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When we first meet blind Bartimaeus he is sitting by the roadside begging. Travelers-traders and religious pilgrims, mostly-continually pass by. Bartimaeus lives off the scraps and coins that are tossed to him by travelers as they pass by. Bartimaeus himself does not go anywhere. Bartimaeus is stuck, with no future and no hope, just trying to survive one day at a time.
Then Bartimaeus encounters Jesus, and his life is changed. Bartimaeus, blind and stuck, becomes Bartimaeus, follower of the Way. Before Jesus people were called Christians, they were known as people of the Way. The Greek word for "way" is the same as for "road". Verse 52 can quite correctly be translated "Immediately (Bartimaeus) received his sight and followed Jesus along the Way."
The essentials of the account are really quite straightforward. Blind man sits by the roadside, going nowhere. Blind man encounters Jesus. Man, wanting to be blind no longer, receives his sight. Man, no longer blind, follows Jesus along the Way.
I don't know, maybe it's just my nature, but I have a bunch of questions.
Not about why there is a blind man by the side of the road. The road through Jericho was well-traveled by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. The presence of a blind beggar outside the city gates was a common enough site in those days.
Not about why the blind beggar wants to see. That makes sense.
Not about how or why Jesus gives him his sight. That's what Jesus does. He came to give sight to the blind and set the prisoners free.
Not even about how or why Bartimaeus chooses to follow Jesus from that point on. Jesus changes everything for Bartimaeus. Jesus gives Bartimaeus more than sight. Jesus gives Bartimaeus new life, new hope, and new purpose. It makes sense to me that Bartimaeus would want to be with Jesus, and to be with Jesus is to follow Jesus along the Way.
My main questions are these: How does blind Bartimaeus know that Jesus is near? What prompts him to cry out to Jesus? Just what does the crowd have to do with it?
Listen again to the account: "As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus, was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!' Jesus stopped and said, 'Call him.' So they called to the blind man, 'Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you.'"
Before the blind man heard one word from Jesus, he heard from the crowd. Without the crowd, Bartimaeus never would have known Jesus was there. Without the crowd, Bartimaeus never would have been motivated to cry out to Jesus.
Before Jesus spoke one word to the blind man, he spoke to the crowd. Jesus chose to involve the crowd. He didn't need to involve the crowd, but he chose to involve the crowd. For at least those few moments, they too were transformed. For a few moments, they weren't just people hanging around Jesus to see what he would do next or people trying to get their own needs met or people basking in the presence of the holy or people enjoying the company of friends who shared some hidden connection in Jesus. For a few moments, they were people of the Way.
As the crowd stepped through the city gates, that's all they were-a crowd. Some of them were disciples of Jesus…the twelve and others who had left everything to follow Jesus. Some of them were tagging along for awhile, always planning to get back to their normal lives but just hanging around a bit longer to see what would happen next. Some of them joined the crowd because of their own blindness or hunger or trouble, waiting for the chance to set their own need before Jesus. Some were there because they had already experienced Jesus' healing touch, and the experience captured their imagination and their attention. Some were there because the excitement drew them. Some were there because just being near Jesus made them feel more serene or more whole or more hopeful. Some were there because they wanted to be seen in the company of the holy man. Some were there because their friends were there, and they enjoyed the opportunity to connect with their friends. Some were there because they sensed the call of Jesus on their lives, and though they weren't quite ready to give everything else up and follow, neither were they ready to turn their backs on Jesus and go home.
The people in the crowd were there for all sorts of reasons, but none of them was there for the blind beggar by the roadside. If they noticed Bartimaeus at all, it was just so they could step to one side to go around him.
But Bartimaeus noticed them, and he listened. He could probably sense the excitement even before the crowd was around him. He overheard their conversations. He heard this one tell of how Jesus had changed his life. He heard that one tell of how she saw Jesus change the life of another. He heard another one tell of his hopes that, if only he got close enough, Jesus would change his life too.
Bartimaeus heard life, and he heard hope, and he heard purpose. Bartimaeus overheard the name of Jesus.
I don't know if this was the first time Bartimaeus heard that name, or if he had heard that name before on the lips of travelers who had passed him by. Either way, every time Bartimaeus heard that name, it was because he overheard that name. And every time he overheard that name, he heard life, and he heard hope, and he heard purpose.
I am convinced that this is what motivated Bartimaeus to cry out to Jesus. Bartimaeus was stuck, with no future and no hope. He overheard others speak the name of Jesus with hope in their voices, and he decided it was worth a try. He had nothing to lose. He might as well cry out and try to get this Jesus' attention. Who knows? Maybe it wouldn't make any difference. But maybe it would make a difference. It was worth a try.
Did you notice how the crowd responded when Bartimaeus cried out? Until then, they had simply ignored him. Now, they tried to silence him so they could ignore him again.
The text doesn't specify who in the crowd rebuked Bartimaeus and told him to be quiet. It just says 'many.' Many in the crowd tried to silence Bartimaeus.
Was it the ones who were there to get their own needs met? Was it the ones who were there to connect with their friends? Was it the ones who were basking in the presence of holiness? Was it Jesus' closest disciples? (They had a habit of shushing people and wanting to send them away.)
Probably it was all of the above. For some, the shouting of Bartimaeus created competition for Jesus' attention. For some, the shouting of Bartimaeus was an interruption to their friendly discussions. For some, the shouting of Bartimaeus was an intrusion on their religious experience. For some, the shouting of Bartimaeus was an interruption of their schedule and routine. For some, the shouting of Bartimaeus just seemed to violate the rules of decorum, and whenever they were with Jesus they wanted everything to be done decently and in order.
For whatever reason, many in the crowd rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
This is where it gets interesting.
Did you notice what Jesus did next? He stopped.
It had to be noisy with all those people crowded around him on that road. I'm willing to bet that Bartimaeus was not the only person shouting for Jesus attention. But Jesus heard Bartimaeus, and Jesus stopped. Jesus was particularly attentive to the cries of the blind man stuck at the roadside.
Of all the people shouting for Jesus' attention at that moment, for the blind man stuck at the roadside this was the crucial moment. If the blind man was ever to encounter Jesus, it had to be at that moment. The opportunity would not come again. The blind man was not going anywhere, and Jesus would not pass this way again.
Bartimaeus shouted, and Jesus stopped, not because the blind man was more important than anybody else, but because this moment belonged to the blind man. This moment was his chance.
This is where it gets even more interesting.
Did you notice what Jesus did after he stopped? He spoke to the crowd.
Jesus could have approached Bartimaeus. He didn't. Jesus could have called Bartimaeus to come to him. He didn't. Jesus spoke to the crowd: "Call him."
In two simple, gentle words, Jesus redirected the crowd. In two simple, gentle words Jesus instructed the crowd. In two simple, gentle words, Jesus invited the crowd to stop looking out for themselves and to join with Jesus in reaching out to the blind man stuck at the roadside. "Call him."
The crowd had been doing their best to go around Bartimaeus without noticing him. Jesus invited them, instead, to make space for Bartimaeus in their midst.
The crowd had been doing their best to quiet Bartimaeus so that he would not be a disruption. Jesus invited them, instead, to be quiet so that Bartimaeus could be heard.
The crowd had been doing their best to rebuke Bartimaeus so that Jesus would not be bothered. Jesus invited them, instead, to call Bartimaeus so that he could meet Jesus.
The crowd responded to those two simple, gentle words. They called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you."
Jesus invited the crowd to be more than passive observers. Jesus invited the crowd to welcome Bartimaeus, to encourage him, to instruct him, to show him the way. Jesus did not issue his own invitation to Bartimaeus, he expected the crowd to issue the invitation.
Before Jesus spoke one word to the blind man, he spoke to the crowd. Jesus chose to involve the crowd. He didn't need to involve the crowd, but he chose to involve the crowd. For at least those few moments, they too were transformed. For a few moments, they weren't just people hanging around Jesus to see what he would do next or people trying to get their own needs met or people basking in the presence of the holy or people enjoying the company of friends who shared some hidden connection in Jesus. For a few moments, they were people of the Way.
Then Bartimaeus jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. Before long, he recovered his sight and followed Jesus along the Way.
Every congregation, including Calvary, is like that crowd that stepped through the city gates of Jericho with Jesus. Some have left everything to follow Jesus. Some are tagging along for awhile, always planning to get back to their normal lives but just hanging around a bit longer to see what happens next. Some joined the congregation because of their own blindness or hunger or trouble, and they are waiting for the chance to set their own need before Jesus. Some come because they have already experienced Jesus' healing touch, and the experience has captured their imagination and their attention. Some are part of the congregation because the excitement draws them. Some are here because just being near Jesus makes them feel more serene or more whole or more hopeful. Some come because they want to be seen in the company of the holy. Some come because their friends are here, and they enjoy the opportunity to connect with their friends. Some are here because they have sensed the call of Jesus on their lives, and though they aren't quite ready to give everything else up and follow, neither are they ready to turn their backs on Jesus and go home.
As we walk with Jesus, we are going to encounter people who are hurting or hungry or lonely or afraid or lost or angry or blinded by the deceptions and illusions of this world. It can be tempting to step to the side to go around them. But what if we didn't?
What if, more and more, we were intentional about noticing the ones who are stuck by the roadside of life, with no future and no hope, just trying to survive one day at a time? What if, more and more, we were intentional about getting close enough so that others can notice that Jesus has changed our lives? What if, more and more, we were intentional about sharing the life and hope and purpose in ways that others can hear and see?
This might mean getting close enough so that our conversations about Jesus can be overheard. It might be even more important to get close enough so that our actions can be seen, and so that the love of Jesus can be seen in those actions.
What if, more and more, we were alert to the ways that we, intentionally or unintentionally, act to silence the cries of those who are hurting? What if, more and more, we monitored the silent messages we send on Sunday morning and throughout the week wherever Jesus takes us? What if, more and more, we eliminated any spoken or unspoken message to the stranger that he is unwelcome or unready or unworthy? What if, more and more, every person found that Calvary was a place that would make room for them-no matter the clothes or the accent or the culture or the history or whether or not they already know anything about Jesus?
This might mean intentionally postponing joining our usual crowd at our usual table in the fellowship hall after worship so that first we can look around and notice if there is someone who is new or someone who is lonely or someone who is sad or someone who is crying out in their own silent way.
This also might mean intentionally finding ways to place ourselves near those who are not likely to find their own way to our fellowship hall by accident.
What if, more and more, we were intentional about making space for the hurting in our midst and helping them to find the voice to cry out to Jesus? What if, more and more, we were intentional about going out to those who are not likely to find their way to us, and showing them that there is Someone near who can hear their cries?
What if, more and more, we were intentional about being alert for those special moments when someone might have the chance to encounter Jesus for the first time? What if, more and more, we were willing to set aside our own agendas, and stop, and listen, and send the message that nothing is more important than this special moment?
What if, more and more, we were intentional about responding to Jesus' invitation to be more than passive observers? What would happen if, more and more, we were intentional about welcoming and encouraging and instructing and showing the way, with humility and hospitality. What if, more and more, we were alert for every opportunity-every day of the week-to issue the invitation: "Cheer up! On your feet! Jesus is calling you."
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