Mark 10:46-52 (NRSV)
Read Mark 10:46-52 on biblegateway.com
Devotion
In first century Israel, serious illness and disability were often thought to be caused by someone’s sinfulness or possession by an evil spirit. The gospels tell of lepers forced to live together in homeless colonies and the mentally ill chained up in graveyards. Those well enough would often sit outdoors, begging along the roadways for a bit of food or a few coins to survive. So it was that Jesus and his disciples encountered the blind Bartimaeus along the road as he was leaving Jericho on the way to Jerusalem.
These healing stories may have become so familiar to us that we easily miss the central scandal: Jesus called the sick to come close, and simply gave them back their health. Bartimaeus wasn’t asked to crawl on his knees in repentance, sacrifice an animal in the Temple, or even recite his sins before the crowd. He didn’t need to become worthy; he was simply made worthy. It was a gift.
Prayer
O healer Jesus, we give you thanks for restoring Bartimaeus, and so many others, to wholeness of body and community. Give us eyes to see the suffering of others, that they too may find renewal and restoration in your name. Amen.
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