Read Mark 10: 46 – 52
46 They came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, a blind beggar was sitting by the roadside.
47 When Bartimaeus heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth he began to shout out and say ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’
48 Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’
49 Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’
50 So, throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.
51 Then 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.’
52 Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’
Immediately Bartimaeus regained his sight and followed him on the way.
Pray
I shout out to you – Lord, have mercy on me!
And you have invited me to come to you, so here I am…
Even though I cannot see you, I trust that you are present and want to help me to understand and follow your way.
Lord Jesus, in the same way that you demonstrated your love for humankind by spending your time with people, responding to their calls to you, I want to express my love for you, by spending time with you now in a spirit of faith, confidence and attentiveness.
Here I am, Lord, to listen to you and respond with love. Amen
Reflect – 4 Steps to Heaven
A blind beggar noticed that Jesus was passing by – his attentiveness was the first step to his cure.
Bartimaeus didn’t want to let the moment of encountering Jesus pass him by, so he called out increasingly loudly to Jesus. Bartimaeus’ calling out to Jesus was the second step in his cure
Then Jesus called Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus wants us to express clearly the things we want to change about ourselves.
Sometimes this will require some real, honest self-examination, and Jesus never assumes what a person wants, even though he already knows what needs changing – the third step in his cure. Healing requires honest reflection about ourselves, so that we recognise exactly what it is that needs to be done to change and heal us
For Bartimaeus the answer was simple, “My teacher I want to see again”……………….
And blind Bartimaeus’ life would never again be the same. He was completely transformed by Christ inside and out. He could see again.
In the context of this story “To see” means to understand our life and all it entails and requires of us from God’s perspective.
“To see” means that we are happy fulfilling God’s will for us as it is revealed to us, no matter what God is asking of us.
“To see” means to see ourselves as God sees us – precious, forgiven, complete and loved.
And once we have glimpsed ourselves as God sees us, although our sight will always be partial, both in respect of ourselves and God, we can never really return to our former blindness.
Once Bartimaeus could see, he could have gone anywhere and done anything! But he chose to follow Jesus – the next and fourth step in his healing. With that large crowd amassing ‘on the way’ to Jerusalem, Bartimaeus chose to follow the way that was already leading to the cross.
So –
Be attentive to Jesus
Call out to Jesus
Be honest with Jesus – and therefore yourself
Follow where Jesus leads, empowered by God’s Holy Spirit
Have a Conversation with Christ:
Have a word with Jesus… In a time of silence, consider…
What more steps do you think you need to take to encounter God through Jesus?
What do you want Christ to do for you?
What new shoots of life do you want God’s help to nurture and grow?
What transformation do you seek from God to enable you to see and to walk with Jesus – to become more Christ-like?
Keep a time of silence for reflection….
Amen
Rev Janine