Mark 10:46-52
“When he heard that it was
Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David,
have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even
more loudly…”
(Mark
10:47-48a)
Restoration is messy work. Ask the car enthusiast whose garage is
cluttered with parts to be used in restoring a vintage automobile. Ask the antique dealer who painstakingly
removes paint or varnish before carefully restoring a treasured piece. Ask the blind man in Mark’s story about what
it took to be heard, respected, and ultimately healed. Bartimaeus was doing what he always did, what
the community expected…begging beside the road. Purposefully positioned, he probably became a
fixture, unnoticed. On this day,
however, he refused to blend in; restoration was coming down the
road!
The crowd sternly tried to silence
him. Maybe his unkempt appearance
embarrassed them. Maybe his tone or
words seemed inappropriate. Maybe he was
interrupting what some hoped would be their own moment with Jesus.
Their response is disturbing. I suppose what really disturbs me, however,
is that I see myself in that crowd…too self-absorbed, too concerned about what
others might think, too indifferent to need.
The crowd couldn’t silence Bartimaeus
nor hinder the compassion of Christ. The
NRSV says that Jesus stood still…he stopped and healed Bartimaeus. Perhaps in a world crying to be made new, we
would do well to stand still, listen, and offer
restoration.
Prayer: You hear my cry, O Lord. Help me hear the cry of a brother or sister
in need. Amen.
Jim
Abernathy
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