Last Sunday
after Trinity

Opening Verse of Scripture  Psalm 126

Those who sow in tears shall reap with songs of joy. those who go out weeping, bearing the seed, will come back with shouts of joy, bearing their sheaves with them.

Collect Prayer for the Day—Before we read we pray

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: help us so to hear them, to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them that, through patience, and the comfort of your holy word, we may embrace and for ever hold fast the hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Merciful God, teach us to be faithful in change and uncertainty, that trusting in your word and obeying your will we may enter the unfailing joy of Jesus Christ our Lord.

First Bible Reading Jeremiah 31.7–9

Thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say,  ‘Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel.’ See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north,  and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labour, together; a great company, they shall return here.With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Second Reading Hebrews 7.23–28

The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues for ever. Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself. 28For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect for ever.

Gospel Reading Mark 10.46–52

Jesus and his disciples came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

Post Communion Prayer

God of all grace, your Son Jesus Christ fed the hungry with the bread of his life and the word of his kingdom: renew your people with your heavenly grace, and in all our weakness sustain us by your true and living bread; who is alive and reigns, now and for ever.

Commentary

In the gospel reading we see and hear Bartimaeus crying out to that incarnate God, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me’.  In a way, this too is the beginning of the end of the story.  In many settings a form of these words are known as the Jesus prayer, ‘‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me a sinner’.  Bartimaeus addresses Jesus as the Son of David, preparing for the entrance narrative which follows in the next chapter, ‘Blessed is the coming Kingdom of our Father David’.  The setting for the reading is in Jericho, about 15 miles north east of Jerusalem.  Crowds are following Jesus on the road to Jerusalem.  As Bartimaeus cries out, rather than ask what they can do for him, many rebuked him and asked him to be quiet.  Bartimaeus won’t be silenced.  In contrast to the crowds, and perhaps even His disciples, Jesus asks Bartimaeus what he wants Him to do for him.  A few verses earlier, when James and John have been asking Jesus to do for them whatever they want, Jesus rebukes them and speaks of being the servant of all. Serving others before themselves.  Jesus now demonstrates this as he speaks with Bartimaeus.  In the passage there are echoes too of when the little children come to Jesus and those close to him send them away.  ‘Jesus is far too busy and important to do children’, only for Jesus to say that he welcomes little children too.  In the same way, it’s as if the crowds were saying ‘Jesus in on an important journey, can’t stop now, no time for healings or giving alms’, only for Jesus to stop and ask what He can do for Bartimaeus.  And in responding to him, Jesus uses exactly the same phrase as He has used with James and John in those few verses earlier when they make their request to Jesus, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’  We might think it’s obvious what Bartimaeus wants, he wants to see.  Yet Jesus still asks him before He heals Him.  He grants his request and in an act of humble service, God as breaks through.

And being no longer physically blind, or as it would seem no longer spiritually blind, Bartimaeus follows Jesus down the road to Jerusalem.  It’s a fitting end to Jesus’ public ministry which started in Galilee.  Jesus ends by living out that which he has proclaimed He had come to do, proclaim Good News to the poor and sight to the blind.  It’s not a coincidence that the public ministry ends as it does, it’s the fulfilment of the promise.  What started as a simple, some would say simplistic request, ended up as an encounter with God and a life transformed and changed.  Bartimaeus may have heard with his ears but now he quite literally sees God with his eyes.  As we read the story of Bartimaeus, he gives as an insight as to how we might have an encounter with God, to see with our eyes rather than just to hear with our ears.  Perhaps gives us insight how to pray, why the Jesus prayer has been so significant over the years.  Because initially, he doesn’t come with some specific request, he simply says, ‘Jesus, have mercy on me’. 

Perhaps if we’re uncertain as to how to start praying just falling silent and using these words, or the Jesus prayer may be a place to start.  Like others down the years, perhaps just repeating them to ourselves in silent prayer as we come before God.  These few words both acknowledge who Jesus is, and through that, what He has done for each one of us.  It’s a humble acknowledgement of our own position, as people in need of God’s mercy.  Like Bartimaeus, we too need to get to the place where we don’t just hear of God by the hearing of the ear, but now see Him through fresh eyes.  Come before Him and acknowledge that we don’t know or understand everything that is happening, especially in our current times, but even so, we can trust in an all-powerful God.  We simply come before Him in all our concern and uncertainly and say to Him, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me’. 

We should not dilute the story of the healing of Bartimaeus, he was blind, and he had his sight restored.  Neither should we miss the broader context of the recognition of who Jesus was, and the exchange that takes place as a result, and the transformation not just of sight but of life itself for a man who started the morning, as he always did, sitting by the road and begging for scraps and loose change.  Jesus saw beyond what Bartimaeus wanted to what Bartimaeus needed.  Not just to have his immediate needs addressed, the symptoms and consequences of which had been going on for many years, but to have an encounter with the living God that would change things completely, last forever and have eternal consequences.

Sam Cappleman

Meditation

Perhaps more than even the disciples, Bartimaeus, although blind, ironically has seen and recognised who Jesus is; the Messiah and the Son of David, the heir of God’s promises.  Over the past few weeks in our gospel readings, we have seen the contrast between people who we might expect to know better, misunderstand or reject Jesus’ message and mission.  In stark contrast to these people, we read of those who are sick, those who are marginalised, women, children, people we might expect not to know about Jesus or indeed the details of organised religion or what the scriptures taught about the Messiah, including now Bartimaeus, who exemplify a faithful response.  Those in greatest need seem to grasp the reality of the Kingdom of God and show faith, while others, who we might expect to get the message and understand what is happening appear to miss out on the profundity of a God who has become incarnate through His Son and walks about among us.  Perhaps there is an intellectual understanding and acknowledgement but not a spiritual one.  Truly encountering God required both our cognitive and spiritual senses being awakened to the new reality of an incarnate Saviour. 

Sam Cappleman

Additional Material

The letter to the Hebrews, which is generally (although not universally) attributed to be the writing of Apollos, a Jew from Alexandria, who was an eloquent speaker, and authority on the scriptures, with an ardent spirit (Acts 18 v 24 - 26) speaks of prayer too. Intercession for His people is a critical component of the role of the priest of the order of Melchizedek, the order to which Christ, the Messiah, is an eternal priest. God Himself appointed Christ for this very purpose, embodied and brought to fulfilment on the cross, in order that we can have complete assurance that there is nothing that can come between us and God that is outside the redeeming love of Jesus and His cross and resurrection. This reconciliation with God is permanent, just as Christ’s priesthood is permanent through the overcoming of death on the cross. Other priests, who intercede for the Jews will come and go, they will live, and they will die, but Christ lives forever. Christ comes before God on our behalf in prayer. The idea of Christ being the great high priest is so important to the writer of Hebrews he (and it probably is a he, whoever it was!) returns to it time and time again. 

Bartimaeus comes before God through Christ in prayer. There is no complex theology in Bartimaeus’ prayer. In Bartimaeus we see and hear a blind man asking simply to have his sight restored. There were many who didn’t want Jesus disturbed. Didn’t Bartimaeus realise Jesus was on an important journey up to Jerusalem? He’s just on his way out of Jericho, He’s a man on a mission. And even though Jesus is indeed a man on a mission, a mission of life and death, He still has time to stop and engage with Bartimaeus. Rather than being regarded as a bit of an inconvenience, Jesus regards him with respect and dignity and simply asks what Bartimaeus would like Jesus to do. Perhaps more than even the disciples, Bartimaeus has recognised who Jesus is, the Messiah and the Son of David, the heir of God’s promises. 

Many times over the past few weeks in our gospel readings we have seen the contract between so called able bodied people who misunderstand or reject Jesus’ message and mission with those who are marginalised, women, children and now Bartimaeus, who exemplify a faithful response. Those in greatest need seem to grasp the reality of the Kingdom of God and exemplify faith, while others, who we might expect to get the message and understand what is happening appear to miss out on the profundity of a God who has become incarnate through His Son and walks about among us. Perhaps it is because of their supposed self-sufficiency that they find it more difficult to cry out to a God who walks with us day by day, whatever our situation and circumstances. 

Coming before God in prayer is not just a task for the Messiah, the Son of David, the great High Priest of the order of Melchizedek, it is something we are all called to do. Sometimes this might be with specific prayers and requests, other times it will be simply coming to God in an attitude of quietness and expectancy as we lay before Him our deepest needs and hearts desires. The gospel tells us that Bartimaeus followed Jesus on His way, followed Him to Jerusalem and the events that would follow as Jesus conquers not just infirmities, but death itself. We should not dilute the story of the healing of Bartimaeus, he was blind, and he had his sight restored. Neither should we miss the broader context of the recognition of who Jesus was, and the exchange that takes place as a result of this and the transformation not just of sight but of life itself for a man who started the morning, as he always did, sitting by the road and begging for scraps and loose change. 

Sam Cappleman

Meditation

The home of God is among mortals. God will dwell with us as our God; we will be God's people. And God will be with us, wiping every tear from our eyes. Death will be no more; Mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the former things will pass away. All things will be made new. Revelation

Do not care much who is with you and who is against you; but make it your greatest care that God is with you in everything you do. Have a good conscience, and God will defend you securely; no one can hurt you if God wishes to help you. (From ‘The imitation of Christ’ by Thomas à Kempis)

Hymns

• O Christ the healer we have come
• Your mercy flows
• Jesus took a piece of bread he shared a cup of wine
• It is a thing most wonderful

Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead

God, our Shepherd, give to the Church a new vision and a new charity, new wisdom and fresh understanding, the revival of her brightness and the renewal of her unity; that the eternal message of your Son, undefiled by human tradition, may be hailed as the good news of the new age; through him who makes all things new, Jesus Christ our Lord. Percy Dearmer (1867-1936)

Gracious and all merciful God - we give thanks to you today for your compassion and your love. We proclaim your goodness and your strength and we call upon you in praise and thanksgiving. Bless us and bless your people everywhere this day with your holy presence. Help us to worship you in a manner worthy of our calling and to render to you the tribute due to your name. We ask it through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

In the silence of the stars, in the quiet of the hills and in the heaving of the sea, you speak O Lord. In the words of the prophets and the message of the apostles, you speak O Lord. Now we pray, speak in this place, in the calming of our minds and the longing of our hearts, by the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts. Speak, O Lord, for your servants listen.
 

Eternal God, You have been our resting-place through the ages. Generations come and pass away, but You abide forever. We praise you for Your presence among us. You bring us comfort amid our trials - clarity where confusion persists - peace in the midst of conflict - and hope of eternal life. Hear us now as we pray for Your Church and the needs of the world, for You are the God of our lives. We pray for the Church of Jesus Christ; that, begun, maintained and promoted by the Holy Spirit, it may be true, engaging, glad, and active, doing your will. Let Your church be always faithful, O God, and ready to promote the cause of compassionate love and peace
 

We pray that as Christian disciples we may be a faithful witness in word and deed to the Good News of Christ's Love. We pray for all who govern and hold authority in the nations of the word. We pray that everywhere upon this earth there may be justice and peace. We pray especially today for the well being of people in parts of the world affected by drought and famine. We continue to pray for peace in the Middle East. Lord, we pray for all people in their daily life and work - for our families, friends, and neighbours, and for those who are alone. We name before you individuals and families experiencing personal hardship or facing and uncertain future, those who are separated from loved ones, those who grieve this today, and those who are sick in hospital or ill at home. Hear us Lord as we now lift up those people and those situations you have placed upon our hearts.

Eternal God, giver of love and peace, you call your children to live together as one family. Give us grace to learn your ways and to do your will, that we may bring justice and peace to all people, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lord of creation, you give a new strength to our faith. Grant that we may recognise your presence in all life and history, and face our trials with serenity and peace. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

O Jesus Christ, teacher and healer, you heard the cry of the blind beggar when others would have silenced him. Teach us to be attentive to the voices others ignore, that we might respond through the power of the Spirit to heal the afflicted and to welcome the abandoned for your sake and the sake of the gospel. Amen.

Commentary

"Bartimaeus shows that God doesn't solve problems for us. God solves problems with us"

As Jesus progresses toward Jerusalem, he teaches his disciples and demonstrates what discipleship entails. But while Jesus' message seems almost painfully clear to us, his followers repeatedly appear to miss the point. They don't recognise the significance of the "visual aids" Jesus offers along the way. Now, as the "way" to Jerusalem grows ever shorter, we have today's text about Jesus' miraculous healing of the blind Bartimaeus (10:46-52). It is in this final scene before entering Jerusalem and the inauguration of a new stage of Jesus' ministry that the elements of passion, discipleship and miraculous power all come together.

Jesus and his disciples come to Jericho and leave it all in one short breath. Obviously the significant thing about this point in the journey to Jerusalem, which is less than a day's walk from Jericho, is what lies just on the other side of this village, not the village itself. Mark alone among the gospels identifies the blind beggar outside the town, naming him Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus. Bartimaeus is apparently sitting in his usual begging spot , "by the roadside" between Jericho and the way that leads toward Jerusalem. But when Bartimaeus hears who is approaching his roadside perch, he begins to make a fuss. Jesus is identified to the reader, and supposedly to the blind Bartimaeus, as "Jesus of Nazareth." But when the excited Bartimaeus begins calling for him it is for "Jesus, Son of David" (v.47). The name change is significant. Bartimaeus' enthusiastic confession suggests that, though blind, he sees something else in the identity of this Jesus. Like the crowd that will soon welcome Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, Bartimaeus identifies Jesus with the messianic lineage of David. As the "Son of David" Jesus is heir to the coming kingdom, not just a wandering healer/teacher/preacher from Nazareth.

Everything about Bartimaeus' healing story is emphatic and decisive. Bartimaeus' insight is sharp (calling Jesus the "Son of David") and his conviction is unquenchable. When others try to "shush" him down, Bartimaeus responds by shouting louder. His faith in Jesus' ability to heal him is so great that it in effect stops Jesus in his tracks (v.49, "Jesus stood still"). When told Jesus had called him, Bartimaeus springs into action. What had been a dusty lump of a beggar sitting by the roadside is transformed into a vital, vibrant man, who first springs up and then throws off the cumbersome cloak that slows him down. Bartimaeus comes to Jesus just as quickly as he can. Bartimaeus' request, however, is based on his unquestioning faith in Jesus and his recognition of Jesus' unique being. The form of address Bartimaeus uses here, ‘Rabbouni’, is an especially formal, respectful term for rabbi or teacher and is used just this once in all of Mark's gospel.

Now again, unlike the first healing of a blind man, Jesus simply says to Bartimaeus, "Go, your faith has made you well" (v.52). There is no miraculous spitting or eye-rubbing or deep stares here, only faith. And Barti-maeus' faith is evidently more than enough. Just as this blind man's faith enabled him to raise his voice above that of the crowd, to persist in his demands, to eagerly come to Jesus, so his faith has healed him. That Jesus' faith in Bartimaeus is well-placed is evident by the fact that, having regained his sight, Bartimaeus now follows Jesus on "the way" to Jerusalem.
Bartimaeus is therefore an example of faith to us all.

(1) by his going to Jesus;

(2) by his belief that Jesus was the Messiah;

(3) by persevering against opposition;

(4) by casting away all that hindered;

(5) by obeying Jesus when he was called;

(6) by following and praising him after he was cured.

Time to test our spiritual sight

In first century Palestine there were no government benefits or charities to help blind people, you were inevitably useless to society, a drain on resources and subject to poverty. You were subject to begging for all of your life and at the mercy and the generosity of others. Listen afresh then to the words of Jesus who began his ministry with those beautiful words

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." Luke Chapter 4:18

So it is that today we read of Jesus on his way to Jerusalem, the City of David, when on his way he is acclaimed by a blind beggar to be the ‘Son of David.’ This is a big story, the last healing miracle in the gospel and Mark is making an important point. Last week we were told about James and John who asked Jesus for power. They could not see what Jesus was about in his ministry. Herein lies the irony in the structure of Mark’s Gospel, for just as we have been shown how the disciples are spiritually blind, now we are told about Bartimaeus who is literally blind but sees. Bartimaeus has the vision to use the messianic title, ‘Son of David’ when he calls to Jesus. Nobody has used this title and Jesus has discouraged people from seeing him as the messiah, not least because they would see him as one to use military power to overthrow the Romans. Now it is Bartimaeus, an insignificant blind man, who announces that the messiah, Jesus, has arrived at Jerusalem the Holy City. The impact is forceful, Jesus might not be what people expected, but nonetheless he is plainly visible as Messiah to all of those who have the eyes of faith like Bartimaeus.

We are told that Bartimaeus ‘threw his cloak aside.’ The cloak was important and Jewish law forbade taking the cloak as payment for a debt, because a poor person would need it to keep warm. Mark is reminding us that Bartimaeus had little, but even his cloak he was willing to leave behind to follow Jesus. Mark had told his readers about the rich man who lacked the faith to follow Jesus, contrast that with the spiritual focus and singleminded determination showed by Bartimaeus. The reader is meant to be challenged not to consider any sacrifice too big for the sake of following Jesus.

The crowd wanted to silence Bartimaeus, he was presumed to be too unimportant to speak with Jesus. We should not be surprised that once again in his ministry Jesus turns the attention away from those who expect to be important and makes the marginalised person the centre of his attention. The people we expect to be important are not, it is those who are often neglected that Jesus wants to draw attention to. Mark will tell us the story of the widow's mite in Chapter 12: 41-44, teachings such as this are meant to encourage those who think that their contribution is too small, their part a minor one in the drama of the life of Jesus. The mere fact that we are able to remember ‘Blind Bartimaeus’ testifies to the importance which Jesus and the early Christian community gave to him — his name has been preserved. It is an encouragement to us all to leave our places and to follow Jesus. Charles Royden

Commentary  A Servant of All
There is a stark contrast between the picture of Christ we get from the readings from Isaiah and Hebrews and the demands of James and John in the gospel. In the Old Testament reading and the epistle we see Christ portrayed as the suffering servant, crushed, oppressed, afflicted, a humble, obedient, submissive and gentle servant who is called and anointed by God to be a priest of the order of Melchizedek and the saviour of the world. In the gospel, we see James and John making the outrageous demand to this saviour of the world to do for them anything they ask. Its almost as if James and John have not understood quite what Jesus is about at this stage, misunderstanding what it means to be with the Messiah. But instead of suggesting to them that they must be joking or querying whether they really mean ‘anything’, Jesus merely asks them what they want Him to do for them. And whilst the demand of James and John is in contrast with the earlier readings, Jesus’ response is not. When He hears what they want He does not chastise them for asking but explains, as a gentle servant, what they ask is not His to grant but that the places to the right and left of Him in glory belong to those for whom they have been prepared.

Not surprisingly the other ten disciples were indignant with James and John for separating themselves from their company in the hope of obtaining the highest honour. Jesus continues in His gentle theme and explains to them that in the Gentile, worldly rulers lord it over their people, and holders of high office make their authority felt. This must not happen among Christ’s followers. On the contrary, whoever wants to be first among them must be last of all.

John Chrysostom, one of the early Christian Fathers commented, ‘The fact is that before the incarnation and self-abasement of Christ the whole world was in a state of ruin and decay, but when He humbled himself He lifted the world up. He annulled the curse, put an end to death, opened paradise, destroyed sin, flung wide the gates of heaven, and introduced there the first fruits of our race. He filled the world with faith in God, drove out error, restored truth, caused our first fruits to ascend a royal throne, and gained innumerable blessings beyond the power of myself or anyone else to describe in words. Before He humbled himself He was known only to the angels, but after his self-abasement he was recognized by the whole human race.’

In a world that is so competitive and status oriented it is difficult for us to understand the upside down personal economics of an incarnate God who whilst being the Messiah was also the servant of all, but was the Messiah because He was the servant of all. As Isaiah states, it was God’s will to crush the Servant, Jesus; but as the New Testament makes plain, it was that same Jesus’ obedience that made Himself the guilt offering for all and through whom we have our salvation.

As we focus on the church’s mission this Sunday, the challenge is perhaps not so much what we do with our time, our talents and our financial resources, but what we do with our own self will. Are we prepared to listen to God to hear His call on our lives and to be obedient to that calling in the same way that Christ was? Are we prepared to become the servant of others, to put our time, talents, resources and will at God’s disposal so that they may have God revealed to them?  Sam Cappleman

Meditation

"Christ, when he was lifted up, did not say 'I draw some people to myself.'  He said 'I draw all, all, ALL!' John 12:32 Archbishop Desmond Tutu