With Restoration -- A Message for October 24, 2021

 

Scripture Reading Mark 10:46-52

Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), 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.” 

Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Here ends this reading of the Word of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Prayer for Understanding

O God, as we hear your Word read and interpreted today, open our eyes to the way you set before us. Let your Word, heard in faith, make us well, so that we are able to follow your Son, our Savior and Friend. Amen.              

            A few months ago, on opening night we went to see “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” the latest Marvel superhero movie.  We went to the Grand Theater in East Greenville, an old, restored Vaudeville theater that has $5 entry tickets and inexpensive popcorn – my kind of place.  And, on that night, it was apparently the kind of place that attracted a rowdy crowd of teenagers who sat in the back two rows of the theater, immediately behind us. 

            The teenagers did not follow the rules of politeness that govern movie theater behavior. They failed to silence their phones. And, they failed to silence their joking, loud talking. The owner of the theater approached them and asked them to be quiet. They received glares from the moms and dads sitting around them with younger kids. Eventually, after a complaint or two, the owner of the theater stopped the film and made the loud teenagers leave the theater. He then apologized to the rest of the crowd and restarted the film.

            Most of us follow the rules. If we are told to quiet down, we quiet down. We stay quiet in theaters. We stay quiet in church. We stay quiet during yoga class or school classes. When we are told to stay quiet, we stay quiet.

            Not so for Blind Bartimaeus.  Jesus, his disciples, and a large crowd walked out of Jericho and encountered Bartimaeus sitting on the roadside, begging.  Bartimaeus’s blindness prevented him from working, and he relied on the generosity of others for his support. When he heard Jesus was passing by, Bartimaeus began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

            And, apparently, “Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but Bartimaeus shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!””

            Bartimaeus was not a rule followers – he didn’t sit down and quiet up. He didn’t care that he was being impolite. He didn’t care that he was annoying everyone on the road. He did not care about following the rules.

            Jesus told the others to allow Bartimaeus to approach him. So, Bartimaeus “jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.” He threw his cloak aside. He didn’t care about the coins that scattered down the road or the lunch he had tucked in the corner was flung to the ground. Bartimaeus wanted to be near Jesus. He wanted to ask Jesus to help him see.

            And, Jesus did.  He told Bartimaeus that his faith healed him. Bartimaeus was no longer blind. After he could see, Bartimaeus followed Jesus along down the road.  He left Jericho. He left everything behind.  Although we don’t know what happened to Bartimaeus after this event, we know his name.  He wasn’t an anonymous blind man healed by Jesus.  Because we know his name, Biblical scholars assume Bartimaeus was a leader in the early church and was known to the first Christians.

            When I go to the movies and the kids sitting behind me are loud, I find it annoying. I am a rule follower and expect other people to follow the rules too. But, Bartimaeus didn’t follow the rules and he was blessed in return. This story reminds us that sometimes, we must break the rules in order to faithfully follow Jesus. Sometimes we need to break the rules in order to help other people. Sometimes we need to break the rules in order to obtain our deepest desire.

            In the days of the early Christian church, Christians were persecuted. Christians broke the law for following Jesus.  Christians like Paul and countless martyrs were arrested and executed for practicing our faith. They broke the “rules” but were ultimately blessed for doing so. They continue to be held up as role-models for us as people who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their faith in God.

            Before the Civil War in our country, many Christians chose to break the law and break the rules as volunteers along the Underground Railroad. They chose to practice their faith by sheltering and transporting formerly enslaved people so they could reach freedom. They understood that sometimes the rule of the land is wrong, and that our shared Christian faith compelled them to serve God by breaking the rules and breaking the law.

            I am currently the chairperson of the UCC Pennsylvania Southeast and Northeast Conferences’ Ecumenical Relations Committee.  We have partner churches in Guatemala, Cuba, Germany and India. Sadly, the elected government of India is currently promoting “Hindu nationalism.” Religious minority groups, including India’s Christians, are becoming more and more at risk for practicing our faith.  In the last few months, our Christian brothers and sisters have reported incidents when Christian churches and Bible Study groups have been attacked by mobs of people.  Authorities have told Christians not to distribute Bibles or openly proselyte because they may be attacked by groups who are angry that believers are converting to Christianity. Christians in India are scared that they will be attacked or harmed for their faith. Although being a Christian is not illegal, yet, converting people to Christianity is illegal in some Indian states. Christians in India are preparing to break the rules in order to follow Jesus.

            Bartimaeus wanted to see. He wanted to see and knew Jesus could heal him. Bartimaeus wasn’t afraid to be loud and annoying and unconventional to get Jesus’ attention. He didn’t care that he was breaking the rules, because what he asked Jesus for was more important to him than following the rules.

            We may also be asked to do unconventional and brave things for Jesus. We may be asked to break the etiquette of polite society or the laws of our country to follow Jesus. And, when we are put to the test, I pray we will be brave and do whatever we need to do to follow Jesus. May we do so in love. Amen.