What do you want, and why?

Edie Wakevainen
23rd Sunday after Pentecost
Mark 10:46-52

Why do other people do what they do? We are naturally curious about that. If you don’t believe me, spend some time with a small child. One study found that on average, children between the ages of 14 months and 5 years asked 107 questions an hour! No wonder parents get so tired.

One way to dive into a Bible story is to ask “why” following each statement about a person’s behavior and to consider what the possible answers tell us about human beings and about God.

Today’s Gospel story is set in the town of Jericho. Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd are getting ready to leave the town, we assume on foot. In contrast to that large group of people who are walking somewhere, we have Bartimaeus who is sitting alone by the side of the road. Why? Bartimaeus is blind and he is a beggar. Both of those characteristics would be grounds for social exclusion. In other words, Bartimaeus was left out of the group because he couldn’t see and he had no money. In case we might have thought that he was actually part of the group but chose to stay home for safety reasons, the crowd reinforces his exclusion by sternly telling him to be quiet when he calls out to Jesus. I can imagine them whispering among themselves about how embarrassing this guy was.

I wonder: Are we in that crowd? Are there people we would rather not include in our groups of friends? Do we sometimes wish that certain people would just be quiet so they don’t attract negative attention?

Bartimaeus clearly knows who Jesus is. He calls to Jesus by name. He proclaims his identity as the Son of David. And he asks Jesus for mercy.  Even after the crowd tells him to be quiet, Bartimaeus calls out to Jesus again. Jesus is clearly more important to him than the local community. And Jesus stops walking and says to the crowd, “Call him here.” Why? Jesus wants to connect with the man whom they had excluded. And he will stop the crowd’s activity to make that connection. This man who names and identifies Jesus and asks him for mercy is more significant in that moment than an entire crowd of people. Jesus has put the crowd on notice.

I wonder: Are we in that crowd? Is Jesus showing us that the way we ascribe value to people is not his way? Does following the world’s standards blind us to what Jesus considers important?

And the crowd quickly changed their treatment of Bartimaeus. Instead of shushing him, they reacted kindly, telling the blind man to “take heart” and “get up” because Jesus was calling him. My inner cynic says that when Jesus was no longer present, they probably would have reverted to their unkind treatment of people they considered outcasts, but at least in the moment they encouraged Bartimaeus to approach Jesus. And he did.

Jesus asked Bartimaeus what he wanted him to do for him. Why? Wouldn’t Jesus know that Bartimaeus wanted to be able to see? As outsiders, we would assume that. But Jesus did not assume. He wanted to hear from Bartimaeus himself what the need was.

I wonder: Are we in that crowd? How often do we assume that we know what is best for someone else? We think that an unhoused person should want to sleep in a shelter, ignoring the fact that they cannot do so unless they give up the dog that has been by their side for a decade. Is it really our place to tell that person that coming inside out of the cold is more important than faithful companionship?

Bartimaeus told Jesus that he wanted to see again. Why? We have to assume that being unable to see was the biggest obstacle Bartimaeus was facing. Jesus said to Bartimaeus, “Go, your faith has made you well” and Bartimaeus regained his sight and followed Jesus.

I wonder: Was the crowd surprised? Did they expect Bartimaeus to ask for something more consequential? Did they expect Jesus to heal through touch? Did they expect Bartimaeus to stay in the community to witness to the miracle he experienced?

Perhaps the point of the story is to demonstrate what faith is. Bartimaeus showed through his actions his belief that Jesus could provide for his needs and that he could ask Jesus for that provision no matter what others said or did. He believed that Jesus cared about him, not just those who are wealthy or important, and that Jesus would show mercy through solving his problem. And he responded to that mercy through leaving home to follow Jesus.

May we, like Bartimaeus, have the faith to ask, the openness to accept, and the strength to follow.