Opening sentence. I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and freed me from all my fears. O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are they who take refuge in him. Psalm 34:4, 8
Collect. O God, light to the blind and joy to the troubled, in your only-begotten Son you have given us a high priest, just and compassionate toward those who groan in oppression and sorrow. Listen to our cry; grant that all may recognise in him the tenderness of your love, and walk in the way that leads towards you. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reading. Hebrews 7:23-28. From the very beginning of the letter to the Hebrews the emphasis has been that in these last days God has spoken to us through his Son. (Hebrews 1:1) Furthermore, this Son is fully human and yet different. Thus in our reading today the writer is reminding us that former priests have each had a limited priesthood due to the fact that they died and their office was continued by someone else. Jesus on the other hand continues for ever because he lives and reigns with God. Being with God means that Jesus is in the perfect place to make intercession for all the people. This does not mean that his life with God is one long session of prayer; rather it is his presence with God as Saviour which once and for all intercedes on our behalf. It is his presence which itself signifies that the interceding of Jesus has been accepted. God sent his Son to bring salvation to all and so now with God the mission has been successfully completed. Those who trust in the sacrifice of Jesus find their sins forgiven and their true relationship with God as Father restored. As Peter declared to Caiaphas, the then high priest, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
The Levitical high priests before making intercessions for the people had to present a sacrifice for themselves for they too had to maintain a relationship with God through sacrifice. Jesus, as the writer is pointing out, had no need to make sacrifice on his own behalf for he himself was blameless before God. Jesus as a perfect high priest made one sacrifice, the sacrifice of himself. This sacrifice once and for all guaranteed that full salvation was available to all who believed. God sent his Son and the Son accomplished God’s purpose and so the perfection of the Son remains forever. “Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities”. (Isaiah53:11)
Prayer. Holy Lord God we bow in reverence and awe that you have sent your Son to be the High Priest who brings an eternal sacrifice that forever links us to you and to your kingdom of peace and joy. Every day we give you thanks and praise for all that you have done for us through Jesus our Saviour. Grant that we may live lives worthy of his name and in word and deed give him honour and praise. This we pray in his name. Amen
Reading. Mark 10:46-52. As we have noted before in these concluding chapters Mark is recording the journey of Jesus to the cross. This is the last healing miracle and so holds much significance. Jesus is at the height of his popularity and crowds are still following him. There is a sense of movement and excitement as the crowd pass by the blind beggar sitting quietly by the roadside. Hearing that Jesus is at the centre of the excitement he shouts to draw attention to himself.
Though a healing of a blind man is recorded in the other synoptic gospels it is only Mark who tells us his name, he is the son of Timaeus and so may have been known to the early church. Thus he is not a nameless beggar but someone who is known. He names Jesus as the “Son of David” and this title has clear implications of the Messiah and also of the coming Kingdom of God, a kingdom that Jesus will usher in with his death. The crowd try to silence him but Bartimaeus is not deterred and Jesus calls him to come near. The mood of the crowd changes and now they encourage him to approach. “So throwing off his cloak” this short statement is very telling. The cloak would have been a most prized possession as it would have shaded him during the day and was essential for him during the cold nights of Palestine. As a blind man once he has lost contact with his cloak it could be gone forever yet due to his urgency to get to Jesus the cloak is forgotten.
Jesus asks him to state what his need is and so publicly he asks to have his sight restored. The way he addresses Jesus is telling for he calls Jesus “my master’ or “my teacher”. This title indicates an on going relationship, he does not simply bring a request for sight but points to an on-going relationship with Jesus. Mark emphasises this point by ending his account by saying that Bartimaeus, “Followed him on the way”. Mark is showing that Bartimaeus had an insightful perception of who Jesus was and what he could do. Sight was important to him but an ongoing relationship was also important. He did not simply come to Jesus for what he wanted but came also for what Jesus wanted and could provide. Jesus assures him that his faith has provided the answer to his needs and Jesus restores his sight.
As a gospel aimed at encouraging people to have faith, this final healing miracle has many points to make. Jesus though popular and followed by a crowd still had time for an insignificant man begging by the roadside. The crowd first harshly discourage and then change and encourage the blind beggar. The beggar recognised in Jesus the fulfilment of the promise from Hebrew history foretold by the prophets. The confidence that Bartimaeus had in Jesus was vindicated and his sight was restored. Though he is Messiah, Jesus still has time to heal this faithful man. The faith of the man sees him following on as a believer who continues to learn from Jesus. It is the authority and power of Jesus that Mark brings through: He restores Bartimaeus to fully participate in life, perhaps we could even say the Life Eternal and Bartimaeus for his part chooses to follow Jesus ‘on the way’.
Prayer. Lord God, light to the blind and joy to the troubled, in your only-begotten Son you have given us a high priest, just and compassionate, towards those who groan in oppression and sorrow. Listen to our cry; grant that all may recognise in him the tenderness of your love, and walk in the way that leads towards you. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. (From United in Worship)
We thank you Gracious Lord that in Jesus Christ all our needs are met. He is the complete sacrifice that draws us into your kingdom. Grant that we may ever walk in his way, trusting in him alone. Grant us the wisdom and insight that we need, to keep our eye on Jesus and continue to learn from him, serving you in obedience. To you be honour and praise, now and forever. Amen
Collect. O God, energy of compassion, we praise you; you found us in rags, and opened our eyes, that we may proclaim the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
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