We can certainly identify with his predicament. But it is his persistence against all odds that is also encouraging to us. Bartimaeus does not give up when it would have been understandable for him to do so. He is not only told to be quiet but we are told he was “sternly ordered to be quiet” which has an element of threat in it. “Be quiet or else!” His cry “Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me” is remarkable in itself because it is the only time this title is used in Mark. It is an established Messianic title and one that is echoed by the crowd in Jesus’ Palm Sunday entrance into Jerusalem. Mark puts this important and revealing title on the lips of an outsider, this man on the margins of life. The climax of the dramatic incident is that for all the noise of the crowd Bartimaeus’ plea is heard by Jesus who stopped and called him to him. “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 important is this call of Jesus that the verb is repeated three times. Jesus calls Bartimaeus. God in Christ calls each one of us and keeps calling us. God does not give up on us but continues to call us into his heart of love. Bartimaeus’ reponse to the call of Jesus is not simply to sit there waiting to see what happened. Rather we are told “throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.” Bartimaeus responded with immediate enthusiasm and anticipation of Jesus’ call. And then Jesus asked the big question “What do you want me to do for you?” Bartimaeus asked for his sight, for the removal of the barrier that separated him from normal community. Then and there he was healed. “Go your faith has made you well”said Jesus. “Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.” Bartimaeus’ reponse to his healing is to follow Jesus on the way. The story at that level is an account of human need and of divine response. It is encouraging and attractive.

But Mark has much more to say in this narrative. As I have said before each incident in the gospels is placed there for a purpose. There is an overall structure to the gospel with a clear theological and didactic purpose. The context of healing story is so telling. Just think of the gospels for the past several weeks and the contrasts they form with today’s gospel. The element of the journey is familiar to us in Mark’s Gospel. Once again today the disciples and Jesus are on the move. “They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving.” Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. Indeed Jericho is the last stop before ascending to Jerusalem. This is all about discipleship; what it is to follow Jesus. Last week Fr. McPherson preached on the call to serve arising from the incident when the disciples were arguing about their status in the kingdom. There Jesus asked James and John the same question he asks of Bartimaeus: “what do you want me to do for you?” The disciples answered embarrassingly, “Grant us to sit one on your right hand and one on your left in your kingdom” whereas Bartimaeus replied “Lord let me see again.” He wanted to be able to see, to see clearly, to see Jesus, whereas James and John missed the point entirely. In Mark it is the outsiders, the unlikely people, who see clearly, who recognize who Jesus is, who respond with enthusiasm to his call; who follow him on the way.

Two weeks ago I preached on the rich man who desperately wanted to do the right thing. You remember Jesus “looking at him loved him” and suggested he sell everything, give the proceeds to the poor and “come follow me.” The rich man by contrast with the blind man turned away sorrowful because he had many possessions. He was unable to let go and let God. He was fearful of letting go the security which his possessions gave him. In the end he was possessed by them. Whereas look at Bartimaeus who in response to Jesus’ call leapt up and threw off his cloak and came to Jesus. That action of tossing aside his cloak was no light matter. It was his only possession. Indeed the cloak was what he used for his begging, spread in front of him to receive the coins of his benefactors. In other words he gave up all that he had in order to follow Jesus. And note well he had begun his pilgrimage of faith before he was healed. If you like he is healed in the way. He had begun his new life of faith. The healing, the new way of life, the restoration to community, came with his casting aside his cloak and physically beginning the journey. No longer was he just going to sit there and beg. He was now on the move in response to the call of God in Christ.

This is a marvelous gospel to begin our Stewardship reflection. Because while Stewardship has to do with our money and what we do with it; what we pledge to the church; at a deeper level it is about our response to the call of God. As I have said before stewardship is primarily a spiritual matter.

And a good place to start is with Jesus’ question: “What do you want me to do for you?” What is you really want in life? Do we want to grow in faith, in hope and in love? Do we want to serve God and each other? Do we want to graduate from milk to the solid food of our faith as the reading from Hebrews suggested? Do we want to be agents of the justice, truth and mercy of God? Do we want to step out enthusiastically on the upward call of God in Christ? To become fellow pilgrims with the saints? To be living stones in God’s great building project?

Jesus calls us as he called Bartimaeus to follow him on the way. Are we ready to let go of all that impedes our journey in order to follow Jesus on his way of love? Or are we like the rich man going to turn away sorrowful?

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asks each one of us. Take the first bold step with your pledge to God and his church this year and experience the liberation and exhilaration that that brings.   Amen

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