I was in New York City recently, where I came across a young lady hunched over, seated on the sidewalk. Her legs were crossed, shoes dirty, and clothes slightly tattered,.
She clutched a wrinkled Dunkin’ Donuts paper cup in one hand and a sign in the other that read: “I’m not a bad person. Just in a bad situation. Please help.”
It was sad to see how many people walked past her, as if she didn’t exist.
Though she was alone, she still had a name, a story, and even a home – perhaps broken and far away. But her life started somewhere, and it certainly wasn’t there.
***
Seeing her reminded me of Bartimaeus, the man who we encounter in today’s Gospel. He’s blind, homeless, and a beggar.
Just like that girl in New York, people pass him by as if he’s a burden. Or worse, as if he doesn’t exist.
Just look at how the crowds treat him. They try to hush and dismiss him… yet they consider themselves followers of Jesus.
Jesus, on the other hand, listens to him, touches him, and turns his life upside down.
Or, better said, right side up.
***
Two weeks ago, we heard the story of the rich young man. You may remember he ran up to Jesus, knelt before him and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
And Jesus, “Looking at him, loved him, and said, ‘You lack one thing. Go, sell what you have and give to the poor. Then, come and follow me.”
But the rich young man, “walked away sad for he had many possessions.”
***
The next person we meet is Bartimaeus. Here he is seated on the roadside begging. His legs are crossed, his head titled upward, his voice crying out for spare change.
He’s wrapped in a tattered wool cloak – by far his most important possession – as it not only serves as a way of collecting coins; it’s also his protection from the sun and a blanket at night.
But when he hears that Jesus is coming, what does Bartimaeus do?
***
In a rush of desperation, he lunges towards Jesus, leaving his cloak – and the coins resting on it – behind.
It seems like a simple gesture, but Bartimaeus has literally parted with everything he owns, something the rich young man just couldn’t do.
He does this because he’s found the pearl of great price, the one thing the rich young man, the crowds, and even the disciples are still searching for…
Faith.
As Jesus tells him, “Your faith has saved you.” And so Bartimaeus gets up and follows Jesus on the way to Jerusalem.
***
That is the final public miracle Jesus performs, a decision he must have made on purpose. So what might he be saying to us?
***
I’d suggest two things.
First, Jesus asks us the same question he asked Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?”
That is, what is your deepest desire? What do you want from God?
If we approach Jesus with faith – even faith the size of a mustard seed – then surely he will grant it.
***
But the second point is this – we’re called to make Jesus’ words our own, asking our neighbors that very same question: “What do you want me to do for you?”
That is, how might I be of service?
The alternative is to act like the crowds in the Gospel, who walked with Jesus, but failed to act like him.
***
Think of that young girl from New York City, whose name was Laura. She really was in a bad situation and needed more help than I could give.
But asking for her name, touching her hand, and offering her a warm meal was a start.
I hoped that chance encounter would in some small way help her to believe in a God who loves her, who often reveals himself in the face of another.
As it has been said, “To love another person is to see the face of God.”
Surely there are others, then, even people in our own lives, who feel like Laura or Bartimaeus – ignored, alone, in need of a friend.
Our call is to ask them the same question that Jesus asks us, “What do you want me to do for you?”
And then do what we can.