elijah and John the Baptist.

Gospel for October 28, 2018

This stained glass window in in St Mary’s church in Rye England depicts the account of Bartimaeus crying out to Jesus.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Mark 10:46-52
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem.  Jericho is about seventeen miles from Jerusalem, which would probably be a day’s trip on foot.  We get the impression that Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd are travelling as a kind of mass movement that is gathering momentum.

But despite the confusion of the crowds and the determined intention of Jesus to make his way to Jerusalem in time for Passover, he still has time for a blind man.

Mark’s attention to detail here is interesting.  Bar Timaeus, literally the “son of Timaeus”, sits begging by the roadside.  This is his only means of making a living.  But now he will beg for something other than money from Jesus!

When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

The crowd around Jesus are impatient with this “unimportant” man:

Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Perhaps they assume Jesus shouldn’t be bothered by this mere beggar.  But to Jesus no one is unimportant.  Somehow above the din of the crowd Jesus hears the beggar!

Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.”

Notice the change of tone in the crowd — the same crowd that had been hushing the beggar just moments before.

….they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.”

Mark captures the sense of eagerness in this blind man:  

So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.

Jesus doesn’t assume that he knows what the blind man wants.  He gives the beggar the opportunity to take the initiative:  

Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man’s response is simple and direct:

“My teacher, let me see again.”

What happens next is the summary of his faithful response to Jesus:  

Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

The point is clear — faith in Jesus is the means of receiving wholeness.  And, significantly, Bartimaeus doesn’t go off on his own — the moment his sight is restored, he begins to follow Jesus!

APPLY:  

No one is insignificant or lost in the crowd as far as Jesus is concerned.  He hears the cry of the blind, the deaf, the lame, the lost.

But how often do we find ourselves impatient with those who cry out in their need?  We want to move on to Jerusalem, so to speak, without those annoying interruptions.

Thankfully, Jesus is never annoyed by those who cry out to him!  Thanks be to God!  Otherwise we might find ourselves overlooked as well!

Bartimaeus is a paradigm for our response to Jesus when he comes near, as he always does.  When Jesus comes near we cry out to him for mercy; when he invites us to approach him, we eagerly spring to his side; when he asks what we need, we simply ask; we believe in him; and then we follow him.

RESPOND: 

When our oldest son was a little boy, his aunt was babysitting him one day.  When my wife and I got back from our excursion, we were met by my wife’s sister. Her eyes were as big as saucers.

She went on to relate that she had asked our then four-year old what he’d like to play, and he had said: “I will be Bartimaeus, the man who could not see. You will be Jesus and you will heal me.”

Frankly, I hope that now that he is 32 years old that he will revisit that memory.  We all experience blindness, albeit usually spiritual blindness.  My prayer is that my son, and all of us, will cry out to Jesus when we know he is passing nearby. That we will spring to our feet when he calls us, with enthusiasm. That we will ask to see him! That we will see him by faith, and that we will follow him.

Our Lord, you do come near. When you do, may I call out to you, come to you, trust in you, and follow you as you empower me to see you!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“Stained glass window, St Mary’s church, Rye” by Jules and Jenny is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. I cropped the top of the photo which showed the top of the window with Elijah and John the Baptist.

Gospel for October 25, 2015

This stained glass window in in St Mary’s church in Rye England depicts the account of Bartimaeus crying out to Jesus.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Mark 10:46-52

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem.  Jericho is about seventeen miles from Jerusalem, which would probably be a day’s trip on foot.  We get the impression that Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd are travelling as a kind of mass movement that is gathering momentum.

But despite the confusion of the crowds and the determined intention of Jesus to make his way to Jerusalem in time for Passover, he still has time for a blind man.

Mark’s attention to detail here is interesting.  Bar Timaeus, literally the “son of Timaeus”, sits begging by the roadside.  This is his only means of making a living.  But now he will beg for something other than money from Jesus!

When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

The crowd around Jesus are impatient with this “unimportant” man:

Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Perhaps they assume Jesus shouldn’t be bothered by this mere beggar.  But to Jesus no one is unimportant.  Somehow above the din of the crowd Jesus hears the beggar!

Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.”

Notice the change of tone in the crowd — the same crowd that had been hushing the beggar just moments before —

….they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.”

Mark captures the sense of eagerness in this blind man:  

So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.

Jesus doesn’t assume that he knows what the blind man wants.  He gives the beggar the opportunity to take the initiative:  

Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man’s response is simple and direct:

“My teacher, let me see again.”

What happens next is the summary of his faithful response to Jesus:  

Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

The point is clear: faith in Jesus is the means of receiving wholeness.  And, significantly, Bartimaeus doesn’t go off on his own — the moment his sight is restored, he begins to follow Jesus!

APPLY:  

No one is insignificant or lost in the crowd as far as Jesus is concerned.  He hears the cry of the blind, the deaf, the lame, the lost.

But how often do we find ourselves impatient with those who cry out in their need?  We want to move on to Jerusalem, so to speak, without those annoying interruptions.

Thankfully, Jesus is never annoyed by those who cry out to him!  Thanks be to God!  Otherwise we might find ourselves overlooked as well!

Bartimaeus is a paradigm for our response to Jesus when he comes near, as he always does.  When Jesus comes near we cry out to him for mercy; when he invites us to approach him, we eagerly spring to his side; when he asks what we need, we simply ask; we believe in him; and then we follow him.

RESPOND: 

When our oldest son was a little boy, his aunt was babysitting him one day.  When my wife and I got back from our excursion, we were met by my wife’s sister. Her eyes were as big as saucers.

She went on to relate that she had asked our then four-year old what he’d like to play, and he had said: “I will be Bartimaeus, the man who could not see. You will be Jesus and you will heal me.”

Frankly, I hope that now that he is 29 years old that he will revisit that memory.  We all experience blindness, albeit usually spiritual blindness.  My prayer is that my son, and all of us, will cry out to Jesus when we know he is passing nearby. That we will spring to our feet when he calls us, with enthusiasm. That we will ask to see him! That we will see him by faith, and that we will follow him.

Our Lord, you do come near. When you do, may I call out to you, come to you, trust in you, and follow you as you empower me to see you!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“Stained glass window, St Mary’s church, Rye” by Jules and Jenny is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. I cropped the top of the photo which showed the top of the window with Elijah and John the Baptist.