Homily for Proper 25 B - October 25, 2009

My sisters and brothers, to be true followers of Christ we must both let go… and grab hold…

In our first reading, Jeremiah sharers God's promise to restore the people of Israel to their former lives. The exile which the people experience as God’s just punishment of their former lives will not last for all generations. The political and military consequences that are oppressing them will come to an end. The people of Israel will be restored to their freedom and their home land.

This portion of Jeremiah’s writing is the text of a hymn extolling the glory of the People’s return to Israel. A procession of the weak emphasizes the miraculous nature of this restoration. The imagery of Yahweh as a father to Israel shows up in various parts of the Old Testament. It first served to define their covenantal relationship with God.

In our second reading we hear from the author of Hebrews about the eternal quality of Jesus' intercession for us. He does not leave office or die. He lives through eternity without need to make further offering for sin. As we talked about last week, the temple priests were under Mosaic Law (the “Old Covenant”). Jesus, the high priest, unlike others, he became a priest at God’s summons and has also become the guarantee of a better “New Covenant.” Therefore, Jesus is the way to God and to salvation for those who are godly because he (as priest) lives to plead with God on their behalf.

From Marks gospel we heard about Jesus healing Bartimaeus of his blindness. He restores the man's sight with the simple and profound statement: "your faith has healed you." Bartimaeus seeks Jesus out actively, is healed immediately, and then becomes a disciple; this is as much a story of Jesus calling a disciple as a story about healing.

There are several other details that make this story stand out. It is unusual because Mark does not normally give the name of someone who is healed. Also, the way he addresses of Jesus as “Son of David,” is loaded. It expresses an acceptance of Jesus as Messiah. Bartimaeus is the first person to do this after Peter’s declaration. And, Jesus does not order him to be quiet about it as he did up to this point. It marks a major shift in the telling of Jesus’ story. Now as He draws closer to his crucifixion the story is marked by this greater openness of the truth about Him.

Becoming one of Jesus’ followers, becoming a Christian, is about many things. Some central elements are embracing him as a healer (or doctor for our souls) as well as a teacher whom we follow through life.

Bartimaeus is a powerful symbolic example of this reality. Shedding what little pride he has left, he calls for the help he knows he needs- removal of his blindness. Having received the blessed healing he sought, he walks away from his old life to live the way of Christ!

In our own lives, a similar dynamic is active. To embrace Christ we must first make room in our lives. We make this room by removing the things that get in the way, the things that take precedence over Jesus.

We must then take on the life long process of being His followers, i.e., study His way of life and patterning ourselves after His teachings and example.