Thirtieth Sunday Oct 29^th, 2006

Jeremiah 31:7‑-9 Psalm: 126: Hebrews 5:1‑-6 Mark 10:46‑-52

Theme: Be not afraid

1. Our passage from Jeremiah is written to the people who have come back from exile in Babylon. It is very similar to the tone and encouragement in the second section of Isaiah. Jeremiah gives encouragement and hope. It you want to summarize his message in a phrase, it would be: “be not afraid.” Those who are told not to fear are the : lame, the blind, the nursing mother, the pregnant woman - in a word, those who are vulnerable, weak and hence being fearful comes naturally to them. This passage has been used as our first reading because it will connect us to the Gospel’s Blind Bartmaeus. The Blind man is told “be not afraid,” because the Master is calling you.

2. This Master is most suitable to give us courage, strength and take away our fear as our second reading tells us. The letter to the Hebrews is a build up to the author’s main idea: Christ is the Eternal High Priest. The picture that the letter to the Hebrews paints is so different from our concept of the priesthood and what it entails. A recent survey of parishioners wanted the following in the their Parish Priest. He should be

between the age of 30-35 in that way, he appeals to the younger generation.

he should the latest in Much Music to relate to the teenagers.

he should have experience of about 30 years, to inspire confidence in the seniors.

although celibate, he should be able to counsel marriage problems.

he should be available in the office when the doorbell rings.

he should visit the sick, the homebound, those in hospital regularly.

The Letter to the Hebrews on the other hand gives the qualifications of Christ as the Eternal High Priest. He is qualified as High Priest because

Jesus has been chosen by God

Jesus can offer a sacrifice on our behalf to God

Jesus has suffered and hence knows our sufferings, pains and sins.

The parishioners chose an external job description of a Priest, the Letter to the Hebrews gives us the qualities of Jesus that inspires confidence and strength. Jesus calls us to give up fear.

3. Therefore it was right and rust that People would say to Blind Bartmaeus, be not afraid the Master is calling you. This Gospel passage has some very interesting features.

Mark is the only one to give the Blind Man a name. He is called Bartmaeus. Matthew and Luke refer to him simply as the Blind Man.

Mark introduces him here, because of geographical reasons. Jesus is near Jericho on the way to Jerusalem. Bartmaeus is from Jericho. Furthermore, Mark has a central portion of teaching and begins it with a cure of the Blind man at Bethsaida 8:22 and he closes it with the cure of Blind Bartimaeus in 10: 45.

However all these are all incidental and interesting features of this cure. The most important teaching that Mark wants to give us is that Jesus is not just a wonder worker, a miracle performer. You will notice after nearly all the cures, Jesus commands the one cured: Go, and tell no one. Jesus is the proclaimer of the Kingdom of God. It consists of suffering and carrying the cross. But none of his hearers, including the Disciples are willing to understand or listen to this teaching. It just goes over their heads. It has as much impact as water off a duck’s back. They will still argue as to who will be the greatest. They will still fight for places of honour in the Kingdom. They understand the Kingdom as a political and earthly reality, not a spiritual one.

4. Bartimaeus has a physical healing. He can see. He also has an inner spiritual healing. He is ready to follow Jesus. The apostles do not need a physical healing. But they are spiritually blind. Two thousand years later, most of us are also in need of a cure of spiritual blindness. We come to God with our own agenda. We have our own idea of Who and What God is. We have our own standards for God. We have shaped a God in our own image and likeness and decided what God should or should not do. We say when we see a tragedy or sickness especially of a loved one, How can there be a God when God allows the Tsunami, or God allow my loved one to suffer from cancer.

When we can see like Bartimaeus,

we will be able to see God as one to whom it is right and just that we should give thanks and glory, not merely during the Liturgy of the Word at Mass, but constantly in good times and in bad.

we will be able to see God not as a heavenly miracle worker who will cure our loved ones, sort out our marriage problems, give us financial relief through employment. We believe we can coax our God with a prayer, a novena and with lighting a candle.

All these are good, useful and must be done, but only when we like Bartimaeus can see Jesus not merely as a wonder worker, but as a Son of David who can have mercy on us.

The people in an African village brought a Television set. For months on end they watched the programmes. Then one day, the set was turned off and never used again. A visitor asked, “Why do you not watch the Television?” We prefer to listen to our storytellers. But does not the Television have more stories? Yes, replied the chief, but the Storyteller knows me. That is the difference between Jesus who was considered merely a wonder worker, and Jesus who knows my inner need - and tells me, “Be not afraid.” Jesus knows me.