Fr. Michael Williams

One of the major themes of St Mark’s gospel is the theme of discipleship. What does it mean to be a disciple of the Lord? This an important question because through our baptism we are all called to be disciples of Jesus.

In last Sunday’s gospel we heard how James and John, the sons of Zebedee, thought that being a disciple of Jesus was a way to status and privilege. These brothers ask Jesus, ‘Allow us to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory’. But Our Lord reminded James and John that to be a follower of His, means to share His cup of suffering and to be a servant.

We know that James and John heeded Our Lord’s teaching, and went on to become faithful disciples, sharing the cup of suffering and serving God and His people.

Today, Mark’s gospel provides us with an example of an unlikely disciple, ‘the blind beggar, called Bartimaeus’. Bartimaeus, although blind, recognises that Jesus is ‘Son of David’- the One who has come to save humanity. This is the first step to being a disciple of Christ: recognition that Our Lord is the Saviour sent from God. In Acts of the Apostles we hear St Peter say, “of all the names in the world…this is the only one by which we can be saved”.

After recognising who Jesus is, Bartimaeus then calls out to Him. This too is a mark of being a disciple- calling out to the Lord with our petitions and prayers. Bartimaeus is insistent with His petition to Jesus, ‘Son of David, have pity on me’. Bartimaeus does not give up with his petition, even though there are obstacles in his way. The disciples had ‘scolded him and told him to keep quiet’, but he persevered. Being a disciple of Jesus means that we don’t give up when obstacles come our way. Perseverance is essential to Christian discipleship and Bartimaeus had it.

Once Bartimaeus has overcome some of these obstacles Jesus asks, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’. Jesus invites Bartimaeus to allow the Lord to help him. Our Lord will never force His intentions on us. This would be to take away the gift of free will that God has given us. That is why He says to Bartimaeus, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Jesus invites us to accept His help, but He will never force us to accept what He is offering. It’s our choice and God respects it.

The blind beggar asks, ‘Master, let me see again’, to which Jesus responds by saying, ‘Go; your faith has saved you’. Bartimaeus’ request is granted because he has completely put his faith in the Lord, despite the difficulties. He has been saved by the Saviour through his faith in Christ’s power to save and heal. This gift of faith, ‘consists in recognising who Jesus is , and trusting that he has power to save’ (T. Wright). Bartimaeus put his faith in the Lord, knowing that ‘Nothing is impossible to God’. We too need to need to put our faith in God, rather than the gods of this world, which are ultimately worthless.

After his encounter with the Lord, Bartimaeus then went on to follow Jesus ‘along the road’. Let’s pray that we too will follow Jesus along the road of this life, recognising that Jesus alone can save us from the evils which may threaten us. And let us put our faith in Him, despite obstacles and difficulties that may come our way.