Mark 10:46-52

1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12

Psalm 100:2, 3, 4, 5

Mark 10:46-52

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,

Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,

sat by the roadside begging.

On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,

he began to cry out and say,

“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”

And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.

But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.”

Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called the blind man, saying to him,

“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”

He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.

Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.”

Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”

Immediately he received his sight

and followed him on the way.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I ask you to turn your merciful gaze toward me. See me as I am and cure my blindness. I want to see all things as I should with eyes of faith. I want to see temporal things from your point of view and in the light of eternity.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Faith and Discipleship: One of the techniques used by Mark in his Gospel is to place similar stories as bookends to mark off various sections. For example, the feeding of the five thousand (in Galilee) and the feeding of the four thousand (in Gentile territory) mark off the “bread section” (Mark 6:33-8:26). The story about the Syrophoenician woman is sandwiched in the middle of the two miracles and refers to the bread of the children (of Israel) and the scraps from the table that the dogs (the Gentiles) eat. Read together, the stories about bread and food point forward to the mystery of the Eucharist that all people, Israel and the Gentiles, are called to partake of. The gradual healing of the blind man at the start of Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem (Mark 8:22-26) and the instantaneous healing of blind Bartimaeus at the end of Jesus’ journey (Mark 10:46-52) also form bookends. Faith and discipleship are some of the main themes in this section of Mark’s Gospel. The two healings symbolize the gradual coming to faith of Jesus’ disciples. They are called to believe many things: that Jesus is the Messiah (Mark 8:29); that he is the Son of Man who will suffer and be crucified and rise on the third day (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33-34); that, as disciples of Jesus, they must take up their cross and follow Jesus (Mark 8:34), that Jesus is the Beloved Son of God the Father (Mark 9:7); that all things are possible to one who has faith (Mark 9:23); that they should not cause other believers to sin (Mark 9:42); that marriage is for life (Mark 10:1-12); that they need to accept the Kingdom of God like a child (Mark 10:13-16); that they need to be detached from earthly possessions, give to the poor, and store up treasure in heaven (Mark 10:17-22); that God can save them (Mark 10:23-27); and that they need to exercise authority in the Church as servants (Mark 10:43-45).

2. Overcoming Spiritual Blindness: On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus teaches and heals the spiritual blindness of his disciples. “Although Jesus has been teaching them all along ‘the way,’ at this point their vision is still only partial; they do not yet grasp who Jesus is and what it means to follow him. Only after the resurrection will their eyes be fully opened” (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 216). Jesus passes through the city of Jericho. In this way, Jesus recapitulates the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. The Passover pilgrimage to Jerusalem was an annual commemoration of the Exodus and the passage through Jericho recalls the first conquest of Israel in the holy land (Joshua 6). Bartimaeus is physically blind yet can see spiritually with the eyes of faith. He proclaims his faith in Jesus as the royal son of David. “Bartimaeus is healed physically, but even more, the eyes of his heart are enlightened (see Eph 1:18) – an image of what happens to every Christian at baptism. He demonstrates the perfect response to being healed: he follows Jesus on the way of discipleship (Mark 10:52), the way through Jesus’ passion and death to the resurrection and eternal life” (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 218).

3. Growing into Salvation: The First Letter of Peter reflects on the spiritual journey of a Christian. The passage in today’s First Reading contains four powerful images to convey truths about our spiritual lives. First, at the beginning of our Christian lives, we are like newborn infants, who need to be nourished with spiritual milk. This milk will strengthen us and help us grow and mature in salvation. The second image Peter uses is that of a spiritual house made of living stones. Jesus is the living stone rejected by humanity and we are called to be living stones. We form part of the spiritual house and New Temple of God. The third image is that of the royal priesthood. Through our baptism, we are anointed as priests and called to offer spiritual sacrifices to God. The fourth image is that of forming part of God’s covenant people. One of the blessings of this covenant relationship is mercy. If we fail and break our covenant relationship, God is ready to welcome us back with merciful arms. The fifth image is that of aliens (foreigners) and sojourners (parishioners). This earthly life is not our ultimate home. We journey through this life and are called to do good works and so merit the glory of heaven, our ultimate home.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, heal my eyes so that I may all things with faith, nourish me so that I may grow into salvation, build me into a spiritual house, make my spiritual sacrifices acceptable to the Father, bestow your mercy upon me when I fail, and guide me as I journey through this world.

Living the Word of God: Where am I blind? Do I turn a blind eye to my faults or sins? Do I eagerly look for the faults of others and judge them? How can Jesus cure my blindness today?