Bartimaeus had not been blind all of his life. He knew what colours looked like, what trees and flowers and the desert sand looked like. But through the years for some reason he lost his sight, maybe it was cataracts or an injury that caused his blindness. In any case, he had been reduced to begging for a living. In becoming blind, he had lost everything. He lost his status in society. He lost the meaning of his life, his ability to work and provide for himself and his family. Most devastating though, his community no longer accepted him. He was ill and so he was no longer permitted to worship in the temple.
And so he was sitting by the roadside when Jesus of Nazareth walked by. He heard all the commotion and asked someone what the noise was all about. -A moment of hope, a moment of possibility for he had heard that Jesus could heal. "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" He used the title Son of David as a sign of respect to Jesus. He recognized Jesus as the King of the Jews, the long awaited Messiah.
But his cry was shameful. It was an embarrassment to the crowd and they tried to silence him. But good old Bartimaeus wouldn't be silenced and he yelled even louder the next time. "Son of David, have mercy on me!" He knew what he needed and he wasn't afraid to ask for it.
It was shameful to cry out for help in ancient times. It is shameful to cry out for help in modern times. Actually, we don't like people yelling out at all.
The crowd in this story, just didn't know what kind of man Jesus was. They didn't know what his ministry was about. They didn't know that he was the kind of guy who healed people like Bartimaeus. He came to restore people to their place in society. He came to make the broken whole. The poor crowd, they just didn't get it.
Sometimes, we just don't get it either. We don't get the kind of man Jesus is. We don't understand the kind of god, God is. For we too, sometimes think that it is inappropriate to cry out to God for help.
Every week I ask for prayer concerns and every week different people in the community are named but so rarely does someone say, "I need prayers. I need help." I'm guilty of this as well for Chris and I need prayers as we wait to win a contract proposal. We have been waiting for 2 months. It's killing me.
But it is not acceptable in our society to cry out for help. We are taught to be strong and independent. Both in the church and in our culture we value helping others. And of course, it is wonderful when people volunteer their time to their community. Of course it is wonderful when people volunteer to teach Sunday School or visit shut-ins or drive them to places, or any other number of ways that we reach out to others and take care of our neighbours. But that is only half the story, that is only half of the Christian message. The rest of the story is that is it perfectly acceptable, more than that it is necessary to healthy relationship with others and with God to name our needs, to cry out for help. "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" What I am talking about here is the balance between giving and taking, of loving and being loved.
I was reading a story of a man who was so caught up in serving others that he couldn't develop a heartfelt relationship with God. He felt that he didn't need God, because he was so loving and caring himself. He was convinced that God needed him. How was God supposed to save the world without him? He said, "I once found myself praying, 'Lord, I have mercy on you.' He expected gratitude for the work he had done for others and the service he had given to his church. He expected gratitude from everyone else - including God. But he wasn't willing to be thankful for anything, himself.
Bartimaeus didn't have these issues of pride because he had kissed the depths of despair. Often, that is the only time that we truly pray from the heart. The Bible says that God comes to us in our most humbling moments. But maybe that's when we come to God, in our most humbling moments. Bartimaeus is living his most humbling moment. "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stood still and said, 'Call him here.' So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.
Is Bartimaeus being selfish because he calls out for help? No! He's naming his need. He is recognizing the kind of man Jesus is. He knows that if he can't call out to Jesus for help, who can he call to?
Why do we think that that is such a bad thing? Why do we want to silence Bartimaeus? Why do we want to silence ourselves?
A little boy was sweating as he carried a large stone across the yard: "Why don't you use all your strength? Asked the father. The Little fellow was hurt and said, "Daddy, I am." The father replied, "But you haven't asked me to help you."
"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asks. Jesus doesn't assume that he knows what's good for Bartimaeus. "Let me see again." Jesus doesn't touch him, he simply says, "Go your faith has made you well."
Sometimes we don't want to accept help because we are afraid of what we will look like. We also might be suspicious of the other people's motives: that they want something from us in return. When we think like that, what does it reveal about our motives when we give? Sometimes we give, not out of our own love, but to get love. We want someone weak or vulnerable to help. We want them to give us thanks and praise and love in return. But when Bartimaeus asks for help, he has no such suspicions of Jesus. And he is right. Jesus demands nothing in return. Jesus does not require even so much as a thank-you. Jesus heals out of his own love, and not so that he can feel loved.
And in response, by his own accord, Bartimaeus becomes a follower of Jesus. In Luke's version of this story he says that in response Bartimaeus sings praises and gives thanks to God.
What is the response to the healing work of Jesus? How do we respond when our prayers have been answered? How do we respond when someone takes care of our needs? When our prayers are answered our faith, our relationship with may be strengthened. When our needs are taken care of, we rejoice in thanksgiving.
The Roman Catholic Church has a tradition of publicly giving thanks for prayers that have been answered. Often, one can read in the classified section of the paper public thanksgivings to saints. Perhaps we could take time in our prayers to give thanks for prayers that have been answered. We have a prayer list, the names publicly go on the list, but they very quietly go off the list. We could take time to thank God for prayers answered.
Today and always, let us support one another in our needs. Let us not be ashamed or embarrassed to name our needs and to cry out for help. Let us not feel selfish for taking care of ourselves when that is needed. And in the end, let us always be thankful when God has answered our prayers and sent people into our lives to take care of us. Amen.
