Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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The blind man, Bartimaeus, has become a symbol of all persons who are struggling to see Jesus.
Bartimaeus was sitting by the roadside. There he depended on the generosity of strangers every day and he had heard that Jesus was passing by. He knew that Jesus had worked miracles before and wondered whether Jesus would heal him.
It is interesting that when he called out to Jesus, his disciples told him to be quiet. It begs the question: Do we do things that keep people from finding Jesus, even if unintentionally?
Bartimaeus calls out louder, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” His words already speak to his faith. “Son of David” was a title given to the Messiah in the Old Testament. “Have pity on me,” were words used in the psalms directed toward imploring God’s help.
It is that fledgling faith that Jesus accepted. He told his disciples “Call him.” They called Bartimaeus, and he “sprang up and came to Jesus.”
Jesus asked him that simple, but profound question, “What do you want me to do for you?” Bartimaeus answered, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus said, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”
We read that, “immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.”
This is the model of Christian discipleship too. We begin by depending on the things of this world. We end by depending on Jesus. We call out to Jesus, and even if others try to discourage us, we call out only louder, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.” In calling out to Jesus, we already recognize him as sent to us from God. Jesus asks us, “What do you want me to do for you?” And in the end, we want to be able to see Jesus as he is, that is, as Lord and God. We want our spiritual cataracts to be removed so that we can see with the eyes of God, to see God in each other, to see God’s grace in our sacraments, to see enough to follow him along the journey.
And if we place our trust in Jesus, he begins to give us new sight and insight, as we walk now together with a living faith to guide us. We follow Jesus along the way.
Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me. I want to see.
Have a blessed week everyone.