Proper 25 + What do you want me to do for you? + 10.27.24

 

M. Campbell-Langdell

All Santos, Oxnard

(Job 42:1–6, 10–17; Ps. 34:1–8, (19–22); Hebrews 7:23–28; Mark 10:46–52)

 

“What do you want me to do for you?”

In seminary, I made friends with a person named Tammy. I love Tammy, who was my hallmate in the dormitory and who studied at the Franciscan Seminary. She is hilarious and brilliant. But Tammy had a problem. She was in a wheelchair, and thus people would infantilize her or presume they knew things about her and what she wanted. Her problem was not being in a wheelchair, so much as how others reacted to her being in a wheelchair.  I remember a very important lesson, pushing her wheelchair up a steep corridor in the seminary one time. I had to remember to ask what she wanted, and not just push her like she was a person without agency.
That is why I think the words here that Jesus says to Bar-Timaeus are so important- “what do you want me to do for you?”

Bar-Timaeus. It means, son of Timaeus, and we are told twice, a good indicator that we are supposed to pay attention. Here is also the first time in the gospel of Mark that Jesus is called “Son of David,” a messianic name. So here we have Son of Timaeus and Son of David, and we have Jesus healing a blind man, after asking him what he wants. And it is deeply ironic at a certain level.

Because this is how King David treated the blind and the lame, at least those he perceived to be of an “enemy state.” When David was marching to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, they said to David: “You will not come in here, even the blind and the lame will turn you back”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.” (2 Sam 5:6).  But instead of being daunted, David took the stronghold of Zion, and said that in order to strike down the Jebusites, the people of Israel had to attack the lame and the blind who were guarding the city. So in 2^nd Samuel it recaps this episode saying , “Therefore it is said, ‘The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.’”  (2 Samuel 5:8).

OK, to be fair, this is one example only. For all I know, perhaps David was wonderful with some other blind people. But I think we are supposed to see something here. Jesus doing better than David, at least here. And I don’t mean this is some supersessionist way. Jesus saw himself as a Jew, reforming a Judaism that he loved. But he did want to point out the blind spots not only for Jews but for all of us humans.

You see, at the beginning of this passage, people are trying to shush Bartimaeus. Hush, don’t bother him, they seem to be saying. Until finally he gets Jesus’ attention. And then the whole tone changes- he is calling for you. Better rush over and talk to him. And Jesus doesn’t just say, okay, clearly you are blind, so you need healing. No. He asks the question. What do you want me to do for you?

I love Peter Carlson’s description of Jesus. He says he was a brown-skinned Jew wandering around providing free health care! And that is true.
But he also invited each person’s engagement and agency. He never pushed or assumed. On a couple of occasions, he appears to have pre-judged, but then he takes the correction well.

So this makes me think. Jesus, Son of David, did better than King David of old. He didn’t see those who have different abilities as bad. In fact, they were some of the first that he welcomed into the kingdom of God. How can we do that as a church? Not be scared by apparent differences, but instead invite people in.

Because what happens next is important. Jesus invites Bartimaeus to go, and he follows him! In comparison to the rich young man, who cannot let go of his stuff, he is casting off even his coat, ready to follow. You can almost imagine another, more experienced disciple saying, “simmer down, now, this is a marathon, not a sprint!” But he should get an A for enthusiasm. We all need that reminder to spring up and follow sometimes.

Jesus invites Bartimaeus to go and live into his wellness, and invites us to do so, too. We are also called to follow. How can we do that? By trying, in our own humble and human way, to emulate Jesus. To seek to serve those in need rather than placing obstacles in their way. And then, when asked to help, let us keep our eyes, minds and hearts open. We don’t always know what someone needs. Bartimaeus would have been totally within his rights not to ask for physical healing, but for a restoration of another kind. We know that many folks that those of us who are born with normal abilities perceive as special-needs or disabled do not put that label on themselves. Many deaf folks are proud to be deaf, and would not wish that to be taken away. Others with disabled bodies want less pain or discomfort but otherwise are fine with being a person with physical limitations. We cannot make assumptions. We must ask “what do you want me to do for you?”

But before we can get there, we must get very quiet and ask Jesus to heal us first. We must apply our own air masks first by coming to Jesus in prayer and asking for healing. When he asks “What do you want me to do for you?” I want you to be brave. To dare to wish for something big. To be able to let something go or to heal from something that is really weighing you down. God may not take that thing away from you entirely, but God may transform it. And sometimes that is better than the burden being lifted as if it were never there. But if we seek the healing first, we can then be a part of another’s healing. But if we go around with our unhealed wounds, we may do more harm than good.

Speaking of those who are wounded, at the end of the story of Job, his friends, who let’s face it, have been jerks until now, come and gather around him. He has a new family, and new story, but he has not forgot his old griefs and losses. And his friends, finally, offer sympathy after what feels like years of neglect.
In this time of election, I see this icon of community care as a model for us. Because we are all wounded, sometimes in ways we cannot see. So, how can we look at each other and offer genuine empathy? How can we support those who wish to serve the needs of all in our community, be they documented or undocumented, gender nonconforming or heteronormative, able bodied or with bodies that express differently? How can we look at our neighbors and not see allies or enemies but fellow friends and neighbors to whom we can invite into a more loving and just story, if they are willing to engage with us?

Once we are able to look past our lenses and prejudices, we can see the glory of the world that surrounds us. We can see the ultimate goodness of so many of our fellow human beings. We can encourage the best in each other, our better angels. And we can hope for a world in which no one suffers unjustly. Let’s be honest. Some will not engage well with us. Sometimes we have to shake the dust off our feet and pray for folks. We may not see the fulfillment of the kingdom and the kin-dom of God yet. But until then, we cling to the promise of the resurrection and the joy of following Jesus, tripping the way that Bartimaeus went and rejoicing in whatever health and healing we find on the way!

Amen.