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Mark 10.46-52
The Healing of Blind Bartimaeus
46 They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. 47When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ 48Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ 49Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ 50So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.51Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ 52Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.


What is ‘gospel?’ Perhaps we need not look any further than this healing story from Jesus.

Take a closer look at it. Before Jesus heals Bartimaeus, he asks him what he wants. Jesus's love for people means he listens to them.

Faith can make us well. This is not magic, or superstition, or some simple fix of course. It seems clear, to me at least, that when Jesus says, "Your faith has made you well" he is not saying that these people somehow believed their way into wellness. Rather he is pronouncing their wellness, declaring it, making it happen for them. It is Jesus who heals, and faith that receives that healing. And so it is, or can be, for those who hear this story and this good news. Faith can make us well. Faith can open our ears, unstop our ears -- even raise us from death.

As much as we may want to make this piece of scripture only about faith, there is something else to explore in regards to being church.

Did you notice how the blind man responded when he heard who was in his presence? Better yet, did you notice how “the many” around him responded when they heard the blind man cry out, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”? His cries stopped Jesus in his tracks. Even against the advice of his top advisors and friends who knew better, Jesus stops and listens. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asks. “My teacher, let me see again.”

What if God is waiting for us as God’s people to begin to ask what we want of God? What if the way we can bring healing to such a hurting place is by stopping and listening to the cries around us? What would our ministry look like if we visited everybody we send checks to?

Gospel is not only the telling of the good news. But it is also about listening for it. Then, providing that space where we can celebrate our good news together as a community.

Daily, as God’s people, we have choices to make. We choose to listen and to see. Or we choose not to.

So I can’t help but wonder, what do you think Jesus would show us if we allowed him to fully open our eyes to the beauty that surrounds us?


God sees us as God’s beloved children. It is time we begin to do the same.

[Adam Quine, pastor First Presbyterian Church in Lincoln]

 

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