I Want to See

Gospel: Mark 10: 46-52

Jesus asks a simple question: "What do you want me to do for you?"  Bartimaeus makes a simple answer: "I want to see." Many people do not want Jesus to perform this miracle; they do not want Bartimaeus to see.  Why? Upon receiving this miracle, Bartimaeus will follow Jesus from Jericho to Jerusalem, the final trip Jesus ever makes to the holy city.

There, Bartimaeus will see the religious and political leaders of the day execute Jesus.  He will see this crowd that followed Jesus turn against him and demand his death.  He will see Jesus' disciples abandon him - one betraying him, another denying him.  He will also see a thief find paradise that day, and a Roman centurion discover faith in the Lord Jesus.  He will see just a few faithful women be with the Lord through it all.

We too encounter this same scene.  The Lord put to death by political and religious leaders who create caricatures of him to justify war and all its crimes, the execution of people, the demeaning of immigrants and refugees, the abuse and cover up of children and women.  But we also see the Lord rise again, the Lord rising in the deeds of love and mercy by those who remain with the real Jesus.  It is in our taking up his mission, his deeds of compassion and mercy that the Lord rises again and again from the many tombs made for him in every time and place.