MARK 10 (PART 3)
Read Mark 10:32-52
The movement towards Jerusalem continues as Jesus and his disciples proceed on their way. Mark notes here that Jesus led the way, both literally, as he knew that he must go to Jerusalem to fulfil his Father’s will, but also figuratively as he continued to teach the disciples about what will happen there in Jerusalem – that he would be killed and after three days rise again. The disciples were astonished; something Mark tells us again and again. They still didn’t get it, despite being in Jesus’ company for so long and as the next incident showed.
This is the well-known story of James and John asking to be by Jesus’ side when he rules in glory. The other disciples were outraged at their presumption. Jesus, it seems, is saddened by their lack of understanding. “You don’t know what you are asking” he said. “We do, we do!” was their cry. But it is clear that they still didn’t know exactly who Jesus was and why he, and not anyone else, had to die on the cross. Jesus then gathered the disciples together and gave them a bit of a telling off. They were still behaving like people outside the Kingdom of God, still living by the standards of the world and not the standards of God. And he reminded them that life is about serving and not being served.
It is easy to be critical of the disciples for being so slow in ‘getting it’ and knowing who Jesus is and why he came. Jesus made it clear that discipleship is all about self-denying, self-giving service to others and that he exemplified that in his service for the redemption of the world. And yet many Christians are like the disciples and don’t really get it and, perhaps don’t take on board this self-denying, self-giving aspect of Christian discipleship and, unwittingly, support the social structures that oppress the poor and needy at home and abroad.
The healing of blind Bartimaeus ends this section on a high note just before Jesus and the disciples reach Jerusalem. It is a healing that Mark records much like many other of Jesus’ healings, but the most telling aspect of it comes at the end, when Bartimaeus is healed. Jesus asked the man what he wanted, and of course Bartimaeus said that he wanted to see. Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has healed you”. The need for faith has been one of the major themes in Mark’s Gospel and here Bartimaeus came to Jesus because he had faith that Jesus would heal him – that was his response to Jesus.
Would that the people of this world would hear of Jesus, and respond in the same way as Bartimaeus did, and come to Jesus in faith and receive that promise of eternal life.