Open our eyes
28th October 2021
Today we were thinking about this reading from Mark’s gospel:
Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’
Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’
Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’
So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’
The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’
Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
Mark 10.46 – 52
This story seems to be about a blind man being given sight by Jesus but I think there is more going on here – more that Mark, the gospel writer, wants to show us.
Bartimaeus may be physically blind, but in two ways he sees much better than many around him. First of all, he notices. Even though he can’t see what is going on, he notices the hubbub around the arrival of Jesus and the disciples and he understands the significance of this.
Noticing in a deeper way is one of the most important things we can learn. Noticing people – how they look, how they are behaving – and seeing the significance of this. It’s very easy not to really notice, but when we do, it transforms the way we look at people, and the way we relate to them – and makes a much deeper connection possible.
There are other things we can learn to notice – the world around us, the places where we go and how they are changing, the structures and systems we live in. And ourselves – learning to notice how we are – our moods, our bodies and the way they are affected by our feelings and our state of mind, the particular habits of thought that often control us… there’s a whole lifetime of learning there.
In all this noticing, we can also – like Bartimaeus – learn to see where God is at work. I went on retreat to North Wales in the summer, and as usual I was doing a lot of noticing. In one of my times of prayer I sat quietly on a garden seat, and because I was so quiet I heard a little rustling in the undergrowth at my feet. I looked down, and there was a tiny shrew, moving in and out of the long grass. I watched it for a while, and it disappeared, but I could still see where it was because of the movement of the grasses.
It seemed to me to be a good picture of how it is with God. We may not be able to see God, but we can notice the difference he makes – the movement of the Holy Spirit in someone’s life or in a situation. I have a little note on my desk which says ‘watch for grasses moving’.
The other thing that Bartimaeus does, as well as noticing, is that he focusses. He can’t see Jesus but he knows that this is the one person he wants to meet – he needs to meet. So he keeps shouting out, and when Jesus responds he throws off his cloak, and springs to his feet and to meet him. And he’s very clear about what he wants. When Jesus asks ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ he responds straight away ‘My teacher, let me see again.’
In our lives there is often so much – so much information – so many things to do – so many possibilities. It’s hard to focus. We need space to become aware of our real needs, our central calling, our deepest longing. When we focus down onto the most important thing for us, and we hold this before God, that’s when something wonderful can sometimes happen, as it did for Bartimaeus. For him, it wasn’t just being given his sight – it was a whole new direction to his life, as he followed Jesus ‘on the way’.
- Lord, help us to notice… help us to see more clearly and more fully the people around us, the world you have created, the way things are, the way we are…
- Lord, help us not to be overwhelmed by all the information that comes to us, the tasks we have, the distractions that captivate us. Help us learn to focus on what really matters, on our deepest needs and longings, on the way you are calling us, and help us to respond…
- In this week when COP 26 begins, we think especially of our need as a species to have our eyes opened. Lord, help us to notice the damage we are doing to the planet – the urgent need for action – the risks to so much life and so many people – and our own resistance. Help those meeting in Glasgow, and all of us around the world, to focus on the most important things we can do to change, and to find a new way to live…