Mon - 9.30-50; Tues - 10.1-16; Wed - 10.17-31; Thurs - 10.32-45; Fri - 10.46-52
The central narrative of Mark’s gospel account begins back in Mark 8:22 with the gradual healing of the blind man. I believe this story is a living parable setting the stage for the struggle of fully following Jesus for who he is and who he calls us to be as his followers. His disciples have seen him do extraordinary things yet do not accept that he must die. Their sight has not yet fully come into focus. The exemplar of true discipleship comes at the end of our reading this week with blind Bartimaeus (10:46-52). He calls out to Jesus with a Kingly title, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” He is hushed and rebuked but he shouts all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Here’s some of the imagery the Mark highlights in the actions of true discipleship:
- Threw his cloak aside – Bartimaeus is a blind beggar, and his cloak would be draped across his legs to collect money from those passing by. This is his livelihood, and he throws it off to go to Jesus. Who do you see Bartimaeus being paralleled with leading up to this story? Who was unwilling to throw their cloak off? What are you still holding onto that keeps you from fulling responding to Jesus?
- Came to Jesus – Bartimaeus is blind, he throws off his hindrances, and goes to Jesus. This simple action reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from a 16th century monk named John of the Cross, “If a man wishes to be sure of the road he treads on, he must close his eyes and walk in the dark.” Moving toward Jesus while blind is the greatest act of vision because he throws off everything to move toward the one who can show him the way. This is the act of faith that marks true discipleship. Where have you had to close your eyes and trust Jesus to show you the way? What keeps you from fully closing your eyes so that you can truly see?
- “What do you want me to do for you?” – Where have you heard this before? Mark draws our attention to the previous story where James and John go to Jesus and say, “We want you to do for us whatever we ask” (10:36). Jesus gives the same response in both stories. This is a heart revealing question that also points to what our response needs to be to Jesus every time we approach him, “I want to see.”
- “I want to see” – The obvious response for Bartimaeus is that he wants to see. Mark uses this story to take discipleship to another depth. Every time we approach Jesus, we need to approach with the desire to see clearly. Another way to say this is, “Not my will but yours be done.” Jesus’s steps toward the cross should be viewed as one who closes his eyes and is led by the Father. No one would look at the cross and say they see clearly. One must first close their eyes and be led through the cross and into the resurrection. Bartimaeus is set in contrast against the other disciples who have their eyes open but cannot see.
- Faith brings sight and he follows Jesus “along the way.” – Bartimaeus is commended for his faith, receives his sight, and then follows Jesus “along the way.” This whole central narrative of Mark has its sights on Jerusalem and has “the way” sprinkled throughout the story. Your translation may say “road” but this is the same word for “way” in the text. The early disciples of Jesus were called “followers of the way” and Mark points to this throughout this section.
The Gospel of Mark is written to encourage Christians to focus on who their true King is, live as proper citizens of his Kingdom, and follow Jesus along the way of true discipleship. Following Jesus along the way leads us to the cross and through the cross into the resurrection. Are we willing to close our eyes so that we might see?
Thursday’s reading has James and John seeking positions of power after Jesus gives his third teaching that the King must go to Jerusalem to die. Mark then highlights the Lord’s Supper and our Baptism in Jesus’s response to their request: “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” Our Baptism is where we are washed into the narrative of the death, burial, and resurrection as those who seek to live as Jesus lived. The Lord’s Supper is the regular practice of proclaiming that narrative as our own as a reminder of who we are called to be as followers of Jesus.
Are we willing to close our eyes and follow Jesus to the cross? The hope of Easter, the resurrection, is on the horizon but the way to the cross is where we must first follow Jesus.