30th Sunday Ordinary Time October 28, 2012
Faith is what one finds when they are all alone but discover they are not.
Well all of us here have made it to church today! Some of us were drawn by some invisible force. Some of us came on our own because it’s what we do. And some of us came because someone else insisted we come!
Why Are We Here?:
Well we are here. So what is in this for me? What we are looking for while we are here? What are hopes and our dreams? What are the nagging problems of our life? What needs fixing in our life and that of our family? Just what are we are hoping to get out of coming to Mass this morning? What is it we would ask from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of David if he passed by us today?
Oh He is here?! So what is it that we want from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of David today!
Have eyes to see – Yet Blind?
Perhaps some of us could learn from the scriptures and the blind beggar in the gospel story today? Some of us may think we are different from the beggar because we can see but the fact is because we can see — we might just be blind. So let’s take a trip and have a test! Who’s ready?
A trip on the Road = The Way:
Where was the beggar sitting? On the road leading away from Jericho – as Jesus was leaving – on a road called “The Way”. The people of Jesus time knew this was no ordinary location – it was on the way. This beggar was sitting on the Old Testament road, known by the people Israel as the way to the Promised Land. Do any of you young people know another name we might use to describe the Promised Land? Could it be a place we call the final destination, a land of no more tears flowing with milk and honey?
So now let me ask what was the name of the Beggar? And who was his father? Bartimaeus and his fathers name was Timaeus and together these names mean the Son of Honor. So let’s examine the significance of that name. A man with a name that means son of honor is reduced to the level of a beggar who can not see but worse – one who must sit by the road side and beg for the basic essentials of staying alive. How many folks here would willingly trade places with Bartimaeus?
Can you Hear?
Like most people with a disability they have strength. Bartimaeus was blessed with really good hearing. Sitting along that road side he had heard the stories of Jesus and knew who he was. And even though there was a crowd he was able to determine Jesus was in the crowd walking past.
He began to cry out – Hey Jesus Christ my Lord, the Son of David hear me! Many in the crowd began to rebuke him, be quite, stop calling out, hush up, stop pestering Jesus.
But Jesus stops walking and tells the crowd – “tell the Beggar to come to me”. Are we paying attention? Jesus gave the crowd following him a job! The crowd reverses its attitude and immediately becomes the beggars advocate – take courage, man, get up Jesus is calling you!
Take courage my blind friend, do not fear Jesus is calling you!
Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak and sprang to his feet and came to Jesus – was he ready or what?
What do you want from me Today?
Jesus asks – What do you want me to do for you? Well Jesus is here asking – What do you want me to do for you today?
Faith is what one finds when they are all alone but discover they are not.
Bartimaeus responds – Master I want to see! Go your way, your faith has saved you.
Gifted yet Blind that He May See:
The blind beggar asks for sight – the blind man could once see but lost his ability to see and wants it back. Ironically the story is about a blind man who unknowingly discovered he could spiritually see (he was gifted with faith and didn’t know it) because he had suffered the loss of his physical sight!
As extraordinary, the blind man not only immediately received his sight but answered Jesus call and began following Jesus on the road, on The Way to the Promised Land.
Each one here is on the same road – on the way – many of us just don’t know it! But if we did, what would we ask of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of David? The question is being asked. What do you want me to do for you today? Have courage, come He is waiting for our response.