Last Sunday, Jesus corrected the thinking of two Apostles, who thought that being his follower would guarantee them an easy life. Jesus lets them know that following HIM will involve some suffering, some sacrifice, & lots of service on the way to heavenly life. Those three S words: suffering, sacrifice, & service, are important for Christians.
Now, we’ve been ALL been told to be careful what we pray for, because we just might GET just what we ask or pray for! You may have heard of such an event in the life of an 85-year-old man who found a lamp in his attic. When he rubbed the lamp, he met a genie, who offered him 1 wish. The man looked at his 85-year-old frail wife, smiled at her & said, “I wish my wife were 20 years younger than me.” The genie said: “Yes: I grant you that wish.” In an instant, the man looked at his wife: she was there, but she was still 85. The genie then gave the man a mirror, & the man GASPED: HE was NOW 105 years old, not 85 anymore; & yes, there was a 20-year age gap, but NOT in the way he hoped for! Yes, be careful what you pray for!
It leaves me with a question I share today with you: “what do we REALLY want?” & when the chance provides itself, will what we ASK FOR really have lasting value, or will it quickly fade away & soon be unmemorable? The Gospel answers that issue head on, & Jesus LEADS us to see that having relationships with one another is VERY important! What is easy to MISS in the Gospel is that while getting ready to cure the blind man Bartimaeus, Jesus has ANOTHER miracle brewing, & THAT miracle is for the crowd, which is 1 for US! The crowd starts out today functioning like that TV character named Archie Bunker: remember how Archie tried to stifle his wife Edith, to shut her up? The truth is that ultimately, Archie couldn’t stifle Edith, & the crowd in the Gospel couldn’t stifle Bartimaeus’ cry for help, OR Jesus’ healing work.
That crowd is like the peanut gallery in today’s politics: they’re the NEGATIVE people, & shouting down a man crying out in pain & sorrow. But rather than OUTSHOUTING or verbally putting down the discouraging crowd, Jesus engages the CROWD to change their tune & hearts. Jesus gets the crowd to invite Bartimaeus over, thereby making the CROWD part of God’s solution. For Jesus wants the crowd to see what a courageous man Bartimaeus is. Because of Jesus’ healing power, Bartimaeus is willing & ready to start a new life, and he’s BRAVE enough to ask for it. Think of how Bartimaeus’ life will change once he can see again: he won’t be confined to one smelly spot, with all the verbal abuse and ridicule he’d put up with. Bartimaeus could rejoin his family & friends: he could get a job beyond begging, he could get married, & even start a family.
As crowd members, we’ve all made some mistakes in judgment before. Can we ask Jesus to change our hearts, & to open our eyes to see the goodness & potential in others, just as Jesus sees goodness & potential in us, even when we’re at our weakest? & if we’ve been blind to anyone’s goodness, or blind to any part of Jesus’ positive & hopeful plan to 2rebuild the world, WILL we let him help us to change? By the Holy Communion we receive, let the truth of Jesus rule our hearts & lives, blessing our EVERY desire to grow into Christ’s fullness. Blessed be God forever! Father Chris
