Pentecost 22

Pentecost 22 (Mark 10:46-52)

“What do you want me to do for you?”

Faith is not magic.

Magic resides in the will to power. It is the illusion that secret knowledge applied by focused will can alter and sometimes annul natural law. Magic in that sense does not exist. God designed the world according to a pattern, the pattern of the Logos- the active, dynamic, rational and creative pattern of the universe. The laws that govern the universe, including our species, are grounded in the logos. The most fundamental law of the universe is cause and effect.

Faith is also not belief. Faith may encompass belief. Belief does not necessarily produce faith. Indeed, the great obstacle to faith is not doubt. The great obstacle to faith is belief.

A persistent belief that defines our species is the belief in rewards and punishments. This belief is a distortion of the law of cause and effect. In its religious expression this belief asserts that if you do good you get good. If you do bad then bad things happen to you. More than that, it defines lists of beliefs and behaviors to define the standard of righteousness. The Bible describes how different religious leaders and teachers produce different lists. They compete for public attention and sometimes engage in conflict with each other over who has the correct list.

We hear in this story how people did not want the blind man, Bartimaeus to bother Jesus. This attitude is a result of  a distorted belief about righteousness. The fact Bartimaeus was blind was evidence he was not righteous. People believed that if he were righteous God was obligated to preserve his health and reward him with wealth. Since he was blind and an impoverished beggar it was obvious to everyone he was not righteous. He was a sinner. The attitude of the righteous religious is: sinners need not apply. Sinners are not welcome. First stop sinning then you can approach the righteous for advice on how to speak with God.

This is not the Plan of Salvation. Jesus welcomed sinners and continues to welcome sinners. Sickness is not a sign of sin. Righteousness is not about conformity to lists of beliefs and behaviors. And, faith is not the same as belief.

Faith is substance and evidence. The substance of faith is our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The substance of faith is trust.

There is no “one size fits all faith”. Faith is personal. Belief tends to be both individual and impersonal. Faith is grounded in fact. Belief can easily detach from fact. Faith is personal trust. That is why Jesus asks Bartimaeus an amazing question. Jesus asks: what do you, Bartimaeus, want me, Jesus, to do for you?

The religious people were offended by the question. They not only believed Bartimaeus was a sinner under judgment- they knew it. There was no room in their system of belief for Bartimaeus to be healed.  For them, as the true righteous, the law defined who deserved a blessing and who deserved a curse.

Jesus brings a very different message into the world.

Jesus says that if you define righteousness within the categories of right belief and right behavior then no one qualifies. No one deserves a blessing. Jesus defines righteousness as right relationship.  It is God Himself who initiates the relationship based on grace not law. No one deserves a blessing but God graciously offers a blessing to everyone.

God not only offers a blessing to everyone he personalizes the blessing. He sends Jesus to engage us in a personal relationship. He asks us questions. He waits for an answer. He leads us through a process of self-discovery.  Sometimes, we walk through the valley of shadows and he is right there with us. Sometimes we walk across verdant green pastures filled with fresh springs of living water and he is there with us.

Because faith is personal life with Jesus is a journey into  a Great Mystery. Jesus doesn’t give all of the answers to life in a single book or in a list of beliefs or a set of laws. Jesus invites us into a journey of faith through the duality of life.

For Bartimaeus, the journey led to his healing. He regained his sight. Jesus affirmed his worth to God by publically healing him in the presence of religious people who believed his blindness was punishment for sin.

The Great Mystery of the journey of faith is that sometimes we are physically healed and sometimes we are not. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Sometimes we get what we want and sometimes we don’t. Faith is not magic. Faith is not impersonal automatic law. Faith is a journey with someone who wants to be our forever friend.

Faith sets us free from anxiety and fear. Sometimes, that is enough to help us on our way through the duality of life. Sometimes we think God has abandoned us only to discover he is right there with us every step of the way.

As Jesus engaged Bartimaeus so he engages us. He is here for us. He is God with us and God for us. He invites us to walk through the duality of life with the unity of his unconditional love. He invites us to speak to him and converse with him. He invites us into the Great Mystery of infinite and eternal love here at the altar of sacrifice where he patiently waits for us to approach him and where he inquires of us: what do you want me to do for you?