A blind man with 20/20 vision
RUMC
10/25/2009
I’d like everyone to close their eyes for a minute. Imagine that you are blind. This is what you “see” all the time. Darkness. Nothing. You can never see the face of your spouse or grandchild. You can never see a leaf fall from a tree. You can never see a sunset
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I would like to suggest that in some way, we are all living in this kind of darkness. Maybe your eyeballs work just fine. You can see people and things perfectly well. But what about the eyes of your heart? Maybe you can see your loved ones, but do you see the one who loves you infinitely? Maybe you can see a leaf falling, but can you see those who have fallen through the cracks of love and caring? Maybe you can see a sunset, but can you see the son who rose again to give you life?
The story of the blind man named Bartimaeus gives us each the opportunity to look for our blindness. To seek the one who can give us sight and to see with the new eyes of faith.
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Now open your eyes.
What do we know as we approach this story? We know that Bartimaeus was not blind from birth. He asks Jesus to “Let me see again” Something happened to him that caused him to be blind. In other words he knew what he was missing. I once had a conversation with a blind person about what blindness was like. I was having a hard time imagining being blind. They told me they couldn’t imagine what it would be like to see. Bartimaeus was not like that though. At some point he lost his sight. Perhaps by an accident, or sickness.
In Jesus time to say that someone was blind was to almost assume that they were a beggar. Sadly when someone was different; disabled or mentally ill, or in any way significantly different from the people around them, they were pushed to the edges of society. There was no work for them to do, no job training or anything like that. The safety net for these people was the generosity of others. And they lived depending on that generosity. Bartimaeus apparently stood along the road asking for any help travelers could give him. We don’t have to feel sorry for him. That was his life. But he knew there was more and he yearned for something more in life.
When Jesus came by there must have been quite a stir. People following him and talking and telling stories of his healings and miracles. Word came to Bartimaeus that it was Jesus of Nazareth. You know that hillbilly town up north. Can anything good come from Nazareth Hicksville . With the eyes of faith, Bartimaeus saw Jesus in a different light. What did he call him? Do you remember? Do you remember what he shouted out? Not Jesus of Nazareth
And the people around him tried to quiet him down. Shhh. You’re making a scene. Don’t bother him maybe he’ll perform a miracle. Shhh. Quiet down. You’ll attract the attention of the roman centurions which is never a good thing. Sush. He doesn’t have time for you. Besides, if anyone deserves help it will be me.
But it is too late. Jesus heard Bartimaeus. And he stopped. Can you imagine the silence that must have fallen over the crowd? When Jesus stopped I’ll bet every eye and ear was on him. What’s he going to do? What did he say? What is going on?
Finally Jesus speaks. Call him here. Jesus doesn’t go to him. He doesn’t seek him out. He calls Bartimaeus to him. When his friends explain to Bartimaeus that Jesus is calling him over he is so excited that he drops his coat right then and there and runs to Jesus. It actually says he jumped up and went to Jesus. That must have been quite a sight. The blind guy jumping up and running to see Jesus. Probably stumbling and groping his way like a child playing pin the tail on the donkey.
He reaches Jesus and Jesus asks him what he wants from him. I’m sorry, but “Duh.” Aside from the fact that Jesus was the son of God and may have already known what Bartimaeus wanted, it should have been pretty obvious. But Jesus gave Bartimaeus the opportunity to come to him and make the request. To face his need and confess his need before the Christ.
And Bartimaeus says “I want to look up.” That’s what they Greek word means. “Make me look up.” Now I don’t want to put words into his mouth. But there were other words he could have used to ask for his sight. But Bartimaeus asked to be made to look up. To take his downcast eyes and turn them up. To take his downtrodden heart and make it look up. To take this down and out life and make him look up from his own little set of problems and desires.
So Jesus says abracadabra I did it. Right? No. Notice Jesus takes no credit for himself. He doesn’t touch him. He doesn’t give him medication. There is no flash of lightening or drum roll. Bartimaeus was made to look up again by what power- by the power of his faith. By the power (specifically) of his faith in Jesus Christ. “Go. Your faith has made you well.”
And immediately he could see, but more than that he was made well. The Greek “made well” means “made whole” in every respect. Not just his eyes, not just his physical ability, but in every respect. His body, his mind, his spirit. He was saved, not just from a life of begging, but from a life of brokenness. He was saved in every way you can imagine. And he followed Jesus.
I want to suggest to you that even before he was healed Bartimaeus saw better than some of us who are supposedly enlightened and saved.
Where are your blind spots? Perhaps you are among those who have always come to church but have never really and truly called out to God. Are you blind to your own need for wholeness? Have you just always assumed that you are saved, but have never really and truly stood up and named Jesus as your Lord and savior? Where is your blind spot?
Perhaps you have been a Christian for a long time, but not all of you. Is there some part of you that you have been holding back? Your secret thoughts and desires, your hidden addictions- at least you believe they are hidden. Your secret racism or homophobia that might peak through the cracks in what you thought was your carefully polished veneer? Perhaps it is your closet alcoholism, pornography addiction or adultery? Perhaps it is your secret desires that you are too ashamed to admit, the words you would never say, but they keep boiling up over and over in your heart?
Perhaps your blindness is not something you do, but rather something you don’t do. Perhaps it is a greed that keeps you from helping those who have special needs. A hardness of heart that makes the little children with distended bellies and hollow eyes seem so far away as to be aliens. Perhaps your blindness is to those who sit next to you in the pew, their hurts and their empty hopes. Perhaps you are blind to the hunger of a friend who is really reaching out for Jesus and you are the closest thing they can find- but you are too blind to share Christ’s peace with them. Perhaps it is a ministry opportunity you should be involved in or leading. Perhaps it is just a gnawing in you that there is something more you need to do with your life.
Where is your blindness? And what keeps you from calling out to Jesus for help? What are the voices around you that say “Shhh, you aren’t important enough.” “Shhh, people will think you are silly.” “Shhh, you can’t take that chance.” “Shhh,. . . “Where do those voices come from? . Are you going to be held back by the fear or mistrust in your own heart? Are you going to let those around you who are starving keep you in the grip of spiritual starvation? Are you going to let those voices whoever they are, keep you in the dark? Keep you in blindness? Keep you from being made well and whole?
You could but what a shame it would be. What a shame it would be to let those voices keep you from the one who has the power to heal. What a shame it would be to let those voices keep you from the one who has the power to save. What a shame it would be to let those voices keep your faith locked up rather than setting it free for a life of power and hope.
I invite you to close your eyes one more time. Close them and look with the eyes of your heart. Look for your blind spots. Look deep inside for your own blindness.
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Here comes Jesus. Here he comes. Will you call out? Will you cry out to Jesus?
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Don’t listen to the voices around you that say “Shh…”
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Go ahead call out – open the eyes of my heart Lord.
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