Jesus is
leaving Jericho,
we've heard
of Jericho before,
when Joshua
called down the walls.
Jesus is
leaving Jericho,
on his journey towards Jerusalem.
Jesus is
leaving Jericho,
there is a crowd,
wanting to hear,
waiting to see what is going to happen
next.
And then
amid the noise and the people, comes a voice:
Son of David, have mercy on me.
The crowd
don’t want to hear Bartimaeus crying out,
they want to
hear Jesus, the travelling teacher.
They are
curious,
they have
heard stories about him
they want to
see him and hear him for themselves.
Even as the
crowd tried to silence him,
still
Bartimaeus cried out.
I'm reminded
of another story,
where a
crowd tried to turn people away from Jesus.
Where the
crowd tried to protect Jesus from distractions.
Where the
crowd thought they were more important than children.
It is only a
few weeks ago, that we heard the story of the mothers bringing children to
Jesus so that he could bless them.
And Jesus
tells the disciples to let the children come to him.
And he calls
for Bartimaeus to be brought to him.
Jesus doesn’t
consider the children or the blind or the lame or the hurting to be a
distraction.
And I wonder
who or what tries to silence us?
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Who or what
tries to keep us separated from Jesus?
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Jesus told
the crowd to bring Bartimaeus to him.
And then he
asks the question that he asked James and John in last week’s reading: what do
you want me to do for you?
What do you
want me to do for you?
I wonder how
we would answer that question if Jesus was standing in front of us this morning
asking: what do you want me to do for you?
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James and
John wanted the seats on the left and right of Jesus when he comes in glory.
They wanted to be near the seat of power, not understanding what that meant.
Bartimaeus
is blind, it seems obvious what his answer is going to be.
Being blind
was part of his identity, it gave him a place in society.
People who
were unable to work would beg, and giving money to beggars was considered a
part of religious duty.
We don’t
know how long Bartimaeus has been blind, so what will he do if he is no longer
able to beg?
Jesus doesn't guess what Bartimaeus needs, he doesn't make the decision for him; he asks and
he listens.
What do you
want me to do for you?
We don’t
know what is happening in other people’s lives, but like Jesus we can ask,
listen, and honour the person and their story.
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Jesus is
leaving Jericho, on his way to Jerusalem.
Jericho the
place where the walls came down.
And in this
reading I sense another breaking down of barriers.
What are the
walls in our life and our community that separate us from God and from each
other?
What holds
us back from a closer relationship with Jesus?
What stops
us crying out to Jesus: Son of David have mercy on me.
While the
story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho tells us the walls came down with a
trumpet blast and shouts, the walls and barriers in our life are removed by the
love of Jesus. Just as the curtain in the temple was torn in two at the death
of Jesus, so the barriers in our lives are dismantled by the life and death and
resurrection of Jesus.
Barriers of
shame, anger, hurt, oppression, abuse.
Barriers of
pride, arrogance, independence.
Jesus is
leaving Jericho on the way to Jerusalem, and the walls of hate and fear will
come crashing down. The walls that divide us from each other. The walls that
separate us from God. The walls we build so that we can pretend.
Being honest
with ourselves, and with God, is difficult.
Within each
one of us there are things we would rather not notice. There are parts of
ourselves that we try and ignore. There are parts of ourselves that we try and
hide from others and from God.
I wonder
what it would be like if we could be totally honest with God? I wonder what it
would be like if we allowed Jesus to break down the barriers that separate us
from God and from each other. I wonder what transformation might happen in my
life, and in your life, if we answered the question what do you want me to do
for you.
Jesus, son
of David, have mercy on me.
