30the Sunday B

30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time B

Readings: Jeremiah 31:7-9   Hebrews 5:1-6    Mark 10:46-52

As Jesus completes his journey to Jerusalem in Mark, we are called to join with the blind beggar Bartimaeus in following Jesus in faith.  Each of us has only to ask, with Bartimaeus, “Rabboni, I want to see,” and the master will give us the healing gift of faith, and then we can joyfully thank the Lord in the lyrics of the responsorial psalm. “The Lord has done great things for us;/ we are filled with joy,/ we are filled with joy!  (Ps 126)

Jeremiah sets the tone for this Sunday’s celebration with an oracle promising salvation for the remnant of Israel left after Assyria’s invasion over a century earlier.  As God’s messenger, he calls upon the nations to thank the Lord in anticipation of his deliverance. “Shout with joy for Jacob,/ exult at the head of the nations;/ proclaim your praise and say:/ ‘The Lord has delivered his people, the remnant of Israel.’” The following promise prepares us for the healing of the blind Bartimaeus in the gospel story. “Behold I will bring them back from the land of the north;/ I will gather them from the ends of the world/ with the blind and the lame in their midst . . .” Although “they departed in tears,” the Lord promises to “lead them to brooks of water,/ on a level road, so that none shall stumble.”  The basis for this second Exodus is the Lord’s covenant bond with this people: “For I am a father to Israel,/ Ephraim is my first-born.”

The second reading continues the selections from Hebrews by reminding its readers, and us, that in Jesus we have a compassionate high priest who “is able to deal patiently with erring sinners.”  Although Jesus did not sin like the high priests did, he was tempted and faced death with fear as we do (see Heb 2:14-18).  He earned his call to the heavenly high priesthood “according to the order of Melchizedek” through being perfected by suffering (see 2:17-18). “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, be became the source of salvation for all who obey him, declared by God high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.”

The Gospel completes Mark’s account of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem with the joyful and highly symbolic healing of the blind Bartimaeus.  Throughout Mark’s journey section Jesus’ disciples have been blind both to his destiny to suffer, die and rise in Jerusalem and to the demands of following him (see Mk 9:31-38; 9:30-37; 10:32-45).  The journey began with Jesus healing a blind man at Bethsaida who was brought to him by others and gradually came to his sight.  Now it concludes with Jesus giving sight to blind Bartimaeus who himself repeatedly begs, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!”

Because of his persistent and faith-filled request, Jesus “calls” him, not simply to be physically healed from blindness, but to become a believing disciple who will follow him on the road to his suffering and resurrection in Jerusalem.  Notice how frequently variations of the word “call” occur in the story.  When Jesus hears Bartimaeus’ cry, he says, “Call him over.”  We are told, “they called the blind man over” with the words, “You have nothing whatever to fear from him!  Get up!  He is calling you!”  With that the blind man throws aside his cloak, jumps up, comes to Jesus and begs: ‘Rabboni, I want to see.’  The account does not end simply with Jesus restoring Bartimaeus’ sight, but with his invitation to follow him in a life of faith as a disciple. “Jesus said in reply, ‘Be on your way.  Your faith has healed you.’ Immediately he received his sight and started to follow him up the road.”