Take Heart!

Texts: Psalm 34:1-8 and Mark 10:46-52

Some famous people in history have made comments that fit with today’s gospel reading. In the 17th Century Thomas Fuller said, “Seeing's believing, but feeling's the truth.” In the 19th Century Mark Twain said, “You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” And in the 20th Century Antoine de Saint Exupery said, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”[1]

So what does it mean to “take heart?” For Bartimaeus it means that although he’s an unimportant “nobody” to everyone else, he’s a very important “somebody” to Jesus.

This isn’t just another healing story, although it might appear that way. In the context of the greater story, Jesus and his disciples are on their way to Jerusalem. Jesus’ ministry is getting close to coming to an end. Hard times lie ahead, but the disciples certainly don’t understand that. They have been busy anticipating a glorious military or revolutionary victory and wanting to be sure they get to be recognized as VIPs when Jesus becomes the victorious new leader. They expect to defeat the oppressive Romans and usher in a new government of Jewish rule.

Where have they been all this time? What have they been doing instead of really listening to what Jesus has had to say all along?

Somehow, much of what has gone before, much of what Jesus has said and done, much of who Jesus is, has gone right past them. It's not much of a stretch to say that they have been, in their own way, blind.

We’re told that Jesus and his followers came to Jericho and now they are leaving Jericho. We can only guess that while they were there Jesus healed people and made a difference in their lives. So there’s probably an even larger crowd following him now.

And here they are, outside Jericho, where a miracle happened in the Old Testament—Joshua and his band marched around the city walls 7 times and blew their trumpets and the walls fell down. Jericho, though, is probably "a place full of violence and intrigue, with bandits and revolutionary groups within Judaism organizing resistance to Rome"[2]

Part of what’s going on in this story is Mark’s prelude to the long and central account of Jesus' passion and death in Jerusalem, another place of intrigue and revolutionary groups seething with anger at Rome. So we are to see that Jesus' journey was not a sudden departure from peaceful preaching in the countryside to the wild and dangerous ways of the city. There has been trouble brewing for some time now, and not just in Jerusalem.[3]

The Roman occupied territory is in political turmoil and it’s going to get worse. But on this day, as Jesus and the others are leaving Jericho there is an important encounter.

Because Bartimaeus was blind he couldn’t work, so he was relegated to the lot of being a beggar. He sat by the Jericho city gate—where the way is narrow and there's no way around him—with his cloak spread out to catch the coins tossed into it by passers-by who might take pity on him and throw him their spare change. It certainly wasn’t fair, but people discriminated against the blind in those days and the only thing they could do to earn a living was to beg for the mercy, kindness and spare change of others.

But, Bartimaeus, like everyone else, had heard the stories about Jesus of Nazareth. And when he heard people saying that Jesus was coming down the road, he shouted out in hopes that Jesus would notice him. The people nearby tried to shush him up—why would Jesus want to be bothered by a blind beggar, anyway?—but Bartimaeus persisted. Apparently HE didn’t think himself any less deserving of the Messiah’s attention than anyone else!

And we need to pay attention to what he shouts—“Jesus son of David, have mercy on me!” (“Son of David” is a messianic title—it’s the first time in the gospel of Mark anyone has called him that—other than the demons and his own disciples, that is—and Jesus has forbidden them to tell anyone who he is.) Now the secret seems to be out that Jesus is the messiah: and this blind beggar seems to have a better understanding of who Jesus really is than his own disciples, James and John.

Just as last week Jesus asked James and John what they wanted him to do for them. In today’s reading he asks Bartimaeus the same thing, “What do you want me to do for you?”

James and John wanted preferential treatment and prestige. Bartimaeus asked Jesus to let him see again.

Jesus told him, “Go, your faith has made you well.” And whether it was eye-sight or insight or both that Bartimaeus received, everything was different. He had thrown off his cloak when Jesus called for him—I can just imagine all the coins flying in every direction! He gave up his means of survival. Suddenly he had eyes to see and he never looked back! He followed Jesus on the Way.

For awhile now (according to Mark’s gospel), the disciples have been given inside information about Jesus’ fate, but they repeatedly show themselves to be blind. But now Bartimaeus, the blind man who can see, becomes a disciple.

The Twelve were insiders all the way, privy to Jesus’ painful disclosures about his approaching passion. But they heard all and heard nothing, saw all and still were blind, while a blind beggar had the vision to understand, throw off his cloak and follow.

Bartimaeus could probably have quoted Psalm 34…. “This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord, and was saved from every trouble. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who hear him, and delivers them. O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in [God].” (Psalm 34:6-8)[4]

Remember the rich man two weeks ago who could not give everything up and follow Jesus? While Bartimaeus doesn't possess much, the little that he has, his cloak, is something that he needs to survive, and his casting it aside is a sign of his trust and his faith in Jesus. He knows that he won't need it again; he's confident that he won't be returning to his spot by the side of the road, begging in order to live. Bartimaeus is “Faith sit[ting], leaning forward, ready to leap at the opportunity to answer God's call whenever it might come, and it shows itself willing to shed whatever holds it back from the journey.”[5]

Bartimaeus was not afraid to trust Jesus and to ask for sight. The crowd tried to shut him up when he called out to Jesus. After all, he was only a beggar, he wasn’t important. (Once again, did no one notice that it was exactly the people like Bartimaeus that Jesus responded to?) When Jesus called for Bartimaeus to come to him, the people around Bartimaeus said, “take heart, get up, he is calling you.”

I’m not sure that was something they needed to say to Bartimaeus because he already had faith and he knew who Jesus really was. But “take heart” is a message to us. It’s a message of hope and a promise that we are heard just as Bartimaeus was heard.

“Take heart” is a call to all God’s people to put away our fears and venture out into new territory because God is with us in all our endeavors.

As the psalmist says, “I sought God, and God answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.”

Take heart! God will guide us. God IS guiding us. All we need to do is trust and have faith like Bartimaeus and be willing to meet Jesus and follow him.

Take heart! Our imagination doesn’t have to be out of focus!

Take heart! We are on the way! AMEN.

Endnotes:

[1] http://www.ucc.org/worship/samuel/october-25-2009.html

[1] Megan McKenna, On Your Mark: Reading Mark in the Shadow of the Cross

[1] http://www.ucc.org/worship/samuel/october-25-2009.html

[1] From “The Lord is Good” sermon by Rev. Sue Hamly, Oct. 29, 2006.

[1] André Resner, The Lectionary Commentary.

Enfolding Love

Today's sermon at Faith United Church, UCC, International Falls, MN

Texts: Genesis 2:18-24 and Mark 10:2-9

Marriage is almost certainly the most challenging relationship there is between people. And what the bible quotes Jesus as saying about marriage has been misinterpreted by people who don’t understand the Middle Eastern culture in Jesus’ time, or don’t want to admit that Jesus cared more about people and justice than he did about the established institutions of his day.

Here are some facts about life, marriage, and divorce in Jesus’ time:

First, marriages were not instituted by the couple falling in love. Marriages were arranged by the parents involved. So, for a man to divorce his wife was to dishonor his parents, who had chosen the wife and contracted for her purchase (bride money or dowry--remember, women were owned by their men). Divorce broke the 5th commandment to “Honor your father and your mother.”

Secondly, marriages were between two extended families, not two individuals. When a male from one family and a female from another family were offered in marriage, it was frequently for social, political, or economic reasons; and the two families became one united family. When a man divorced his wife, it split the family into two groups that usually ended up feuding. Bloodshed often followed.

Third, while Roman law allowed a woman to divorce her husband as well as a man to divorce his wife, Jewish law did not allow women to divorce their husbands. Only husbands could divorce wives.

Fourth, it was easy for a man to divorce his wife. In some periods of history, all he had to do was say three times, “I divorce you” and that was it. By Jesus’ time, a written statement saying “you are not my wife and I am not your husband” was all that was required.

And last of all, there was no welfare system, or safety net, in Jesus’ time. Divorce was extremely cruel to women and children because a woman had to be under the care of a man all her life or she and her children had no means of support. When a husband divorced his wife, she had five choices: she could try to get her father, brother, or other male relative to take her and her children into his home; she could prostitute herself; she could steal; she could sell herself and her children into slavery; or they could starve to death. No wonder Jesus prohibited divorce! It was a justice issue! [1]

The other thing going on in the first century was that there was that pesky command in Genesis that people should “be fruitful and multiply.” Men wanted heirs to pass along the family name and honor, and that definitely played a role in thinking about marriage and divorce, but it was also an issue of God’s imperative. God commanded people to “be fruitful and multiply.” If a marriage wasn’t going to be “fruitful” with children, that wasn’t just rotten luck—to some it was a sign that the relationship wasn’t blessed by God. And it was (of course!) generally assumed that a “barren” marriage was the fault of the woman.

If God wanted humanity to be fruitful and multiply and a marriage wasn’t producing children to carry on not only the family name and honor but also the name of the God of Israel, then why shouldn’t there be divorce?

So it’s not surprising that when Jesus was asked about divorce, he quoted from the book of Genesis about God’s purpose for marriage and what kinds of behavior best uphold that purpose. But then he quoted from the wrong chapter!

Jesus starts with the vitally important affirmation from Genesis 1 that all people—women and men—are made in God’s image. But when he wants to say more about God’s intention for marriage, Jesus doesn’t go to Genesis 1 (be fruitful and multiply); he goes to Genesis 2:18 where it says, “It is not good that the human should be alone.”

So, God creates us for community in enfolding love. To become more fully who we are, who God made us to be, we need to walk alongside another who will be with us for the long haul, who sees us at our best and our worst and will tell us the truth about both, who knows us deeply and loves us unconditionally, or as the rock band U2 says in their song entitled “One”: “We’re one/but we’re not the same/we get to carry each other.” [2]

Jesus’ statement that remarriage after divorce constitutes adultery should not be taken as a reason to tell women to put up with abuse or “go home and try harder.” Remember, the most common reason a man in Jesus’ culture would have wanted a divorce was if the marriage wasn’t producing children who could serve as heirs. Jesus’ word on marriage pulls the rug out from under that. because he says, in effect, that a man who leaves his wife in hope of finding another marriage “fruitful” with children shouldn’t have children at all. Women and men, Jesus teaches, aren’t for use as baby factories or tickets to respectability, and a relationship isn’t to be taken up or put aside with those things in mind. [3]

A positive understanding tells us Jesus is saying that a marriage, like any other relationship, shouldn’t be evaluated based on its perceived “fruitfulness” in terms of children, but instead on what Paul would call its fruitfulness in the Spirit. A relationship between two people that helps both live more fully in the world and in their identity and vocation as human beings made in God’s image is blessed by God. Other considerations are incidental.

In the first-century Mediterranean world, what Jesus had to say was liberating because it gave women a chance they wouldn’t have otherwise had. He sought to protect women in his time because they didn’t have the rights and privileges men did. Today we may need to protect some people from unhealthy, abusive relationships, and saying Jesus forbids divorce is not the way to do it.

We are all called to be in community with one another and that means healthy relationships, whether we are part of a couple or part of a larger group of family, friends, congregation or the greater community. The enfolding love found in healthy relationships has the potential to set us free for authentic right relationship with one another—each of us loved uniquely as God’s child, each challenged and supported to grow in community. AMEN.

Endnotes

[1] Adapted from Note #5503 from Judy Boli to “Sermonshop Sermons” on Ecunet.

[2] From Sarah Dylan Breuer, http://www.sarahlaughed.net/lectionary/

[3] Ibid.