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Gospel: Mark 10:46-52
As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,
Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,
sat by the roadside begging.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say,
“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he kept calling out all the more,
“Son of David, have pity on me.”
Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called the blind man, saying to him,
“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.”
Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”
Immediately he received his sight
and followed him on the way.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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When begging for money, it’s important to be seated or standing in a popular spot.
Maybe you’ve seen someone shaking a paper cup while walking past your car window.
Maybe you’ve passed someone hunched over, holding a hand-written sign while entering the subway.
Bartimaeus, the blind beggar whom we encounter in today’s Gospel, was doing the same thing – seated by the roadside begging for help.
He chose an interesting spot; we find him plopped on the side of the road leading into Jerusalem. Many Jewish pilgrims would’ve passed by him as they prepared to enter the city, offering sacrifices in the Temple.
Today Jesus is walking along that same road – not to offer some sacrifice in the Temple, but to offer himself. (It’s a road that I hope some of us will walk on our upcoming Holy Land pilgrimage!).
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When Bartimaeus hears that Jesus is passing by, immediately he cries out, “Son of David, have pity on me!”
It’s not surprising to me that the crowds try quieting him. Beggars are treated the same way today, often ignored or looked down upon.
But Bartimaeus keeps crying out in desperation, “Son of David, have pity on me!”
When he finally captures Jesus’ attention, what does he do?
He takes his cloak – and all of the coins resting on it – and casts it aside, lunging at the feet of Jesus.
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It seems like such a minor detail – Bartimaeus removing his cloak, lunging at the feet of Jesus – but this is key to unlocking the story.
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Imagine Bartimaeus seated, wrapped in his tattered, dusty cloak. That cloak was his security. At night it served as his bed and his blanket, keeping him warm.
And by day, he’d spread that same cloak out on the ground, wrapping it around his legs, creating a canopy to catch coins being tossed into his lap.
But when Bartimaeus casts his cloak aside – and all of the coins resting on it – this man does the one thing the rich young man could not do.
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Bartimaeus takes all that he owns, and he considers it nothing, for the chance to follow Jesus.
He becomes the last person Jesus meets before he is arrested and led off to be crucified. Why would Saint Mark include Bartimaeus as the final person Jesus meets in his ministry?
A blind beggar…
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The fact that Mark mentions Bartimaeus by name means that he was known in the early Church. He was not only a man who once was blind, but now sees; he also was a likely witness to the resurrection.
And ironically enough, Bartimaeus gained everything he left to follow Jesus – that cloak he cast aside, and all the coins resting on it – Bartimaeus got it back.
The first Christians were very generous, so by his inclusion into that community, Bartimaeus would’ve been given another cloak to cover his body, food to fill his stomach, and a host of friends to surround him.
In that sense, he loses nothing by following Jesus; rather, he gains everything, including his sight and his salvation.
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There are many lessons we can learn from his story. But the bottom line is this: put God first in your life. We lose nothing as a result.
Sometimes doing so means we must cast aside our cloak and coins – we must cast aside our security, our fears, our doubt, relationships, or our possessions. Things that compete for that top spot in our lives.
What is my cloak? What are my coins? What may keep the Lord from coming first my life?
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Although he gains his physical sight today, the day will come when Bartimaeus closes his eyes one final time, as they return to dust.
But the faith that allows him to see Jesus as Lord will endure forever.
May Bartimaeus pray for us, that we, too, might have that same faith to see Jesus and to follow him whatever the cost may be.
In the end, it’s always worth it.
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Image credits: (1)Meghan Larissa Good (2) The Word on the Hill (3) Magnolia Box (4) Quotes Gram
