Mark 10:46-52
Proper 25 / Year B
You
will recall our reading a few weeks ago as Jesus and his followers set out on a
journey which takes them from the shores of the Sea of Galilee, south along the
Jordon River, and ultimately to Jerusalem.
Today’s reading finds this group in Jericho where the way turns east and
pilgrims undergo an arduous uphill journey to the Holy City. How strenuous is it? Well, let’s just say there is good reason why
one of the biblical names for Jerusalem is Mt. Zion!
So
here at this turning point, a blind beggar learns Jesus is passing by. He cries out, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” He is persistent, yet those around him find
him pesky. The more they attempt to
silence him the more determined he becomes.
“Son of David, have mercy on me.”
That he calls Jesus the “Son of David” is significant. It indicates the blind man links Jesus to the
Scriptural tradition the messiah will rise from David’s lineage.
When
Jesus hears him shouting out he stops and instructs his followers, “Call him
here.” The wording here is interesting. Jesus could have said, “Bring him to
me.” He could have instructed his
disciples to help the blind man through the crowds. He could have worked his way over to where
the beggar was seated. But no, Jesus
calls him. So this, in part, is a story
about calling; about the opportunity to find something more substantial than
mercy.
Jesus
asks him the same question he asked James and John in last Sunday’s reading,
“What do you want me to do for you?” The
blind man’s request will be met much more favorably than that of the two
disciples. “My teacher, let me see
again.” Unlike the person in John’s
gospel who is blind from birth, this man once could see, but for reasons not
revealed by the text became blind at some point in his life.
Once
he could see. Now he can’t. I pondered this dynamic and asked a simple
question: What was I once able to see, but now am blind to? My thoughts went in two directions. The first is our nation.
There
was a time when we thought of us in terms of “we” – we the people. We were never united by a shared political
perspective. Back in the day we fought
over substantive matters, debated solutions, went to the ballot box, and lived
graciously with the outcome. Why,
because at our very core we acknowledged our common humanity and the right of
each person to be a part of the whole.
We placed this over and above any and every difference between us. We had respect for one another.
That
was when we could see, but somewhere along the way we began to lose our
sight. Now, instead of “we”, we speak in
terms of “us” and “them”. The words we
use to describe “us” paint a picture confirming “we” are righteous and good and
enlightened and the faithful carriers of our great national heritage. The words we use to describe “them” are dark:
they are dangerous, they don’t love our country, they want to destroy
democracy, they are ignorant, they are vermin, they are the enemy who must
defeated at all costs. It doesn’t matter
which side of the political landscape you dwell, there are only two sides:
those who think like “us” and “them”, those who don’t. We can longer see anything like “we”. We, as a people, our blind to the highest
ideals on which our country is founded.
So
this is one kind of blindness I pondered.
The other is very different and I began to consider it while on our
bishop’s clergy retreat last week. Jim
Davis and Michael Graham were our presenters.
They wrote a book titled The Great
Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring
Them Back. They commissioned a large
and comprehensive study to discern why people who once went to church no longer
do. How many people are there? Well, in the last 25 years, 40 million
Americans have left churches and other religious institutions. They were not all members of mainline
churches. Increasingly they are Roman
Catholics and Evangelicals. Davis and
Graham drilled down into the massive amount of data they gleaned from 7,000
survey responses.
Now,
we all know people who have left the church and I suspect many of us have our
own thoughts as to why they did so.
Davis and Graham opened my eyes to a much more complex reality which,
while not necessarily true for everyone of these 40 million people, reveals unexpected
insights. I have to say, I was blind to
this before their presentation.
Here
are three things I learned. First, why
are people leaving? Yes, some folks’
decisions are rooted in real pain. But most
folks left the church because they moved.
Other factors, like changes in the family or inconvenient service times,
play a factor. Next, what do they long
for from what they left behind? Most
said a sense of community, belonging, and new friendships. What would bring them back? Brace yourself… a personal invitation. These insights, for me at least, restore my
sight as to what is going on with declining participation in a religious community
such as ours, and what we can do about it.
And
speaking of sight, the blind man has his restored. Remember a couple of weeks ago when the man
who wanted eternal life approached Jesus.
Remember how Jesus extended an invitation to join him on the journey? Do you remember how the terms and conditions of
selling all he owns did not suit him?
Well today, the blind man casts off his cloak, perhaps the only thing he
owns, when he comes to Jesus. When his
sight is restored he immediately joins Jesus on the way. And he must have stayed because years later,
when Mark sets out to write his gospel, he remembers his name –
Bartimaeus. As we regain our sight in
those areas where we once could see but now are blind, may we do as Bartimaeus
did, be willing to divest of the patterns and perspectives we developed during
our blindness and join Jesus on the way.
