Luther Seminary

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Archives for December 8, 2003

Monday, December 8, 2003

Mark 10:46-52 (NRSV)

Read Mark 10:46-52 on biblegateway.com

Verse 46They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. Verse 47When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Verse 48Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Verse 49Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you." Verse 50So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Verse 51Then 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." Verse 52Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

Devotion

This story describes more than Bartimaeus’s restored vision. Follow his physical location: off the road, kept from Jesus by antipathetic onlookers, then called to approach Jesus, resulting in walking on the way with eyes full of light. His encounter with the Lord brings him to an entirely transformed existence—freed from begging, free to follow. Jesus makes Bartimaeus’s whole identity new; the former beggar’s salvation encompasses all of who he is. No wonder he threw off that old cloak!

Prayer

Merciful God, so often I act in ways that deflect others from encountering your grace, and that perpetuate their suffering. Teach me the depth and breadth of your compassion, and make me an instrument of the physical, spiritual and social restoration that you freely give. Amen.

Matthew Skinner Assistant Professor of New Testament