Crying Out for Help
Jesus said to [the man], “Go; your faith has made you well.”
Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. —Mark 10:52
READ: Mark 10:46-52
REFLECT: The people of Jericho have grown tired of Bartimaeus. They readily give him a coin or a crust of bread, but they cannot stand the sound of his voice crying for help. He is a hopeless case. Why can’t he simply accept his disability and be quiet?
Then Jesus comes through town. Bartimaeus begins to cry out as usual, and the crowds try to shush him. But Bartimaeus keeps calling. This time Jesus calls for him, and Bartimaeus regains his sights.
“Stop complaining!” “Just be quiet!” We are all familiar with such words. Perhaps we’ve said them ourselves. Like the people of Jericho, we grow weary of the needs of others, particularly when it seems there is no solution. We may not always tell people to stop complaining, but we think it often.
Our Gospel story is not just about the healing of Bartimaeus. It is also about the healing of a community. By calling Bartimaeus forward against the crowd’s wishes, Jesus exposes the hardness of the crowd’s hearts. In doing so, Jesus invites the crowd to risk letting their hearts grow softer, even toward one whom they found tiresome.
When we are weary of the needs around us, this story calls us to another way of being. Jesus invites us to soften our hearts and truly listen to those crying for help. Only then can we invite them to come to him. Only then can we all be healed.
—Ron Adams
RESPOND: Lord, if I grow weary today of the needs of others, remind me of Bartimaeus. Give me a softer heart, so that I can bring those in need to you.