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Blind
Bartimaeus Today is Sunday the 25th of October. It is a beautiful today. The sun is out. I imagine some people woke up with a spring in their step, while others may have got out of bed on the wrong side. Then there will be others that may feel like this is just another ordinary day. I don’t know what the 25th of October 2010 would be like, maybe much of the same as today. But I know for sure that NZ will be either one of two things on 25 October 2011. Either the whole country will practically still been dancing on the street for two solid days - feeling absolutely on top of the world, Or else the whole country will practically be stuck in bed, hiding in their rooms, not wanting to face another four years of not having the rugby world cup in our cabinet. Ok so maybe I am going a little over the top. But The Rugby World Cup final is on Sunday 23rd October 2011. For me this game is a big deal. 1995, I was 12 year old boy who would wake up in the middle of the night to watch Jonah Lomu trample over the opposition, with my Dad and my brothers. At the final whistle against South Africa my whole house was dead quiet. We did not say a word to each other. We just went straight to bed. Four years later was even worse. We lost to France in the Semi and then again to South Africa for 3rd and fourth. In 2003 we lost to England, and then two years ago we didn’t even make the semis because of the blimin French. It was about this time that my boy hood dream of watching the All Black lift the Web Ellis Cup was never going to be fulfilled. . “But wait”, you say! “Don’t give up hope. The world cup is coming here, right in your own back yard. You won’t be able to buy a ticket because it will be so expensive, but the world cup is coming to us.” Just imagine, if the All Blacks decided do a parade down the main street of Devonport just a week before the world cup final. The parade would include some of the music and dancing talent on display at the Parish concert last night. I could imagine many of the Devonport locals would like to be the on the organising committee, making sure they personally get to meet the All Blacks and wish them well. But what would happen, if someone called out, while the team paraded down the street. “Graham, Graham, my son is sick at home. Please can you bring the All Blacks to my house, it would make my son feel so much better. Please Graham.” I could imagine a few of us, would be a bit embarrassed. “Hey mate we can help you out later but right now it is not about you. The All Blacks are here to be paraded.” A wild story I know! But when comparing it to Jesus travelling through Jericho the attitudes from the crowd were similar. The Gospel reading this morning drew out three thoughts for me. 1. It Attracts people. Jericho was buzzing over that the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was coming to visit them. He was said to be the man that the prophets of the Old Testament had spoken of. A descendant of the great King David. Years had gone by and hope was nearly abandoned, but then the news of Jesus changed everything. Vs 46 indicate that Jesus attracted a large crowd to him. I can imagine while Jesus was travelling down the road the crowd would have been on edge, wanting to make sure they left him a great impression on their city. And just when things seemed to be going smoothly, a drop kick blind guy starts shouting out “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” Shh! You idiot! “Son of David, have mercy on me.” Oh no, how embarrassing! What is Jesus going to think of all of this fuss? Just prior to Jericho, the Gospel of Mark records Jesus talking to his disciples. He tells them that he was going to be killed, but then in 3 days will rise. In Jerusalem, James and John asked Jesus if they could sit on the right and left hand of Jesus in His glory. The rest of the disciples were pretty braised off as they too probably would of have liked to be at the right and left hand of Jesus. But Jesus’ glory is not about rulership in the way the disciples understood it to be. The rulers of the gentiles were generally more interested in exercising lordship and the concept of having authority, as opposed to working in the best interest of the gentile people. Jesus says that it is not this type of leadership or authority that you should seek after. “Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” Mark 10:43-454 This is why Jesus so often refers to himself as shepherd among sheep as opposed to a horse trainer. A shepherd cares and looks out and serves the sheep, while a trainer works the horse hard to get results. With this teaching in their minds the disciples get a taste of what this concept of “coming to serve” is all about in Jericho Which is the second thought, and that is. Serve He called the blind man over and said “what do you want me to do for you?” Not, this is how you should pray to me? Or this is how you should worship me, but his first words to Bartimaeus were “what do you want me to do for you? We serve, not because we want to feel good about our self, so that we can sleep at night. We serve because Jesus came to serve us. The blind man then changed Jesus’ title from “Son of David”, to “Rabbi” which is a term for religious Teacher. This could be significant in that he recognised that Jesus was not only the son of David, but was the teacher of what was to come. “Rabbi, I want to see”? “Go” said Jesus “your faith has healed you” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. The dialogue between Jesus and Bartimaeus brings out the third thought. That Jesus was to be in relationship with people. Jesus could have very well healed the man from a distance. But instead Jesus invited Bartimaeus into dialogue. How interesting that Jesus said “go, your faith has healed you”, yet Bartimaeus did not go. He was most probably so overwhelmed by the experience that he could not go anywhere that was not close to Jesus. Three thoughts… 1. Attracts 2. Relationship 3. Serve How do live out these thoughts 2000 years later? How do we attract people, whilst ensuring all people, blind, sick, dysfunction or healthy, educated and successful are included. How do we create a relationship that has someone who so moved that they can not be anywhere, but close to Jesus. How do we mimic Jesus’ example of serving. We start with a vision. A vision so that we know where we want to go. The vision for this Parish is at the front of the pew sheets. Let it burn on our hearts this morning. To be a Christ-centred community that attracts all people into a relationship with God and inspires them to serve. Today let us embrace the Gospel reading as an encourager for each of us to take ownership over the vision statement. It is one thing to stand here and read out the word of God and another to go out and live it. |
