# Today’s lecturer is the collaborating paster Mizuguchi

1. Unique chance of the salvation
Today’s lecturing portion is about the healing story of that man by Jesus. We will reflect on what is authentic faith by reading the passage. Jesus and his disciples set out from Galilee, crossed the Jordan River.;- Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus.(Mark 10:46)
Mark sets there opening of the scene ;- Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"(Mark 10:46-47)

He shouted “Son of David, have mercy on me!” by considering Jesus to be his savior. David is the most glorious king through the history of Israel. He established the Jewish kingdom by uniting the Twelves Tribes. Therefore the Jewish people of the time were understanding that the Messiah should be a descendent of David.

Previously Jesus had performed numerous acts of healing and miraculous works in Galilee. So he became so famous that a crowd followed him till Jerusalem. They were saying openly “He is the very man, the Messiah who should be the king in Jerusalem.” Thus his disciples were also expecting hopeful and marvelous future for themselves. In that environment they heard shouting voice of Bartimaeus, a blind beggar. Due to his blindness he could not work and begging was his only way of living. In Jesus’ time disables were prevented to enter in the city so he was waiting for Jesus, well known healer, with hope of getting back the sight.

The crowed was excited by Jesus’ arrival and they rebuked brutally Bartimaius to make him quiet. (see Mark 50:48) But he continued shouting regardless of others’ attitude. Because he thought that the moment was the unique chance for him to be emancipated from blindness thanks to Jesus’ miraculous power. He was burning with desire to grasp that very chance. If not he must live as a beggar until his last day.

Finally Jesus heard Bartimaeus’ voice and had mercy on him. Jesus could not overlook such a person as a mother can not neglect her crying baby. So ;- Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” The disciples obeyed Jesus :- So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” (Mark 10:49)

Bartimaeus reacted immediately this way ;-Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. (Mark10:50)

What an emotive description! All of the crowed rebuked and tried to make him quiet but Jesus had mercy on and allowed him to come. We can feel there almost the same happiness as Bartimaeus’.

2. Tenacity of faith

Jesus said to Bartimaeus “What do you want me to do for you?”, the same phrase previously addressed to James and John (see Mark 10:36) And Bartimaeus answered “Rabbi, I want to see.” (Mark 10:51)

The word “to see” in Greek text is ἀ¦Í¦Á¦Â¦Ëέ¦Ð¦Ø {an-ab-lep’-o}, which means also to recover lost sight. Bartimaeus might not be blind by birth because in Jesus’ time it was frequent that simple diseases of the eye, like trachoma, resulted in blindness. Even in today’s world the same problems remain in poor countries. If so Bartimaeus might be suffering from eye-problems more than those who were born blind. He called Jesus “Rabbi. ” However in Greek text the exact word is “¦±¦Á¦Â¦Â¦Ï¦Ô¦Í¦É {Rabbohni}”, synonim of Rabbi (teacher ) with adoring nuance. Mary of Magdalene used the same word when she met Jesus after the Resurrection. (see John 20:16)

The choice of word implies his strong desire of challenging his life again by getting back the sight. And he believed that Jesus should realize the dream. His belief was so strong that Jesus was moved ;- “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.(Mark 10:52)

We find the similar reaction of Jesus in another healing story of the woman who was bleeding for twelve years. (Mark 5:25-29) At the end of the story ;- He(Jesus) said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."(Mark 5:34)

Bartimaeus blindness was healed as his required was based on the trust in Jesus power. So did the woman ;- because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed."(Mark 5:28)
It was their persistent belief which opened for them the way to healing.

Jesus gave another teaching in “The Parable of the Persistent Widow” concerning importance of persistence. The story is about a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow who kept coming to him with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.” She repeated so tenaciously the judged decided to act as she wanted. (see Luke 18:2-5)

After telling the parable ;- the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?(Luke 18:6-7)

Bartimaeus, similar to that widow, kept shouting “Have mercy on me!”, regardless rebukes of the crowd. Thus Jesus heard Bartimaeus’ voice and asked him “What do you want me to do for you?” In consequence his desire was realized whereas that of James and John was rejected. Even though Jesus asked them also “What do you want me to do for you?” their require was based on earthy ambition, which did not deserve Jesus’ compassion. We see there the different results of requires according to motivations.

3. Seeking the faith persistently

Today’s invocation verses are Matthew 7:7-8 ;- “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

We can not now ask living Jesus what we need. But we can always pray everyday to express our need. The verses above encourage us not to give up our desire despite any difficulties. Please pay attention to the word “everyone”, which suggests no qualification is required for us to ask God for our necessities. In the earthy world various certificates and degrees are required in order to get a favorable social position. We must win competitions to study in a famous universitie. Our intellectual and physical capacities should be excellent to become a winner. But Jesus says ” everyone who asks receives.” Thus Bartimaeus without any secular values was given the sight. Only thing that he had was the faith in Jesus and it was considered to be enough. Do not think that is the very good news?

Here we will keep in our mind that attitude of asking is indispensable to receive the mercy of God. In other words if we do not ask nothing should be given. Perseverance, that is essential for the faith.

After getting back the sight Bartimaeus followed Jesus. In contrast, the rich and young man went away when Jesus said him “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor. Then come, follow me.” (see Mark 10:20-22) His wealth was too important to give up. We learn from the rich man’s episode that earthy possessions can not be a synonym of happiness, neither the measurement of human values.

Remaining with Jesus, Bartimaeus saw how enthusiastically the crowed received Jesus in Jerusalem. Mark describes the scene ;- Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest!"(Mark 11:9-10)

Then Bartimaeus should assisted at the scene of the Cross.

Though Jesus healed numerous sick and disable persons few of their names were recorded in the Gospels. And we have no information about Bartimaeus’ life after the execution of Jesus. However at least we can suggest that he became well known in the church of Mark then his name was wrote down in the Gospel.

Jesus had mercy on him because he immediately grasped how Bartimaeus had been suffered from blindness.
With his opened eyes Bartimaeus could become one of Jesus’ followers and witnessed the Passion and the Cross. He must spent the rest of whole lifetime to spread how great Jesus’ love and mercy were. Numerous persons memorize Bartimaeus’ cry “Kyrie Eleison (Lord, have mercy.¡Ç)” which is now a very popular text of religious chants.

Very often we think that we, in good physical and mental health, are capable to live by ourselves. But in reality our living conditions are very vulnerable. Happy wedding and family life might be destroyed by a simple incident. Illness or injure of family members make us desperate. Good job in a successful company is not guaranteed forever. Any disaster might occur to us. And under unhappy circumstances we arrive to learn that our happiness was possible only thanks to God’s mercy. Through that recognition our spiritual eyes will be opened. We must at first acknowledge our nature, powerless creatures of God, to deserve God’s love.

It is very meaningful to think that Barimaeus was not born blind but lost the sight due to certain illness or incident. Loss of a very important thing must cause our pain but might open faithful eyes. At that very moment we shout “Lord, have mercy!” and God will hear it. We are gathered today in this church through our physical or psychological sufferings and give thanks to God, as Bartimaeus did.