October 24, 2021
“Lowering our Voices That Blind Bartimaeus May Be Heard.”
Pastor Hines
This story in Mark is the last
healing miracle that Jesus did. The story is unusual not only because it is a
healing story but because we know the name of the person Jesus healed. We don’t
usually know the names of the people Jesus healed. His name was Bartimaeus –
“Bar” meaning “son of” and “Timaeus” being the name of his father. When Jewish
boys and girls come to the age of responsibility, they celebrate with a Bar/Bat
Mitzvah. They then become a son or daughter of the Law, of the Commandment.
Bartimaeus was the son of Timaeus. Timaeus is associated with the name Timothy
which means “honor.”
Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus had a disability. He was blind. Evidently
there was little in ancient times like the American Disability Act that began
for us in 1990. Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus apparently had no job. He spent his
day sitting by the roadside, waiting for someone to give him money for food and
other things he may have needed.
When I was in
Spain many years ago, the seminary professor who set up the trip decided it was
cheaper to get a hotel in a “red light” district. As several of us were walking
down the street for dinner, there were women who appeared to be drug abusers
hiding in the shadows of the dark doorways, mumbling, inviting, even begging
for the men who accompanied us, and promising a night out on the town in
exchange for money. They seemed to be poor souls, hiding their hunger for love.
You’ve probably
seen a recent television commercial showing a young child coming home from
school, opening up the refrigerator and closing it because there was nothing
there to eat. His mother then comes home with a bag of rolls of bread
she brought from the cafeteria where she worked that day. She puts
it on the table and the little boy grabs a roll and begins to eat one. The
words spread across the screen said – “Hunger Hides.” We all need something at
one time or another. We all have our pride too. We all want our dignity. There
is no evidence that God intends that we be humiliated and need to hide our
need, humble yes, humiliated, no.
I was stranded in a snow storm on the way from Washington, D.C.
and I joined dozens of travelers in a fire hall who camped out. We stood in
line waiting for volunteers to give us food. We were all in the same boat. We
were all hungry and homeless for a couple days because the snow had made it
impossible for us to get to our chosen destination. There was nothing to be
ashamed of.
We were one big family waiting for the blizzard to stop and the
sun to melt the feet of snow so we could be on our way. No one wants to stick
out like a sore thumb. No one wants to be alone in a time of need. We as the
body of Christ help one another in our distress. We cover one another with a
blanket of loving care. We lower our voices enough to hear the voices of those
in need, to see their faces as God sees them. Through us, God provides the
comfort and the care we all need at one point.
Sometimes that
care and provision is blocked. There is a spiritual battle going on. There are strongholds that cause certain blessings to
be delayed. However, even in the waiting, God is present. There are particular
blessings that God has ordained in our seasons of waiting and wanting.
Bartimaeus was on the side of the road in full view. When he saw
Jesus he found hope. He began to yell loudly to Jesus. He called Jesus Son of
David because he recognized him as the Messiah, a descendent of the royal line
of King David. Do you recognize how great Jesus is? Bartimaeus was
asking Jesus for help. Are you wise enough, hungry enough and self-aware enough
to ask Jesus for help?
Jesus heard him
shouting and called him to come forward. Those in the crowd were quiet enough
to understand what was going on with someone who needed help. Some may have
been annoyed or disturbed by the shouts of a begging man. Others were
encouraging, understanding. Perhaps they even lowered their voices so that
Blind Bartimaeus could be heard which is a prayer I have been led to pray: Help
us to lower our voices that the voices of blind Bartimaeus can be heard. They
spoke gently and kindly to him, saying ‘Take heart, Bartimaeus. Be encouraged.
Don’t cry. Look, Jesus is calling you. He wants to help you.’
We have all heard such kind words from people in our circle when
we are in trouble, haven’t we? Bartimaeus was so happy to hear, though he could
not see what was ahead of him. He jumped up, leaving his precious coat where he
was sitting, not something everyone can afford to do in a crowd. Whether we are
on the side of the road where all can see us or whether we are hiding in the
shadows, Jesus sees us. Jesus sees you. He knows what you want before you ask
and what you need before you need it. He knows.
We know Bartimaeus
was blind. We are not told why. Sight can be lost in a number of ways. There is
a condition called River Blindness where eyesight is loss due to exposure to a
parasite. Some become blind after an injury from an accident or a medical
condition that affects the arteries like strokes or diabetes. Psychiatrists
have treated those who suffer from what is called hysterical blindness or
psychological blindness. Great anxiety can blur the vision and overshadow one’s
life with darkness. Those traumatized by war, who see death and destruction to
the point where their hearts shut down and they just can’t stand to see
anymore, are blind, even though doctors see nothing medically wrong with their
eyes.
We may wonder what caused
Bartimaeus to become blind, but we don’t have to wonder about whether it is ok
for US to call Jesus when we
are on the side of the road figuratively or literally, when we can’t see what’s
ahead of us, when dark shadows surround us. Are you on the side of the road in
any way in your life…does your health have you sidelined? Is the coronavirus
casting grey shadows on your life? Is
your family troubling you? Your neighbor, your job…your mental health.
Jesus asked
Bartimaeus as Jesus may be asking you today, “What do you want me to do for you?”
Bartimaeus’ answer was simple. He said “Good teacher, let me see
again.” Spiritually or physically, he wanted to see again. That
presupposes that at one time he was
able to see. Spiritual or physical sight may come and it may go.
Whatever the case, we do well to cry out to Jesus.
Jesus may say to
us like he said to Bartimaeus: “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately
Bartimaeus regained his sight and followed Jesus on the way. Many times if we
have the faith to ask Jesus for healing, we immediately feel better. That is
often how the healing process begins. We feel better immediately for having put
our faith into action by trusting that Jesus can help us.
God has many ways to heal us – counseling, doctors, family, friends,
sleep, surgery, supplements, rest, diet, exercise, church fellowship and more. Some healing is simple and quick. Some healing is
complicated, costly and may take more time and energy than we are willing to
give. Have you ever gone to the doctor with pain in your body and discovered
that the problem was not what you thought. Maybe the problem was not even where
you suspected. Our healing is not always as clear or simple as we imagined it
to be. Every fix is not quick. Every pill is not pleasant.
When the bible describes someone whom Jesus heals, the description
may be two or three sentences, but what is described in a few words may
represent hours and days and weeks and months of activity in the process of
healing. Paul Harvey used to tell us “the rest of the story.” When we listen
to the stories of Jesus’ healing, we also want to keep our ears open for the
rest of the story. And, if we want to be healed, don’t we have to do our part
like Bartimaeus, to honor God, to go wherever God sends us, to follow Jesus?
There is much that happens if we
could only read between the lines. It may be like the lady I knew who was
inspired to give up smoking, so she threw her pack of cigarettes out of the
window. The next day she had cravings so strong that she was outside crawling
around on the ground looking for that pack. Or the story may be like the person
who gave up smoking and had no cravings at all and never smoked again – adding years
to their life without the struggle that Joyce Meyers said she had when she
stopped smoking.
The work of God is never confined to a sentence on a medical chart
or a beautifully written biblical story. God never fits into a box. There is
always more to the story. In the in between there may be joys and concerns. The
may be challenges and tough choices. Keep the faith and you will see how God
turns our stumbling blocks into stepping stones and our messes into miracles. Stay
committed to God. Let it not be said among us that we want the wedding but not
the marriage.
When we keep our covenant we are saying we are trusting God to
work all things together for good. When we keep the covenant we are believing
God is able to do great things. When we keep the covenant without complaining,
we are lowering our voices, we can hear love in the voice of Jesus and those
surrounding us. They are telling us to “take heart, be encouraged. Go.” When we
go to Jesus we will immediately see something wonderful. We won’t worry about
the rest of the story. We will follow Jesus. We will walk by faith, not by
sight. What do you want Jesus to do for you today? Take heart. He’s calling
YOU. Have faith. Most of all keep the faith. Go. Immediately, you will see
Jesus. Follow him and you will be healed in one way or another. Amen.
