In the Name of the Living God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today, in the Gospel according to St. Mark, we have preserved for us the unforgettable story of the blind beggar Bartimaeus. As we just heard proclaimed, after a lively encounter with Jesus, along the road leading out of town from Jericho, Bartimaeus regains his sight and becomes a faithful disciple.
I would suggest to you that the story of blind, begging Bartimaeus is as fresh today as it was 2,000 years ago. And it’s fresh, because you and I play the lead role from time to time.
And, it’s not hard to play the role. Remove the literal blindness from the story and insert some form of spiritual blindness and the shoe should fit. All of us suffer from dulled spiritual sight from time to time. So, since Halloween is this week, let’s role-play: for purposes of this little homily, we’re all Bartimaeus today!
We’re all yearning – even begging – for renewed spiritual sight, renewed spiritual vigor, and a renewed, more dynamic spiritual life in communion with God and one another. Our very presence here today testifies to this longing.
St. Mark also tells us that Bartimaeus was “sitting by the roadside,” as Jesus was entering the town on his way to Jerusalem – on His way to the cross for you and for me.
It’s total speculation on my part, but I think St. Mark’s places Bartimaeus on the road leading out of town because he wants us to sense his desperate desire to escape his present circumstances – “to get the heck out of Dodge,” as the old country-western cliché puts it.
Since we’re already playing Bartimaeus, I wonder if we might go even a bit further? I wonder if we might actually – just for a moment – examine ourselves for who we are when no one else is looking – not when we’re not all dressed up at church?
Genuine self-examination leads to realization: the reality that we aren’t just playing Bartimaeus in the school play this weekend; each of us is Bartimaeus – blind and begging.
Don’t be embarrassed; I’ve never met anyone who hasn’t been spiritually blind at least once, and I’ve never known anybody who couldn’t identify, at least once or twice, with wanting to take the road out of town to disappear completely and start a new life – to get away from it all! I’m thinking now of “Thelma and Louise.” Do you remember that movie?
I don’t mind telling you that many days, as I go about this or that in my daily life, I get that little itch – that little itch to flee, to run away. When bedtime rolls around, as it does everyday in our house, we have a habit of having a big family fight! Gus and Camille, 10 and 8, act like we’ve never asked them to brush their teeth and get into bed. 365 days a year we have a fight over bedtime.
In my mind, I’m very often somewhere else – I’m hitch-hiking down at the corner of Fruitville and I-75 – the roadside leading OUT of town!
We all daydream about escaping it all – how we can run away from painful experiences – past and present – how we can run away from stress, how we can run away from hurt.
Do you remember the old hit “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding:
I’m sittin’ on the dock of the bay
Watchin’ the tide, roll away
Until this week, I thought that song was about relaxing and gazing peacefully at the water – maybe with one of those fruity drinks with the little umbrella. But, I Googled the lyrics Thursday, and the song goes on like this:
I left my home in Georgia
And I headed for the Frisco Bay
‘Cause I’ve got nothin’ to live for
Looks like nothin’s gonna come my way, so
I’m just come sittin’ on the dock of the bay.
That man isn’t relaxing; He’s running! He’s running away from painful experiences – past and present – running away from stress, running away from hurt.
But the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that runaway blind persons – worn-out beggars just like you and me – can call out and can recognize Jesus with the eyes of faith!
And Jesus can hear us. And He can see us, even when we can’t see Him. And He change our lives – right here, right now – just like he did for Bartimaeus.
I love how St. Mark describes the crescendo moment: “And throwing off his mantle [Bartimaeus] sprang up and came to Jesus.”
Isn’t that why we’ve come here today – to cast off our mantles of pain and disappointment so that we might spring up and recognize Jesus and His healing love and grace?
Two Fridays ago Gus and Camille had the day off from school, because the teachers had a day of meetings. I decided to seize the moment and take Camille on a little carpe diem “daddy-daughter overnight.” We went over to Orlando and used up some points at one of those fancy, overpriced hotels.
Camille and I always get a big breakfast from room service, and we always eat it in our beds, because Malacy won’t let us do that at home. And a little sloth and gluttony aren’t complete without watching TV.
So, as she started to work on her French toast, she asked to watch “The Price is Right,” which I haven’t seen since Bob Barker left the show. By the way, I looked it up, and he’s been gone since 2007; I’m terribly (and gleefully) out of touch with modern television.
Anyway, I’ve never seen such “springing up” in my life. Have you seen how it works on the “price if Right?
Drew Carey, who is the current host, calls out a name, just like Bob Barker used to: “So and so, Come on down!,” and those contestants literally leap out of their respective seats and jump all around and sprint to the front! And they do it all just to get a three-horsepower blender!! It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen!
What if, instead of running away from pain and disappointment…what if, instead of running away from grief and anger…what if the world sprang up and ran to Church – ran to the altar of Jesus Christ, where He longs to meet us, to restore our spiritual sight, to love us and forgive us – to give us His very Body and Blood? What a different place the world would be.
Jesus is alive and His presence changes everything.
Sermon preached by the Reverend Charleston David Wilson
Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota Florida
23rd Sunday after Pentecost
28 October 2018