In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Luke 18. 35 – 43
At that time, as Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging; and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” And he cried, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped, and commanded him to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me receive my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
St Luke doesn’t tell us the name of the blind man we hear of in today’s Gospel; but we read elsewhere in the Gospels that it is Bartimaeus, which means the son of Timaeus. We know little else about him other than that he is blind and makes his living by sitting on the side of the road near the city of Jericho, begging from those who pass by.
The Ancient World was a hard place for those unable to work, for those who had no wealth to fall back on, for those whose families did not have the means to find a place by the fire for someone to sit quietly and do nothing but eat their food and rely on them for all the other necessities of life. Even so, having to live by begging was not an easy choice to make. Remember the parable of the Dishonest Manager and what he says when he realises that he is about to lose his place in his master’s estate: ‘to dig I am not able; to beg I am ashamed.’ He is crafty enough to find another way to put food on his table. But Bartimaeus must have had no other options other than to humble himself on the roadside, pleading for alms from people he cannot see as they pass him by.
But humble though he may be, he is a man who possesses something that those around him do not. He may be blind, but he sees something others do not. He sees who Jesus truly is.
Let us consider first the answer he receives when he hears the tumult of the crowd as it goes by with Jesus and what is happening. He is told that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. The Fathers tell us that this is intended as a disparaging remark. Nazareth was not held in high regard in Israel at that time. Remember what Nathaniel says in John’s Gospel when he first hears about Jesus and where He is from – he wonders aloud if anything good can come out of Nazareth.
But Bartimaeus’ reaction to this information is remarkable. He at once cries out ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ What does he mean by addressing our Lord in this fashion? It means that he recognises Him as the promised Messiah. And how does he know this? The Fathers tell us that it is because he has heard the stories of Jesus, about his amazing teaching, and about the great miracles he has done. And he understands how what he has heard fulfills what has been written in the Sacred Scriptures. Bartimaeus may be physically blind, but he is not spiritually blind – unlike those in the crowd around him who are unable to see Jesus for Whom He truly is.
There is much for us to learn from today’s Gospel reading. First, there is the importance of Sacred Scripture. We must both read and study it prayerfully. A great reward came to Bartimaeus from giving his attention to the Scriptures. Great rewards await us also.
And then there is the matter of spiritual blindness. We should not see ourselves as being like Bartimaeus, who can truly see, but as those in the crowd who cannot. We must examine ourselves carefully, to discern how it is that we are spiritually blind. Which of God’s law do we think do not matter, or at least do not matter to us and so we have no need to follow? Or what things in our lives do we put before God? Does a juicy steak matter more to us than fasting during a fasting season? Does a late night out mean more than being able to get up early for Liturgy the next day? Or does another few minutes of television just before bed take priority over having time to say our evening prayers?
And also, we must learn from the actions of Jesus. The people in the crowd want Bartimaeus to be silent. They rebuke him. He is only a blind beggar. He is not important. He is someone to be ignored. But Jesus does not ignore him. He hears him, He sees him, He listens to him and finds out what he needs. There are not many blind beggars in the world today, at least not in the Western World; but there are many in need, in many places. We must not ignore them.
No doubt the crowds passing along the road near Jericho that day thought of Bartimaeus as someone to be pitied, if they thought of him at all. He was blind, after all. But he wasn’t blind inside, he wasn’t spiritually blind. They were the ones who blind in a far more terrible way. They were the ones who were spiritually blind; and a result, they were the ones who were to be pitied. Just as we are to be pitied if we fail to learn the lessons offered to us by that poor, humble man who knew enough to cry out ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. ‘ Amen.
The Holy Orthodox Order of St George the Great Martyr works tirelessly to help those in need. We focus particularly on our brothers and sisters in Christ who live in the Holy Land and those who suffer because of their Christian faith. However, we strive to help all in need. Funds are desperately needed at this time to help those facing the horrors of war in Gaza and Lebanon. Please help if you can by making a donation to the Order. And please keep all those who suffer in your prayers. Thank you and may God bless you.
