Breaking the Word

They came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me." Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage; get up, he is calling you." He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see." Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.  (Mk 10:46-52)

Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. Surely he did not want to continue this life of begging. As soon as he was called he ran to meet Jesus and also he wanted to be a follower of Jesus. Bartimaeus wanted the situation to be corrected. He was also a man of faith. He believed that Jesus who was son of David could heal him and help him out of this situation.

In this case the people who were travelling with Jesus were not helpful to Bartimaeus. In most of the miracle stories the crowd always assisted the one in need. There was a situation in which the people opened the roof of the house and helped the sick to come near Jesus. There were situation in which the people ran through the villages and towns and carried the sick to bring them close to Jesus. This is one of the few situations in which they tried to prevent the man to come close to Jesus.

Jesus always went towards the needy and the suffering. At times he was taken by the people to the needy. But even if they prevented him, he would not be contained by the people. For Jesus the suffering and the needy are important and he would go to them whatever happens. He always assisted the suffering and the needy,

They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went ahead of them. They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them what was going to happen to him. "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death, but after three days he will rise." Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."  He replied, "What do you wish (me) to do for you?" They answered him, "Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left."  Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"  They said to him, "We can." Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared." When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt.  But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."  (Mk 10:32-45)

Jesus was constantly and continuously aware of what was going to happen to him when he reached Jerusalem. He was prepared for the things that were to happen to him in Jerusalem. But he also made effort to prepare his followers particularly the disciples. As we read in the gospels the disciples were not ready to face the end.

The disciples were like the worldly people. Their main concern was posts and positions. They were worried about the present world and the present life. Jesus was preparing them for the kingdom and also for the eternal life. The values and the goals of this present world had no comparison to the kingdom and the eternal life. There were all under the direct control of the Father.

Jesus clarified to the disciples regarding his life and mission. He did not come into the world for posts and positions and he was not preparing the disciples for the same. He came into this world only to serve. Service was his only concern. And the final act of service was to give his life as ransom for the others.