Kyrie eleison
Lord, have mercy. Kyrie Eleison.
Christ, have mercy. Christe eleison
Lord, have mercy. Kyrie Eleison
Lord have mercy. This is what the blind man Bartimaeus cries out to Jesus in this weeks gospel text. Lord have mercy.
We probably have all cried this at some point in our lives.
Mercy. Mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone to whom it is within your power to punish or harm. At its core, mercy is forgiveness. It is the kind and forgiving treatment of someone.
Let’s step back a minute and look where we are in the Gospel passage. This account, this healing of Bartimaeus comes as a climax to the entire first half of Mark and at the completion of Jesus’ final trek to Jerusalem. The very next event is Jesus’ “Triumphal Entry” in Jerusalem.
For most of this journey Jesus has been emphasizing what it means to be his disciple. Peter didn’t get it with his refusal to accept that Jesus must die on the cross. The rich young ruler didn’t get it and he turned away when he realized the cost of discipleship was too high, to give away all that he treasured so dearly. James and John last week didn’t get it with their request to be at Jesus’ right and left when Jesus comes into his Kingdom.
But here today in Jericho, there seems to be a man who gets it. Just as Jesus enters the final step of his journey into Jerusalem, this man, Bar Timaeus gets it.
This man has a name. Jesus has performed a number of miracles up to this point in the gospel- a deaf-mute, a blind man, a lame man, a demon-possessed man, but no one has a name. The rich young ruler didn’t have a name, but Bar Timaeus has a name - this blind beggar was named. Bar - Son of Timaeus.
Begging was ubiquitous in Jesus’ day, as it is increasingly in our own. You might say it was the social service model for Israel and the whole ancient world. People who could not make a living because of some disability had to lower themselves by begging for money from passersby. It actually worked quite well, in that it brought together their need for a living and the need for law-abiding Jews to give alms.
Suddenly enveloped by a crowd of people excited about this visitor to the city, Bar Timaeus senses that this is his moment, his opportunity. He begins yelling at the top of his lungs to get Jesus’ attention. Every word of his cry is important: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”
Jesus, Jeshua.
Son of David. This is another way of saying “Messiah.” The Messiah is the promised Son of David who will sit on the throne of David forever (II Samuel 7). This is the only time in which Jesus is addressed by this title in Mark’s gospel, and it comes from the lips of this blind beggar.
Have mercy on me.
The word in Greek is “eleison,” the word that has become so deeply embedded in the liturgy of the church, kyrie eleison.
These words form the Jesus Prayer. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
This is the essential way in which we approach the Savior in our neediness, blindness, and sin. We acknowledge who he is and who we are. He is the Lord, the Savior, and we are beggars. He is the all-powerful Messiah, and we need mercy.
Note Bartimaeus’ approach contrasted with that of James and John just a few verses earlier. While they asked Jesus for a special place in his royal cabinet, Bartimaeus simply begs for mercy.
Sometimes all we can do is to beg for mercy. And begging for mercy shows we recognize who we are - and who God is.
Many told him to be quiet. It’s unseemly to hear the cries of a beggar when a dignitary has come to town. Many cities and towns in our own day round up the homeless and keep them away when important guests come to town.
There has always been social pressure to stifle the cries of human pain and neediness.
When people sink deeply into grief, they often hear the message, “Get over it!” When the poor and homeless make their presence known society wants to make them invisible.
When victims cry out for justice, they are often told to just take it and move on. When people commit crimes and seek mercy to rebuild their lives, society wants to lock them up and throw away the key.
“Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.'” Jesus hears the kyrie eleison.
We are all beggars. We have no claim on Jesus other than that we are in deep and desperate need for his mercy.
It is amazing to me how often, deep down, I resist this simple truth. That we are in need of mercy.
Often, in Jesus’s encounters with the sick and needy, there’s a kind of lethargy to their response. They are so used to a life of need, that it’s hard for them to really think that something can be done for them.
I have experienced this sentiment. Times when I have thought, “really now, what can be done?”
But Bartimaeus is different. Mark paints a picture of eagerness and energy. He “throws off his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.” He knew this was his only real hope.
How aware are we that Jesus truly is our only hope and that we are in need of his mercy?
Jesus asks a question that seems rather obvious. He asks, “What is it you want?”
In our human cry for mercy, Jesus asks us to articulate the real need, the real desire. And the answer to that question is not always immediately apparent.
When Jesus asks, “what do you want from me?” our answer may get at the reality of our faith and discipleship.
Are we asking Jesus for a little of this and a little of that to make our lives more comfortable, less burdensome? Or are we asking for something only Jesus can give, the healing of our deepest wounds, our most insidious sins? In asking this question, Jesus points us to the real meaning of discipleship. What are you really after?
“My Teacher (rabouni), I want to see again.”
The word “again” tells us something about Bar Timaeus as well. At some point he could see, but now he is blind.
He is asking Jesus to reverse that. “Once I was blind, but now I can see,” as the old hymn says.
Today is Pledge Sunday. It is a day that marks when we come to Jesus with our pledge of what we are going to commit to the church and to his Kingdom this year. It is a day of faith. The finance committee and then the Vestry will consider the pledges and make decisions on how to be the best stewards of what we have been given for the coming year - in faith that the pledges will be met.
What we pledge and how we pledge is a mark of our faith. It is mark of our commitment and love for God and his Kingdom. It speaks to where our treasure is and to what we want.
Bartimaeus was clear on what he wanted and needed from Jesus. He wanted to see again. And then he followed him on his way -on the way into Jerusalem after he experienced what Jesus had done for him.
Where are we on our journey? How clear are we in what we want and need from Jesus? And are we willing to continue to follow him on the journey? Into Jerusalem?
The world is changing. The church is changing. It has been a hard year and half.
Often times in the past year and a half, I have cried, “Lord have mercy” Kyrie Eleison.
Lord, show us the way forward. Kyrie Eleison.
Lord, heal our land. Kyrie Eleison.
Lord, be with us in our giving and our service to you. Kyrie Eleison.
Lord, help us to love as you love. Kyrie Eleison.
Lord, help us to be instruments of your peace. Kyrie Eleison.
Lord, help us to seek you and to know that you are the one to follow, no matter where the path leads. Kyrie Eleison.
Lord, help us to be clear in our wants and desires, and have the courage to ask of you, much like blind Bartimaeus. Kyrie Eleison.
Amen.
Lord, have mercy. Kyrie Eleison.
Christ, have mercy. Christe eleison
Lord, have mercy. Kyrie Eleison
Lord have mercy. This is what the blind man Bartimaeus cries out to Jesus in this weeks gospel text. Lord have mercy.
We probably have all cried this at some point in our lives.
Mercy. Mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone to whom it is within your power to punish or harm. At its core, mercy is forgiveness. It is the kind and forgiving treatment of someone.
Let’s step back a minute and look where we are in the Gospel passage. This account, this healing of Bartimaeus comes as a climax to the entire first half of Mark and at the completion of Jesus’ final trek to Jerusalem. The very next event is Jesus’ “Triumphal Entry” in Jerusalem.
For most of this journey Jesus has been emphasizing what it means to be his disciple. Peter didn’t get it with his refusal to accept that Jesus must die on the cross. The rich young ruler didn’t get it and he turned away when he realized the cost of discipleship was too high, to give away all that he treasured so dearly. James and John last week didn’t get it with their request to be at Jesus’ right and left when Jesus comes into his Kingdom.
But here today in Jericho, there seems to be a man who gets it. Just as Jesus enters the final step of his journey into Jerusalem, this man, Bar Timaeus gets it.
This man has a name. Jesus has performed a number of miracles up to this point in the gospel- a deaf-mute, a blind man, a lame man, a demon-possessed man, but no one has a name. The rich young ruler didn’t have a name, but Bar Timaeus has a name - this blind beggar was named. Bar - Son of Timaeus.
Begging was ubiquitous in Jesus’ day, as it is increasingly in our own. You might say it was the social service model for Israel and the whole ancient world. People who could not make a living because of some disability had to lower themselves by begging for money from passersby. It actually worked quite well, in that it brought together their need for a living and the need for law-abiding Jews to give alms.
Suddenly enveloped by a crowd of people excited about this visitor to the city, Bar Timaeus senses that this is his moment, his opportunity. He begins yelling at the top of his lungs to get Jesus’ attention. Every word of his cry is important: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”
Jesus, Jeshua.
Son of David. This is another way of saying “Messiah.” The Messiah is the promised Son of David who will sit on the throne of David forever (II Samuel 7). This is the only time in which Jesus is addressed by this title in Mark’s gospel, and it comes from the lips of this blind beggar.
Have mercy on me.
The word in Greek is “eleison,” the word that has become so deeply embedded in the liturgy of the church, kyrie eleison.
These words form the Jesus Prayer. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
This is the essential way in which we approach the Savior in our neediness, blindness, and sin. We acknowledge who he is and who we are. He is the Lord, the Savior, and we are beggars. He is the all-powerful Messiah, and we need mercy.
Note Bartimaeus’ approach contrasted with that of James and John just a few verses earlier. While they asked Jesus for a special place in his royal cabinet, Bartimaeus simply begs for mercy.
Sometimes all we can do is to beg for mercy. And begging for mercy shows we recognize who we are - and who God is.
Many told him to be quiet. It’s unseemly to hear the cries of a beggar when a dignitary has come to town. Many cities and towns in our own day round up the homeless and keep them away when important guests come to town.
There has always been social pressure to stifle the cries of human pain and neediness.
When people sink deeply into grief, they often hear the message, “Get over it!” When the poor and homeless make their presence known society wants to make them invisible.
When victims cry out for justice, they are often told to just take it and move on. When people commit crimes and seek mercy to rebuild their lives, society wants to lock them up and throw away the key.
“Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.'” Jesus hears the kyrie eleison.
We are all beggars. We have no claim on Jesus other than that we are in deep and desperate need for his mercy.
It is amazing to me how often, deep down, I resist this simple truth. That we are in need of mercy.
Often, in Jesus’s encounters with the sick and needy, there’s a kind of lethargy to their response. They are so used to a life of need, that it’s hard for them to really think that something can be done for them.
I have experienced this sentiment. Times when I have thought, “really now, what can be done?”
But Bartimaeus is different. Mark paints a picture of eagerness and energy. He “throws off his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.” He knew this was his only real hope.
How aware are we that Jesus truly is our only hope and that we are in need of his mercy?
Jesus asks a question that seems rather obvious. He asks, “What is it you want?”
In our human cry for mercy, Jesus asks us to articulate the real need, the real desire. And the answer to that question is not always immediately apparent.
When Jesus asks, “what do you want from me?” our answer may get at the reality of our faith and discipleship.
Are we asking Jesus for a little of this and a little of that to make our lives more comfortable, less burdensome? Or are we asking for something only Jesus can give, the healing of our deepest wounds, our most insidious sins? In asking this question, Jesus points us to the real meaning of discipleship. What are you really after?
“My Teacher (rabouni), I want to see again.”
The word “again” tells us something about Bar Timaeus as well. At some point he could see, but now he is blind.
He is asking Jesus to reverse that. “Once I was blind, but now I can see,” as the old hymn says.
Today is Pledge Sunday. It is a day that marks when we come to Jesus with our pledge of what we are going to commit to the church and to his Kingdom this year. It is a day of faith. The finance committee and then the Vestry will consider the pledges and make decisions on how to be the best stewards of what we have been given for the coming year - in faith that the pledges will be met.
What we pledge and how we pledge is a mark of our faith. It is mark of our commitment and love for God and his Kingdom. It speaks to where our treasure is and to what we want.
Bartimaeus was clear on what he wanted and needed from Jesus. He wanted to see again. And then he followed him on his way -on the way into Jerusalem after he experienced what Jesus had done for him.
Where are we on our journey? How clear are we in what we want and need from Jesus? And are we willing to continue to follow him on the journey? Into Jerusalem?
The world is changing. The church is changing. It has been a hard year and half.
Often times in the past year and a half, I have cried, “Lord have mercy” Kyrie Eleison.
Lord, show us the way forward. Kyrie Eleison.
Lord, heal our land. Kyrie Eleison.
Lord, be with us in our giving and our service to you. Kyrie Eleison.
Lord, help us to love as you love. Kyrie Eleison.
Lord, help us to be instruments of your peace. Kyrie Eleison.
Lord, help us to seek you and to know that you are the one to follow, no matter where the path leads. Kyrie Eleison.
Lord, help us to be clear in our wants and desires, and have the courage to ask of you, much like blind Bartimaeus. Kyrie Eleison.
Amen.