Mark 10:46-52 (NRSV)
Read Mark 10:46-52 on biblegateway.com
Devotion
Merriam-Webster suggests the phrase originated in 1990 but let's give Blind Bartimaeus credit for his many-centuries-earlier, exceedingly hope-full "shout-out"—his "brief expression of greeting or praise (given especially on a broadcast or audio recording)." As our Jerry Springer-like scene opens, B.B. greets Jesus while the studio audience yells, "Shut up! This is 'Jesus the C' in the house! B.B., how dare you??" (Of course, their "C" stands for "Celebrity.")
In first-century Palestine, blindness guaranteed only a life of extreme poverty, a life reduced to begging, lived completely dependent on the mercy and generosity of others. And unless one's blindness was self-correcting, there was no hope, no cure in sight. Little wonder healing the blind was one sign of the promised Messiah. In fact, when Jesus announced his ministry start-up (see Luke 4:18-19), the "top five" impacts of his coming included said healing. Now who's in the Springer spotlight?! And what will tomorrow's episode deliver?
Prayer
May our eyes see with and through as much hope as one blind man along Jesus' way, Lord God. Amen.