Where's Waldo?
In this series of children's books by Martin Handford, Waldo is a cartoon-like young man wearing a bright red and white striped shirt and a matching cap. On each set of facing pages, Waldo appears in different colorful situations, and each time, children are asked to find him. Sometimes there are other characters wearing caps, or other objects that might be striped red and white designed to fool young readers, but that's all part of the fun of finding Waldo.
In this part of Mark's gospel, if we were to ask ‘where's the good disciple?’ we would still be looking. The rich young man may have kept all of the commandments, but ultimately his wealth held him back from following Jesus. James and John were more concerned about their own future than about Jesus' coming arrest and execution. The other disciples who traveled with Jesus were also preoccupied with their own concerns and with getting ahead of each other. But finally in our text for today, we find the good disciple in the person of Bartimaeus.
At first he appeared to be an unlikely candidate. Bartimaeus had gone blind in an age where there was no medical assistance for whatever his problem might be, no cataract surgery or other intervention, no disability insurance to provide for his needs. Whatever his life may have been before he went blind, Bartimaeus had little choice but to become a beggar, sitting at the side of the road with his cloak, begging from passersby, and ready to catch any coin that might be thrown his way.
Unlike most of the people in the gospel's miracle stories, Bartimaeus is identified by name. It may be that he was known to Mark's readers in the early church. Or perhaps this is an indication of the significance of his story. Bartimaeus is both his personal name and seems to function also as an honorific, for it literally means "son of honor." How ironic given his decidedly shameful occupation of begging on the street; yet by the end of the story Bartimaeus acted with honor as a good disciple who followed Jesus.
What is it about Bartimaeus that makes him a good disciple? What can we learn from his story as we seek to follow Jesus today?
First off, Bartimaeus called out to Jesus. When he heard the noise of the crowd and realized that Jesus was passing by, he seized the opportunity: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Those around him along the roadside told him to be quiet. But Bartimaeus would have none of that. Again he called out, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
I sometimes feel as if I'm surrounded by a crowd of different voices: the voices of those closest to me in my family and in the church, the voices of advertisers on TV telling me to buy the next newest thing, or other voices of temptation, the voices of need in our community that are lonely or confused or hungry, the voices of need from around the world calling out for justice and peace. There's the voice of our boss and deadlines at work, the voices of friends, perhaps even our own inner voices of doubt or guilt. Some of those voices call out insistently, others tell us to be quiet.
For the rich young man, the persistent call of his wealth seemed to drown out the voice of Jesus calling him to follow. For James and John, their inner voice that whispered grand visions of honor seemed to drown out the reality of Jesus' coming death. For Bartimaeus, the voices of the crowd telling him to be quiet might well have silenced him. But in the midst of all the noise, Bartimaeus called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me."
As disciples and would-be disciples of Jesus today, we can also cry out for mercy, cry out for wisdom, cry out for guidance, and cry out for whatever we need today. When we face difficulty, the voice of despair might tell us it's no use, just be quiet, don't bother. But the example of Bartimaeus encourages us to speak up and to call out. God is in the midst of those voices. God is near. God will hear our voice in the midst of the crowd.
When Jesus heard Bartimaeus, Jesus called out to him, and Bartimaeus responded. Unlike the rich young man who could not give up his possessions, Bartimaeus left his cloak -- apparently his only possession -- and came to Jesus. Like Simon's mother-in-law earlier in the gospel, he responded immediately to the word of Jesus.
Today, Jesus still calls us to come. "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And let everyone who hears say, 'Come.' And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift" (Revelation 22:17).
Coming to Jesus may look different for each one of us. A longtime member of the church once told me that Sunday morning was the highlight of her week. "I love gathering together," she said. "That's when I feel I can praise God the best." Another values his few moments of quiet time before starting work. Another senses God's presence most keenly when she's sorting through donated clothes in the basement of the local thrift store.
As Bartimaeus came to Jesus, he discovered that Jesus had a question for him: "What do you want?" Here was his big opportunity. Bartimaeus did not ask for money the way he had been begging at the roadside. He did not ask for a place of honor as James and John had asked. He did not even ask for eternal life as the rich young man who had approached Jesus. Instead, in humility, Bartimaeus said to Jesus, "My teacher, let me see again." Bartimaeus knew his need for healing.
Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus met people who knew their own need and invited him into their lives. Like Jairus, who was a leader in the synagogue, and who asked Jesus to heal his daughter. Like the woman with internal bleeding that crept up behind Jesus to touch his cloak and be healed. Others with perhaps less obvious physical ailments seemed blind to their own needs. Like the religious leaders who criticized Jesus for eating with tax collectors and prostitutes. "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick," said Jesus. "I have come to call not the righteous but sinners" (Mark 2:17). In their own eyes, the religious leaders were already right with God and had no need for a Savior. They were doing just fine, thank you very much.
How do we see ourselves today? Like Bartimaeus and others in the gospels, do we have a sense of our own need for God, for forgiveness, for healing? Or like the religious leaders, are we more or less content without a good sense of our own needs? Bartimaeus may have been physically blind, but in acknowledging his need for Jesus, he had spiritual insight. The religious leaders may have had 20/20 eyesight physically speaking, but they still had a huge spiritual blind spot.
What about us? Where do we see clearly? Where are the blind spots? Does our wealth, our respectability, our participation in the church fool us into thinking we have no need for God? Lord Jesus, have mercy on us with all of our blind spots and with all of our need for you.
Bartimaeus knew he needed healing, and when Jesus called, he responded. In turn, Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." In that moment, Bartimaeus was able to see again! But instead of going his own way, the story ends with Bartimaeus following Jesus. Unlike the rich young man who walked away from Jesus, unlike the disciples who traveled with Jesus but didn't seem to know what that really meant, Bartimaeus followed Jesus on the way.
A young family from my congregation serves as mission workers in the Philippines. In their first year, they assisted with flood relief in the aftermath of a typhoon that flooded Manila; they made friends and started a church in their apartment home; when their apartment was destroyed by an explosion they gave thanks to God that their family was safe and prayed for those who were killed and injured. As I write this, they are still in temporary lodging, unable to get even a change of clothes from their apartment since the structure is too unstable. Where will they live? What will happen next? While they have many questions, they also know that they are following Jesus on the way.
One newly married young woman has recently cut off her hair and shaved her head in support of cancer patients (donating her long hair for a wig) and in support of girls and women getting out of the sex trade in Bangladesh (donating funds raised from her hair cutting). To raise funds and awareness, she and her husband hosted a barbecue that also included a silent auction of hair products and pledges of support. So far she's raised $1,675 toward her goal of $2,000. She's following Jesus on the way.
A retiree now in his seventies volunteers at the local hospital where he takes patients to and from the radiology department. He seems to know when to engage someone in conversation and when to be silent, and his sense of compassion and kind words are a blessing to both hospital workers and patients. He's following Jesus on the way.
Jesus' question to Bartimaeus is also a question for us today. "What do you want?" Jesus continues to ask us as a church and as individuals. Do we want to follow Jesus, and what does that look like for us? Is it in service, in prayer, in compassion, or in silence? Is it in our ordinary lives or in some unique way? How can we be good disciples in our various settings?
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on us. Open our eyes to our need for your healing and forgiveness. Open our eyes to what we can contribute as we follow you on the way. For those of us too sick or tired, too confused or angry to follow, grant us a special measure of your grace and carry us through our trials. For those of us impatient for results and action, grant us steady courage to follow you and compassion for fellow-travelers on the way. May we truly be sons and daughters of honor in the way we live each day. Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on us. Amen.