Seeing the Person

Can be listened to here

Gate Pa – October 25, 2015

Pentecost 22 - Ordinary Time 30

Readings:

Psalm                          Psalm 34:1-8                                                              

First Reading:                         Job 42:1-6, 10-17                   

Second Reading:                    Hebrews 7:23-28                    

Gospel:                                    Mark 10:46-52

What I want to say:

How easy it is to read these stories and not see the people involved. But Jesus does see the person, the blind Bartimaeus, and asks him what he wants. How do we not see people? How are we ourselves not seen? What

What I want to happen:

People to reflect on what prevents them from seeing other people as people, and how they are labelled

The Sermon

     1.     Introduction:

For the last few weeks we have been hearing from central section Marks gospel

            starts with story healing of blind man – takes two goes

                        after the first go everyone looks like trees

            then three blocks teaching about upcoming crucifixion and resurrection

            among stories how disciples respond to that

                        telling him off

                        or as heard last week –

                                    asking right to sit at Jesus left and right hand side

section ends with Jesus following Jordan down to Jericho

            bottom of the steep road up to Jerusalem

and as he is leaving a blind man – Bartimaeus – hears he is going past

hears that it is Jesus the Nazarene going past

title has hint of snobbery about it

            that Jesus comes that hole – Nazareth

but also hint awe

            that Jesus

Bartimaeus calls out something very different

            Jesus son of David have mercy on me

sounds all good to us

            in those days – not title heard often

            using kind thing that could get you into serious trouble

            David the king is not romantic figure long ago

            great king Israel

            his son will be messiah who will

                        overthrow Herod

                        crush Romans into dust

talk of insurgent – we might say

so he is told to be quiet

……

     2.     The Outcast

he is also blind

we don’t know much about Bartimaeus

            know his name – actually really big thing

            why did Mark include that?

            know he was blind

so we and most commentators simply see him as blind man – Bartimaeus

pretty much same all those people around him

he was just that blind beggar

we don’t know when we became blind – birth or latter

we don’t know how much grieved either life led when had sight

            grieved for his place in family, in his community

            for all that was gone

or life never had because blind

he was now blind

            many ways already dead

            outsider

            on edge

            beggar

            outside community

            outside of God’s care

those around him he is just blind beggar

to be ignored mostly

to not be seen

whose place is to be silent

Many ways

how we and commentators read this story is no different

those people Jericho in story

Bartimaeus not person

simply bit part in story

beyond his healing is of no value

     3.     Jesus

But Jesus hears him

hears person Bartimaeus

will all his grief and hopes           

and invites others to see him as well

says people who do not see him

            "Call him over."

then Jesus asks very simple question, "What can I do for you?"

when was last time anyone asked Bartimaeus that questions

            what was that like for him?

only a few verses ago Jesus asked James and John the same question

this time it seems so seems so redundant

            heal him of course

would we ask?

whether we would assume

Jesus does ask the question

because to ask is to recognise that he is a person

            with his own fears, hopes dreams

allows this Bartimaeus to speak for himself

            name what he wants for himself

When he is healed

this once blind Bartimaeus follows Jesus on the way

            the way up to Jerusalem

            the way to the cross

unlike James and John

Bartimaeus gets it.

     4.     Today

we too live in world people reduced to labels

On Wednesday night some of us attended the Closing The Gap

one things struck me how easily reduce people to label

            people who work factories/warehouses – labour cost

                        idea being employers want drive cost down

                        easy when seen simply as cost

not cost – these are real people with ambitions and hopes, fears and struggles

sadly, too often we fail to see the people

works other way too

           

we are all guilty of not seeing people around us.

applying label

which then allows them to not see them as people

ask myself

do I see homeless man who has lived in our porch for 2 months

            as person

            own hopes and dreams

            hopelessness of being in his cardboard box

homeless man living in our porch

                       

we are all victims of being labelled

just finished reading Being Mortal – by Amercian surgeon  Atul Gawande

looks at Medicine in America and what matters in the end

critiques own profession and rest home industry

            reducing people to medical problem that needs to be solved/cured

            even when there is no solution

too often in America lose sight of the fact that not just medical problem

            person with medical issue

            brings all hopes and fears with them

                        own hopes how their story will end

labels prevent doctors seeing the people

            everyone is the worse for it

     5.     Conclusion

This story of blind person, Bartimaeus is about us

we are in crowd – telling this beggar of no consequence to be quiet

wonder who Jesus inviting to see as people

             to call today, tomorrow

asks us – who is it we label and dismiss?

We are Bartimaeus – labelled

            our personhood belittled

            reduced to other people’s categories

            our hopes and fears lost.

Jesus says to us – what do you want?

            what is it you want?

            what is it you fear?

           

where are you in this story?

what is Jesus saying to you today