In the tenth chapter of the Gospel of Mark we meet the blind Bartimaeus on the road to Jericho and in this encounter of the blind man with Jesus we recognize our own spiritual state at times. Sometimes we might also feel like the blind man whose spiritual experience with Jesus is passing us by. It may seem to us that there is a great crowd of people who have access to Jesus and the grace and life that he brings but we are unable to find our way to Jesus. We can experience within our own hearts a great desire to draw nearer to Jesus the Christ in our own lives but we are prevented by our own spiritual blindness. We are seated at the side of the road, hoping for change and new life but we cannot find our way to Jesus by ourselves. Our spiritual condition is one of blindness and all we can do is call out in the midst of our darkness for Jesus to somehow find us and lead us into a new vision of life.
Bartimaeus calls out to Jesus to have pity on his sad and miserable state in life. Sometimes the beginning of a new relationship in faith is a cry in the darkness. Bartimaeus calls out to Jesus to have pity on him and he persists in his anguished cry. Often our experience of prayer can be compared to the prayer of Bartimaeus calling out for some light to help us find our way out of darkness and into a new encounter with Jesus. We want to see Jesus in a new light. We know that we need his help and an act of grace to move forward in our spiritual journey.
Even though many people around him are urging him to remain silent and accept his state in life, Bartimaeus persists in his cry for help. This can often be the beginning of our journey in faith. We know that we must begin this journey with a new encounter with Jesus. Jesus hears the cry of Bartimaeus and responds to his cry for help with a call. Jesus calls Bartimaeus to move forward and encourages him to draw near to him. The disciples now turn to help Bartimaeus to recognize the call of the Lord in his life and share with him the good news, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” When it seems impossible that Jesus could possibly hear us in the midst of the crowd of people that are seeking to gain his attention, Jesus responds to this voice that is calling out in the darkness. Jesus does care about us and he hears our cries for help. He calls us to new life and offers us the grace of his favor and love. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asks Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus responds, “I want to see.”
Without faith we are blind to the presence of Jesus in our world and we suffer from our spiritual blindness. The world around us seems to be an obstacle to our coming into a new sight. The world tells us to quit calling out in the darkness, to give up our spiritual yearnings and to remain silent. Persistent prayer can lead us to Jesus and to new hope. It is faith that will open our eyes to a new way of seeing and perceiving the emptiness of our old life and the possibility of a new life with Jesus. Jesus awakens this desire for new sight, new life, new hope and a new future of discipleship within us. He is calling us, he is always calling us, if only we can hear and respond to his call in our life. We want to see. We want to have the gift of new sight which faith can give us. We are tired of being blind and sitting on the sidelines of the spiritual life. Jesus wants us to see and is just waiting for us to ask for the gift that he has to offer us. Jesus responds in assurance to Bartimaeus: “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” A life of faith can lead us out of our darkness and offer us a new life in Christ. Bartimaeus today receives this new sight of faith and immediately sets out on the road of discipleship in following Christ.
Through the gift of faith we have the opportunity to examine our state of blindness and to seek a new encounter with Jesus that will give us a new way of seeing in the world, a vision of faith. With the gift of faith we can follow the way of Christ which will lead us to new life and new hope. The fruit of our act of faith can be a new life of faith and a new way of journeying with Jesus. Get up, the Lord is calling you to come to him and receive new sight.