{"id":11414,"date":"2021-02-07T19:48:55","date_gmt":"2021-02-07T19:48:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theologie.whp.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/?p=11414"},"modified":"2023-02-09T17:43:14","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T16:43:14","slug":"mark-1046-52","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/mark-1046-52\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark 10:46-52"},"content":{"rendered":"

PENTECOST 21, OCTOBER 29, 2006<\/strong>
\nA Sermon based on by Mark 10:46-52 (RCL) by Hubert Beck<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, \u201cJesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!\u201d And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, \u201cSon of David, have mercy on me!\u201d And Jesus stopped and said, \u201cCall him.\u201d And they called the blind man, saying to him, \u201cTake heart. Get up; he is calling you.\u201d And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, \u201cWhat do you want me to do for you?\u201d And the blind man said to him, \u201cRabbi, let me recover my sight.\u201d And Jesus said to him, \u201cGo your way; your faith has made you well.\u201d And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.<\/em> (English Standard Version)<\/div>\n

\u201cPEEPHOLES\u201d INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD <\/strong><\/p>\n

What do you think your response would have been if you had actually been there and seen the miracle recorded in today\u2019s Gospel? Would you stand in awe at seeing a blind man regain his sight? Would you wonder who this man is by whom the sight was restored? Would you think your own eyes were deceiving you . . . or that the blind man himself was deceiving you, perhaps, by making you think he had been blind when he actually could see all the time? Would you follow this \u201chealer,\u201d hoping to see him do other miracles as though he were heading up a traveling road show of sorts?<\/p>\n

The Miracle Viewed \u201cFrom the Outside\u201d<\/p>\n

We read of no response on the part of either the disciples or the crowd in the account we have. A public response is frequently noted when Jesus performed miracles, responses both positive and negative. When Jesus healed the paralytic lowered through the roof we are told, \u201cThey were all amazed and glorified God, saying, \u2018We never saw anything like this.\u2019\u201d (Mark 2:12b) When he healed the man with a withered hand on the Sabbath \u201cthe Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.\u201d (Mark 3:6) When the crowds gather around him in response to his words and works \u201c[his family] went out to seize him, for they were saying, \u2018He is out of his mind.\u2019\u201d (Mark 3:21) When he calmed the storm his disciples \u201cwere filled with great fear and said to one another, \u2018Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?\u2019\u201d (Mark 4:41) When he healed the demon-possessed man in the country of the Gerasenes \u201cthey were afraid. . . . And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.\u201d (Mark 5:15, 17)<\/p>\n

He arouses quite a variety of responses with his miracles, does he not? But in the instance of our Gospel for today no public response is noted. The only response is on the part of the man whose sight was restored: \u201cAnd immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why rehearse all this? Simply because the performance of miracles is of little consequence in the long haul of things. They undoubtedly create an immediate sensation, but any long lasting significance is rather quickly lost for the most part and in most instances. Luke tells about a time when Jesus was confronted by some who said, \u201cHe casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons.\u2019\u201d Jesus\u2019 response (made famous by Abraham Lincoln who, paraphrasing Jesus, said that \u201ca house divided against itself cannot stand\u201d) was simply to the point that miracles can be interpreted in any number of ways in and of themselves. \u201cIf I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.\u201d His remark suggests that miracle workers were hardly unknown among them. While he may have been referring to the prophets of old who worked miracles (but then why did he not say that \u201cyour fathers<\/strong> cast them out\u201d?) it seems more to the point that there were other \u201cmiracle workers\u201d around at the time. The Book of Acts, in fact, refers to other \u201cmiracle workers\u201d encountered by the disciples as they moved out into the world.<\/p>\n

Although there may have been a number of them around, however, they proved nothing about these miracle workers in and of themselves. They created an immediate impression of awe, stirred up a commotion of sorts, and then disappeared back into the woodwork. A mere external observation of miracles does little to move those who view them to much of anything save, perhaps, a question of whether the miracle was genuine or a \u201cput-up job.\u201d In the long run, though, of what \u201cuse\u201d are they in and of themselves (save for the welfare of the recipient him \/ herself who benefited from it if it was truly genuine and not simply a \u201ccon job\u201d of sorts)?<\/p>\n

That is why the questions raised in the opening moments of this sermon were posed as they were.<\/p>\n

Inside the text, however, much more is at stake than merely the performance of a miracle.<\/p>\n

The Miracle Seen \u201cFrom the Inside\u201d<\/p>\n

What is the \u201cPoint\u201d of Jesus\u2019 Miracles to Begin With?<\/p>\n

The thing that usually strikes those who read about Jesus\u2019 miracles has to do with his power \u2013 the ability he has to alter the course of nature. He can turn sickness into health, turn fearful storms into calm, change lifelong lameness into walking and running, multiply a few loaves of bread and some fish, raise the dead to life! Now that is a display of power if ever you saw a display of power!<\/p>\n

And then, in Christian thought, this display of power is moved a step further on one of two levels:<\/p>\n

On the one level it is spoken of as a way of showing the close relationship of Jesus to the Father as he calls on the Father to do something that nobody in the world \u2013 not the best physicians or weathermen or morticians on earth — can do. When Jesus asks the Father to do some such thing, however, the Father responds. So we see how dear Jesus is to the Father and we know that we can have access to the Father (and his power, in the view of some who would heal or do other marvelous works) if only we come through Jesus, using his name as our access to the heavenly might.<\/p>\n

On the second level it is spoken of as a way of showing who Jesus, himself, is, for what is even more befuddling to the people of his time (especially to the religious authorities) is the fact that on occasion he doesn\u2019t ask the Father to do something, but draws on his own innate powers to perform these extraordinary feats. In healing the paralytic man of whom we spoke earlier he first declares the forgiveness of sins over him. It is this as much or more than the healing itself that infuriates the religious authorities. \u201cWhy does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?\u201d they ask. (Mark 2:1-12) The miracles, flowing out of Jesus\u2019 own being, then, show clearly that he is a man of divine origin, a man in whom we find the very presence of God.<\/p>\n

All that is true. The references to miracles in these fashions has merit and has been of significant importance throughout the history of Christian thinking.<\/p>\n

There is yet another dimension to the miracles, however, and this dimension is every bit as important as the two mentioned. This dimension, as in today\u2019s Gospel, has to do with \u201cseeing\u201d — a \u201cseeing beyond sight\u201d pointing beyond the boundaries of our earthly ability to see to a dimension of seeing that can only be demonstrated rather than simply spoken about.<\/p>\n

Consider the miracles in this way: Like \u201cpeepholes\u201d in protecting walls around an excavation for a new building, providing interested spectators an opportunity to see what is going on, the miracles are \u201cpeepholes\u201d permitting us to \u201csee into\u201d the Kingdom of God and what it means to be a citizen thereof.<\/p>\n

Look at it like this: Jesus says to those around him, \u201cSee this blind man? He is afflicted with an undeniable \u2018earthly\u2019 reality. In a fallen world all kinds of brokenness such as this are present. It was not intended to be that way. Blindness is one of those bits of \u2018brokenness.\u2019 All this changes, though, when the kingdom of God is at hand. There blindness gives way to sight.\u201d So he says with authority, \u201c\u2019Go your way; your faith has made you well.\u2019 And immediately he recovered his sight.\u201d In like fashion he takes a lame man with the same suggestive explanation, \u201cSee what the brokenness of this world has produced? But where the kingdom of God is at hand this changes.\u201d He pronounces the word of healing. The man stands, leaps and runs \u2013 as though the kingdom of God has arrived! So also with the sick and the storms of life and even the demons who challenge the kingdom of God. They all signify the brokenness of this world. None are part of God\u2019s original intention — nor are they part of what will yet be when \u201cthe new heavens and the new earth\u201d is brought fully into view.<\/p>\n

For now, though, the kingdom of God has \u201cbroken into\u201d this world — and where a kingdom is, there most certainly a King must be at hand. Through the healing of the blind man the healer has visibly brought the kingdom of God into their midst . . . and the King is revealed for who he is. A \u201cpeephole\u201d into the kingdom has been drilled into the wall of our everyday reality. Look through this \u201cpeephole\u201d and you will see not only the kingdom of God but you will see the King himself! His kingdom is not yet fully<\/strong> visible, but one catches a glimpse of it because the King has made himself known.<\/p>\n

So What is the Point of This Miracle in Particular?<\/p>\n

From this perspective three striking observations can now be made concerning the miracle in our text:<\/p>\n

First of all, Mark tells us that Jesus began his ministry with these words: \u201cThe time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.\u201d (Mark 1:15) From the opening moments of his ministry he has made clear that \u201cthe kingdom of God is at hand.\u201d How will this kingdom of God be made known? Through the presence of the King who is now making himself known! And immediately following the restoration of sight to this blind man, Jesus will enter Jerusalem to the cry, \u201cHosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!\u201d (Mark 11:9, 10) \u201cThe kingdom of God\u201d . . . \u201cthe coming kingdom of our father David\u201d . . . is at hand. We see a great parenthesis mark of \u201cthe kingdom of God (\u201cthe kingdom of our father David\u201d is an equivalent phrase) made round his ministry. Inside those marks we are told of the signs and words of the King bringing the kingdom into our midst.<\/p>\n

Secondly, there are two narratives concerning the healing of a blind man in the Gospel of Mark. The first one takes place in Bethsaida. In that account a considerable elaboration of the miracle takes place as Jesus spits on his eyes, lays his hands on him, and asks him what he sees. \u201cI see men, but they look like trees, walking,\u201d he responds. Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again and his sight was completely restored. \u201cHe saw everything clearly.\u201d Jesus then sends him to his home. (Mark 8:22-26)<\/p>\n

This account of healing takes place at the first \u201ctransitional point\u201d in the Gospel. Up to that point Mark has spoken quite frequently of various miracles of Jesus. The primary emphasis has been on Jesus\u2019 mighty deeds. Immediately following this account Jesus asks his disciples who they say he is. Peter makes his great confession, \u201cYou are the Christ.\u201d The disciples have recognized something of who Jesus is through his mighty deeds. Although very likely they still only saw dimly (\u201clike trees walking\u201d?), they can confess him at this point. (Mark 8:29) But Jesus \u201cstrictly charged them to tell no one about him.\u201d It is a secret! But he will \u201clay his hands on their eyes again\u201d so that they will be able to \u201csee everything clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The second narrative, today\u2019s Gospel, takes place in Jericho as Jesus is making his way to Jerusalem where he will be crucified. There is no elaboration of this miracle. A simple word heals him . \u201cImmediately he recovered his sight.\u201d This time the restored man \u201cfollowed him on the way.\u201d No more home-going! No more need for secrecy! He follows Jesus \u201con the way\u201d to Jerusalem and the cross.<\/p>\n

This account of healing takes place at the second \u201ctransitional point\u201d in the Gospel. Since the<\/p>\n

first healing of the blind Mark has told us largely of Jesus\u2019 teaching with less emphasis on Jesus\u2019 miraculous activity. Immediately following this narrative we are told of Jesus\u2019 triumphal entry into Jerusalem — the opening day of Holy Week. Now we will be told what the true task of \u201cthe Christ\u201d confessed so boldly by Peter earlier is all about. Now we will see clearly!<\/p>\n

Which brings us to the third noteworthy thing about this miracle in particular. Twice the blind man calls to Jesus, \u201cSon of David, have mercy on me.\u201d Jesus is publicly called \u201cSon of David,\u201d a title assigned to the Messiah, for the first time in Mark\u2019s Gospel. Up to now Mark has noted time after time that Jesus had resolutely insisted that people and demons keep secret what they knew about Jesus. This sense of secrecy concerning the identity of Jesus is broken here. Not only does the man publicly name Jesus \u201cSon of David,\u201d but Jesus does not rebuke him for this. As he approaches Jerusalem his identity no longer needs to be hidden, for everything it implies will now be revealed in its fullness.<\/p>\n

The Miracle of Miracles<\/p>\n

It is for suffering and dying and rising again that he comes. He has said this to the disciples three times in days and weeks prior. (Mark 8:31-33; 9:30-32; 10:32-34) \u201cBut they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.\u201d (Mark 9:32) Now this intentional \u201csecret\u201d that even the disciples could not comprehend in spite of Jesus\u2019 openly speaking about it to them will become clear. What was hidden in his living will straightway become plain. Blindness will give way to seeing beyond sight.<\/p>\n

It is true that the shadowy shape of this journey to Jerusalem has been in the background all along. Jesus has frequently called those around him to repentance. Remember his opening theme in Mark 1:15, \u201cRepent!\u201d At no place in all of history has the horror and dreadfulness of sin been more evident than in and through this cross toward which he now resolutely sets his foot. Sin calls for \u2013 no \u2013 demands, requires<\/strong> — the death of God\u2019s own Son! The sinfulness of the world has been carried on his shoulders for thirty some years. Now it will bear down on him with an unimaginable weight.<\/p>\n

At the same time this call to repentance has been accompanied by the insistent, persistent, relentless word of grace that has sounded in the midst of this virtually unbearable burden of the world\u2019s sinfulness. While the condemnation of sin has been clear and undeniable, the sound of God\u2019s love has been woven into all that Jesus has done and said. At no place in history has the wonder and awe and glory of God\u2019s grace been more evident than in and through this cross toward which Jesus now resolutely sets his foot. God\u2019s love is so intertwined with the blood of this man that when it is poured out on the cross, divine favor blots out all that would sever us from the One from whom we came and to whom we go. This is the miracle of all miracles . . . the<\/strong> \u201cpeephole\u201d through which we catch a glimpse of the divine will that we should be his children. On the cross God makes his boldest statement: \u201cYou, whom I have created and sustained, belong to me even though you have gone your own way as though you cared nothing for me. Return to me, my children, from your waywardness, and discover anew how open my heart is to your well-being!\u201d<\/p>\n

And he sends his Spirit to us and among us through the word of grace that rings out over the face of the earth. Written for the ages, spoken to his people generation after generation, joined to the waters of our baptism and to the bread and wine that are our provisions for the journey, this word without fail brings the Word made flesh into our lives. Through the \u201cpeephole\u201d of his Word he gives us the assurance that the kingdom of God is present among us. He speaks to us in the limitedness of our earthly sight and makes it possible to see beyond our sight the wonders and glories of his love. He brings a deep-rooted peace into the midst of our warring madness — a vision of the kingdom of God where the kingdoms of this earth vie for power. Then he does one more thing, performs one more miracle:<\/p>\n

He makes new miracles out of us who have received this seeing beyond sight! He makes us, in turn, to be \u201cpeepholes\u201d through which the people of our day can see the kingdom of God reigning among us in the form of the King who has transformed our lives. He opens the eyes of the blind, calling still others through us to \u201cfollow him on the way.\u201d That we should be such is beyond our imagination. But he does not ask us to imagine anything. He only asks us to be what he has made us to be in Christ Jesus, Savior of the world.<\/p>\n

\n

Hubert Beck, Retired Lutheran Pastor
\nComments are welcome to hbeck@austin.rr.com<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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