Master, I want to see

Homily for Ordinary Time – 30th Sunday Year B 2015

Jeremiah 31:7-9, Hebrews 5:1-6, Mark 10:46-52

Introduction

"What do you want me to do for you?" That's what Jesus asks Bartimaeus, the blind man. If I were Bartimaeus, I might have said: "Lord, why are asking the obvious - of course I want to be healed; I want to get my eyesight back."

But Bartimaeus is more polite; all he says is: "Master, I want to see."

Scripture and Theology

What Bartimaeus wants is something that we who are sighted, take for granted.  He wants to enjoy the beauty of the flowers and paintings, the breath-taking scenery of the lake or mountains, and most of all his pretty wife and sweet children.  Imagine if you and I could not see these things?

But this gospel story is more than just about Bartimaeus and his recovery of sight.  It is also a story about the even more serious blindness of the disciples.  In fact today's gospel story in chapter 10, ends a section of Mark's gospel which began in chapter 8 with the healing of another blind man.  Sandwiched between these healing stories, Mark portrays the disciples as being blind to the message of Jesus.  These are the stories we have been hearing in the gospels of the past few Sundays.

·        Do you remember last Sunday's gospel, when James and John wanted a favour from the Lord?  Jesus asked them virtually the same question he asked Bartimaeus today: "What do you wish me to do for you?"  Do you remember their answer?  It wasn’t, “we want to see,” or “give us wisdom,” or “give us faith”.  No, they asked for power, to sit at his right and at his left in his kingdom.

·        Then two Sundays ago, we heard how the disciples could not see why giving up material things was necessary for entering the Kingdom.  Jesus had to tell them: "For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God."

·        Three Sundays ago, Jesus had to rebuke the disciples for stopping the  children from coming to him, just like they try to stop Bartimaeus from asking him for help.  He had to remind them that: “whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.”

·        And finally, four Sundays ago, the disciples were blind to the fact that God's power can work even beyond their small circle.  When they tried to prevent someone from driving out demons in Jesus’ name, because he did not belong to their group, Jesus told them: "Do not prevent him.”

We could go on and on; but it is clear that the disciples, time and again are failing to get the message of Jesus.  They are as blind as Bartimaeus or even worse.  Perhaps they were blinded from seeing what Jesus was teaching them by their previous religious upbringing or their culture.  But unlike Bartimaeus, they were they did not even know that they were blind.

Fortunately for them, in healing Bartimaeus, Jesus kills two birds with one stone.  He restores physical sight to a suffering man; but he also points out the blindness of the disciples that needs healing.  Even without their asking, he begins to heal them of their blindness.  Jesus continues to teach them and to slowly open their eyes to the Good News.

Christian Life

What about us, the disciples of today?  How well do we see the message of Jesus?

Let me suggest that we too could suffer from a spiritual blindness whose symptoms and causes are similar to those of physical blindness.

·        One kind, blurred vision is often caused by cataracts.  People with cataracts often describe their vision as being like looking through a dirty windshield of a car.  Everything they see is clouded and blurred.

·        The other kind of blindness is tunnel vision, often caused by glaucoma.  People with glaucoma start by losing peripheral vision, so that all they see are the objects close to the centre of the field of view.  Such limited vision is also caused by wearing blinders, the kind which horses wear to keep them from being distracted or spooked by the crowds at a race track.

In our society today, we have no shortage of cataracts or dirty windshields to cloud our seeing the full message of Jesus.  We have no shortage of glaucoma or blinders to limit our embracing the full teaching of Jesus.

A common cause of blurred vision and tunnel vision are our political persuasions. Don't we sometimes let our ideological orientations cloud our vision of the gospel?  Don't we sometimes let our worldviews narrow the field through which we receive the gospel?

For example, when Pope Francis reminded us of "our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development," what did we see and what did we understand him to say?

·        If our sight is clouded by right-wing cataracts or blinders, we might fail to see that the Pope was teaching that even the life of the poor and the condemned prisoner, is still worth defending.  Yes it might be life that is not innocent or virtuous; but still it is God-given life, which only he can take.

·        If on the other hand, our poor sight comes from having left-wing cataracts or blinders, then we might fail to see that the Pope was teaching that even the life of the unborn and the elderly is still worth defending.  Such life might be just developing for the unborn or coming to the end of its earthly journey for the elderly; but it is inherently God-given life.

Like the disciples we need our spiritual eyesight healed.  Only then, can we see the teaching of Jesus in its fullness and in its wideness.

Conclusion

In the first reading Jeremiah prophesied that through the Messiah, God would restore his people to their glory and that the blind would recover their sight.  Jesus fulfils this prophecy in several miracles, including the one of Bartimaeus.  But more importantly Jesus heals the blindness of the disciples by continually opening the Scriptures and teaching them new things.

What happens after Jesus heals the blind?

·        In the case of the disciples, after the resurrection, now that they can see, they believe and become passionate preachers of the gospel.

·        In case of Bartimaeus, after Jesus heals him and sends him away, Bartimaeus follows Jesus on the road to Jerusalem; he is no longer the blind beggar sitting by the roadside, but a follower.

In our case, we too must ask for spiritual healing from the Lord.  And then with clearer spiritual vision, we can follow Jesus to God's Kingdom in heaven.  Once there, as the First Letter of St. John tells us, “we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”  But until then, we must each keep asking: “Lord, I want to see.” "Master, I want to see."  "Jesus, I want to see."