‘Well, of course I am’, many of us would respond. I’m baptized. I go to church. I give in the collection. I try not to sin.
That’s all good. (And thank you for your contribution!)
But the question remains: Am I a disciple of Jesus? A student, a learner, a follower?
You see, at the end of the gospel passage for today, the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Mark tells us that the newly healed Bartimaeus “followed Jesus on the way.” With these words, Mark lets us know that this story about Jesus healing the blind Bartimaeus is about so much more than the miracle Jesus performs—as wonderful as that is. But this is also a story about discipleship, about following Jesus’s on the way, a way that enables us to overcome our inability to see the Kingdom of God in our midst and to act as citizens of the Kingdom, to become those who see as God sees and act as God acts.
Bartimaeus is blind. The truth is, he represents the apostles, who, just before this scene, have been angry with James and John for seeking seats at the right hand of Jesus when he comes in his glory. All of them are focused on positions of honor and power and influence. They are seeing as the world sees and acting as the world acts. They are blind to everything Jesus has been teaching and living, everything he has been revealing about the Kingdom of God in their midst. They can’t see the Reign of God. It’s accessible to them. After all, Jesus first public words were, “The Kingdom of God is at hand, is in your midst.” But they can’t see it because they haven’t yet adjusted their vision. Still true for many of us today.
Now when Bartimaeus is healed of his blindness, the first thing he does is to follow Jesus on the way. In other words, Bartimaeus now follows Jesus right into the Kingdom of Heaven way of living. And where does he follow Jesus? Right into Jerusalem, right to the Cross. Bartimaeus sees the Kingdom of God way of living revealed to the full: the way of pouring out one’s life in love for the good of the world, for the good of all, even one’s enemies. That’s what God does. That’s how it’s done in heaven. And that’s how we pray it will be on earth, just “as it is in heaven.”
And how does that happen? How does it become on earth just like it is in heaven? You got it: by faithfully following Jesus on the way.
So, Mark challenges us to ask: Am I really of follower of Jesus? Am I truly trying to follow his way? What might be my blind spots? What might be holding me back from living “not as the world lives”, that is centered in self, in “success,” in getting ahead, in looking out for my self and my own (my family, my friends, those who think like I do and act in “acceptable” ways) but as God lives, that is, loving each person, doing good for all, reaching out especially to those who feel lost, forgotten, rejected, alone.
Once again, I ask: Are you a disciple of Christ? Am I? Well, how closely am I following Jesus on the way? How clearly do I see as God sees? How thoroughly do I act as God acts? How much of my self to I give away in love?
Looks like I better keep following Jesus along the way…
Peace and every good,
Father Liam