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The Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost
Almighty and everlasting God, give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain that which thou dost promise, make us to love that which thou dost command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 25)
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The Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost
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Scripture citation(s): Jeremiah 31:7-9; Mark 10:46-52
A Sermon by
The Rev. Canon Carl Turner
on
Jeremiah 31:7-9; Mark 10:46-52
✛
Ignorance is not always bliss.
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When my children were very young, and one was getting more attention than the others, invariably one of them would cry out “And me!” It took a long time for them to realize that it was okay for us to do different things with them at different times; they simply did not want to be left out. And me! Being ignored can be frustrating at the best of times but, for many people in our world as in history, it is a way of life; to be, as it were, invisible and of no consequence. During the pandemic, one of the more tragic consequences of the lockdown in many countries has been the effect on the elderly who are in care homes. Deprived of visits from their loved ones; lacking the stimulation of friends or family; not even knowing when or if they would ever receive a visit again; so many have retreated into themselves, and dementia has been accelerated and become all too real. It is as if so many frail elderly have become invisible.
It is so easy to ignore someone – we do it without even thinking as when our mobile phone rings and, even if we know the number, how often do we click the button labeled ‘ignore.’ And how often do we fail to recognize someone’s need or disability? In the airport last week, I saw a sign on the disabled access toilet, it said “Not all disabilities are visible – think outside the chair.” My eldest daughter, who has a learning disability, wears a lanyard covered in sunflowers that says “hidden disability.”
In the scriptures, there are many people who seem to be invisible to others and who are ignored, yet, the scriptures bring them to the forefront: The poor, the blind, the lame; those with physical or mental disabilities; the widows and the orphans – they are the poorest of the poor in the Hebrew Scriptures, but they are never forgotten in the Torah or the Prophets.
In Jeremiah’s prophecy today, the return from exile will not only be joyous it will be inclusive of all regardless of their place in society. “See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together.” The blind and the lame we know of as disabled – but those with child and in labor? The prophet is not simply talking about disability but the need for community. All those people named need others in order to thrive. Note that the Lord says that he will remove the obstacles that they have experienced in the past: “I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble.” And this is not simply ancient disabled access that the prophet is talking about! He is describing how the community can be a place where all can have a valued place.
When Jean Vanier founded the first L’Arche Community just north of Paris, for people with mental disabilities, he says that he did it as a project but that quickly changed for him. He writes, “When I first welcomed Raphael and Philippe from the Asylum I knew it was for life: it would have been impossible to create bonds with them and then send them back to hospital, or anywhere else. My goal, in starting L’Arche, was to found a family, a community with and for those who are weak and poor because of a mental disability and who feel alone and abandoned I have gradually discovered their gift. At the start, I could believe myself to be generous. But living with Raphael and his brothers and sisters, I began to realise my own limitations and mixed motives. To enter into relationship with them, I have had to discover that I, too, am poor. I have had somehow to stop having ‘projects’ so that I could discover the child in myself – the child of God.” [1]
In our Gospel reading today, we are at a pivotal moment in Mark’s narrative. For several weeks be have been listening to Jesus speaking about discipleship. Three times he has spoken about his death; only a few verses before today’s Gospel story, after the encounter of Jesus with the rich young man, Jesus says these words about the Son of Man, “They will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him.” (Mark 10:34) They had begun the walk to Jerusalem which led to the Gospel we heard last week and the debate over power with the request of James and John to sit in glory with Jesus to which Jesus responds, “The Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)
Jesus and his disciples are on the way to Jerusalem and there must have been huge crowds, for the Passover was about to be celebrated. And as Jesus and the Disciples leave Jericho the crowd had become ever greater, so much so that one poor unfortunate was about to miss his opportunity to meet Jesus. Poor blind Bartimaeus – only the second time that Mark gives us the name of the person being healed. Only, in this case, we don’t actually know his real name for Mark explains that Bartimaeus is Aramaic for ‘Son of Timaeus.’ We can assume that Timaeus died some time ago and that his son, blind, therefore has no one to care for him. He sits there beginning on the road from Jericho to Jerusalem and cries out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Now, this is significant because soon the crowd will take up that cry themselves as Jesus makes his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. But the crowd are not interested in a blind beggar. They press the ‘ignore’ button on their mobile phones, as it were – Mark says that they spoke sternly to the man and told him to be quiet – to take his allotted place on the side of the road, but Bartimaeus will not be silenced. He may not be able to see, but he will not let this opportunity pass him by – “Son of David, have mercy on me!” he cries even louder. In all the noise of the crowd I find it incredible that Jesus heard him. But Jesus is attuned to those who have nothing and those who are forgotten, unfortunate, or ignored by those who are (seemingly) abled-bodied or powerful. [I have friends in the UK who write disability with dis in lower case letters and ABILITY in upper case – disABILITY because their abilities are different to others].
Jesus stops still.
But wait, see in the text the significance of what happens next – Jesus does not go to the blind man, and the blind man cannot get to him, rather, Jesus says to the crowd “Call him here.” The blind man – the poorest of the poor – will have a place within the community after all and they call him to Jesus.
Another details, easily missed, is the throwing away of the cloak. The cloak at the time of Jesus was a symbol of power – and in the case of Jesus himself, he would be given a purple cloak by the soldiers to mock him and then his own clothes were taken away and divided among the soldiers. The cloak is also a practical tool for the poor man – it was not likely that he actually wore the cloak, rather, he would have spread it before him on the road to collect coins as he begged, just as people busking have their instrument case or someone begging in New York has a can to rattle. Bartimaeus gave up his cloak – probably his only possession and also a symbol of his meagre subsistence, and he did so in faith. Note that this is what Jesus is interested in. The miracle itself is described in an almost throw-away line, because Jesus says that his faith has made Bartimaeus well or, as we heard in King James’ Version, his faith had made him whole. His faith had saved him – that was what mattered.
And then the last detail that we might also miss – Jesus tells him to go his way; after all, now that he can see, he could take his place in society once again. But Mark does not tell us that he went his way, instead, he “followed Jesus on the way.” Note that this is the very opposite reaction to that of the rich young man who could not let go of his own deep attachment to property and wealth and who walked away from Jesus’ invitation. The irony is that Bartimaeus becomes rich because of his faith in Jesus has restored him to the Beloved Community. The rich young man walks away but is truly impoverished.
Today, my friends, we have the chance to let go of what encumbrances stop us from building a community where all are valued. Today, we have the chance to discover our own hidden disabilities that Jesus invites us to share with him. Today, we are invited by him to give up whatever treasured possessions prevent us from being truly his disciple and to open ourselves to those who are in need. The Church is meant to be a beloved community of believers; sometimes, it can be the opposite of that. As Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said, “Often we Christians constitute the worst obstacle for those who try to become closer to Christ; we often preach a gospel we do not live. This is the principal reason why people of the world do not believe.” [2]
Let us be like Bartimaeus so that Jesus says to each one of us – “Your faith has made you whole.”
