Living in the Spirit
October 23, 2021
Scripture Reading: Mark 10:46-52
They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
Among the crowd following Jesus, many sternly ordered [the blind man] to be quiet. Jesus’s response was to tell the followers to call him here. Wouldn’t it make more sense for Jesus to call Bartimaeus to him so that the blind man could follow the sound of Jesus’ voice? Was Jesus gently putting his followers in their place for not caring about the blind beggar’s plight? They most likely also had to clear a path and guide Bartimaeus to Jesus.
Do we place our personal experience being the church above our call to be the Body of Christ in our world today? Working together in communities of faith is essential to being the Body of Christ. Still, we must be careful not to get so caught up in being the gathering and sharing parts of the Body of Christ we forget about reaching out: feeding, healing, teaching people; providing safe water while otherwise protecting our environment; welcoming strangers; and restoring prisoners.
My local District Attorney, supported by our State Attorney General, requested that two of the Pardon and Parole Board members be removed because they believe in what I call restorative justice. The two prosecutors even pointed out that the faith of one of the two impacted his viewpoints. The issue arose when this new Attorney General took steps to reactivate the death penalty in Oklahoma. Suddenly, five men on death row are being scheduled for execution and must have their final appearance before the Pardon and Parole Board. The question is not what Jesus would do, but how do we respond since we wear his shoes?
Prayer: Lord, let your Spirit give us the courage to love like you and serve like you. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.