Sight

SIGHT

(Mark 10: 46-52)

The inability to see clearly comes in many forms. It can be literally the ability to see clearly or at all. I can appreciate this because several years ago I had a detached retina that required surgery to repair. The operation was marginally successful so occasionally my sight is less than perfect, somewhat blurred. But the word sight can take on a variety of meanings. An example is when we “see” something someone is trying to explain to us, and we respond, “Oh now I see what you mean.”

The incident of the blind man confronting Jesus can have meaning even for those of us who are sighted for we can be blind in other ways. Consider how the story unfolds. Bartimaeus is persistent as he calls out to Jesus; he will not be ignored. When his persistence pays off and the two men face each other, Jesus’ obvious question is, “What do you want?” or to quote the Revised English Bible directly, “What do you want me to do for you?” Can we / have we as we sit by the road of life had a desire to see more clearly? Do we like Bartimaeus call out to Jesus and persist in asking for clearer sight to the questions of life that plague us? If we get no response the first or second time are we as persistent to obtain that answer to our life’s questions. Bartimaeus’ persistence paid off for he was given back his sight. Given back is the correct phrasing because when Jesus asked him what he wanted he said, “ I want my sight BACK.” But the story doesn’t end with the restoration of sight. Bartimaeus doesn’t have his sight restored and go about his merry way with the attitude, “OK, I got that accomplished, I’m done.” Again quoting from the scripture ,it says, “And at one he recovered his sight and FOLLOWED him on the road.” (Mark 10: 52b) Early  Christians were known as Followers of the Way. Bartimaeus followed Jesus on the road. We know from the Gospels that Jesus continued to teach the disciples and others who followed him as he traveled through the countryside so we can assume that Bartimaeus continued to learn from Jesus over time. The restoration of  Bartimaeus’ sight was not a single event; for if we understand “sight” to be more than visual seeing ,we can assume that his sight became clearer and clearer over time. This can also be true for us. We can, as a song in the musical Godspell put it, “… see Thee more clearly…”

OK so we see and see more clearly as we progress along the way. What do we, each of us, do along the way? Scripture also tells us that we each have talents that can be put to use. What those talents are we each have to decide. Whatever they are I like the prayer that is part of the Episcopal literagy and comes after Communion near the end of the mass. It says, “… And now, Father, send us out to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord…”

We can persist, we can follow and learn in our following, and then we can do. If we have ears to hear, aren’t we glad that Bartimaeus’ was persistent?

(8/1713)