Take Heart, Get Up, He is Calling Us: A Sermon for Proper 25
The Rev’d Richard Gillespie Proctor
Christ the King Episcopal Church
Proper 25, Year B: October 24, 2021
“Take heart…get up…he is calling you…”
These words are arguably the most important ones in our gospel lesson today.
The story of Blind Bartimaeus is about more than just the restoration of his eyesight. It is about his identity and his vocation as a child of God. Yes, a major part – and the part that we all remember the most– is the restoration of his eyesight - his physical healing. But we also must see the deeper, spiritual, ontological change that happens deep within Bartimaeus.
Bartimaeus began to be changed – or healed – before his eyesight was restored.
While still technically blind, he was already beginning to be able to see differently.
When Jesus came through Jericho, and was walking w/ disciples on the road, and the crowds were gathering to see what all the fuss was about, Bartimaeus called out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
This use of these words – “Son of David, have mercy on me” shows that Bartimaeus could already see better than the others. “Son of David” was a messianic reference – meaning that Bartimaeus saw that Jesus was not just a talented teacher, prophet, or healer. Jesus was none other than the Son of David – the Messiah who Israel had been waiting for. This was a radical claim, and one that took deep, spiritual insight, and a deep, abiding faith.
This use of words must have caught Jesus’ ear, so he invited Bartimaeus to come closer to him. This is when Jesus’ disciples said to Bartimaeus, “Take heart, get up, he is calling you.”
This was the first sign that the deep shift in Bartimaeus was his ability to “see” Jesus as the Son of David – to “see” Jesus as the Messiah.
The second sign in the shift in Bartimaeus was when he threw off his cloak and came to Jesus. As a blind beggar, his cloak was what he sat on, slept on, and what was used to catch the coins that were tossed to him when he was begging. It was likely not only his most important possession, but it was his only possession – and he threw it off. There was deep symbolism in that action. Contrast this action to our Gospel lesson two weeks ago, when Jesus told the rich man to sell all of his possessions and give money to the poor, and the rich man was unable to do that.
Meanwhile, in our story today, Bartimaeus gave away his only possession. Clearly, his action shows that his healing and transformation had already begun.
When Bartimaeus gets to Jesus, Jesus asks him, “What do you want me to do for you?” Again, two weeks ago, the rich man asked Jesus how to attain eternal life. Last week, Jesus’ very own disciples – James and John – asked Jesus to grant them a seat on either side of his throne in the kingdom of heaven. This week, Bartimaeus simply asks Jesus to “let him see again.” Bartimaeus just wants to be able to see.
Jesus must have not only been impressed with Bartimaeus’ ability to “see” him as the Son of David – the Messiah – as well as someone who could heal his infirmity. He was also deeply moved by Bartimaeus’ humility. He’s not asking Jesus to grant him any special status on earth or in heaven. He simply wants to be made whole again.
So, Jesus grants Bartimaeus his wish, and restores his sight. But that is not the end of the story of Jesus and Bartimaeus. The last sentence of the gospel lesson tells us that once Bartimaeus’ sight was restored, he followed Jesus on “the way.”
“The Way” is the trek to Jerusalem, which is where Jesus and his disciples were headed. “The Way” was to the Triumphal entry into the Holy City. The Way was to the cross and the grave. The Way was to the empty tomb and resurrection.
The way was to journey with Jesus, and for Jesus to journey with him – and us.
The way for Bartimaeus – and for us –is “The Way, the Truth, and the Life.” When we have the courage, faith, and intuition like Bartimaeus to follow Jesus along the way, we too can be deeply transformed, healed, and made whole again.
So let us “Take heart…and get up…he is calling us.”