Practicum

Rev. Brian Weinberger

NL Year 2 • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

Mark 10:32–52

Bartimaeus

Petition

Jesus predicts his death the third time

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Have you noticed the range of emotions that you have experienced when you read through the different stories of the gospels? When I read and think about the story of Jesus crying over the death of Lazarus I can’t help but feel empathetic at his loss and think about the people I have loved and lost in my life.

“Practicum”

February 21, 2016

by Pastor Brian Weinberger

Have you ever laughed as I have when you read about the pharisees and the sadducees trying to fool Jesus into saying something that would give them fuel to arrest him? Have you ever sat dumbfounded when Jesus says things that are difficult to understand like when he dismisses his family when they want to come and see him? I know I would love to see my family as often as I could and I just don’t understand why Jesus would send them away.

Have you ever shook your head or or put your face to your palm every time the disciples open up their mouths after Jesus has said something important? Sometimes I shake my Bible or I feel like I want to toss my iPad onto the couch and walk away when they do those things. Today is one of those days.

Jesus has just predicted his death for the third time in Mark’s Gospel and instead of pondering what it means for the messiah to go through these things; instead of wondering what might happen afterward; instead of asking Jesus what it must be like for him to go through this and to know that he must do it alone; instead of all that, James and John instead decide to ask him fi Jesus will grant them anything they ask of him.

Before we go any further, can you think of a single circumstance in which anyone in your life has asked you a question like that and something good came of it?

It’s as if you call up your brother (or whomever) and tell them that you are going to Africa to do some relief work, and instead of wishing you well or praying that the trip is a complete success he instead wants to know if he can have that brand new laptop you just bought for yourself in case things don’t go well while you are gone. You aren’t going to need it if you’re taken prisoner or if something worse happens right?

I honestly don’t think what James and John ask are really any different than that. Jesus tells them that he is going to die and then ascend into heaven and all they want to know is if they can guarantee that they are the ones that are on his right and left hand side. They want to secure their position of prestige when it comes to eternal life. After all, eternal life is well...eternal. They aren’t concerned like the rich man in last week’s story, but are instead of where they get to be once they get there.

ahhhhhh!!!! Seriously guys? Come on! Then the rest of the disciples chime in because they are furious at the request of James and John. Much like I know any of my brother’s wives would probably slap my brothers if they overheard them asking for my laptop anticipating that something bad would happen to me.

Then the rest of the disciples chime in because they are furious at the request of James and John. Much like I know any of my brother’s wives would probably slap my brothers if they overheard them asking for my laptop anticipating that something bad would happen to me.

Jesus then shapes the conversation to be about something different than they want the conversation to be about. Again, they wanted it to be about prestige and position. Maybe they get that Jesus isn’t going to be the earthly messiah but he is a messiah none-the-less so James and John want to secure their position in a place of honor. Instead Jesus tells them that his kingdom isn’t a place where rulers laud their position over others but it a place where we serve the other.

In a previous call the youth director and I took our youth to beach camp. One of the days that we were there we took them out to a shopping center with a host of shopping options and told them that they were going to go out to lunch in small groups by themselves. They became very excited at this prospect of going to lunch on their own and so we laid out the perimeter of where they could and couldn’t go. We assigned them to their small groups and then we handed out the money to each individual person.

Each person received $1 and had to have lunch by only spending that dollar. We explained how many people in this area live on the streets and this is about how much each of them spends on each meal during the day, and they were going to now experience that for one meal. We then fielded all the questions about unfairness and hunger and the most important one they all wanted answers to which was tax. If something is 99 cents then it will go over the $1 they have. We told them we knew and they would have to figure that out too.

We then fielded all the questions about unfairness and hunger and the most important one they all wanted answers to which was tax. If something is 99 cents then it will go over the $1 they have. We told them we knew and they would have to figure that out too.

The groups left and eventually came back in the allotted time. Most of the groups went out and spent their dollars on their own lunches either at a fast food restaurant or the grocery store there. There was one maybe two groups, however, that realized there was no rule in place that said they couldn’t pool their money together and buy food for the whole group and when they realized that $5 or $6 dollars could get a decent amount of food for a group than $1 per person they found they were all full.

Even just as important as the discovery that they could pool resources at the time of buying the food all the groups discovered with our help that there was actually a decent amount of money leftover in each group and that with all the groups money put together all that change added up. Many of the youth wanted to take that money and go buy more food, especially the ones that had used their $1 by themselves because it didn’t add up to much, but there was one youth that decided that putting the lesson into action in a more service oriented manner would be better. She told the group that she knew a good amount of us were hungry but we could eat our next meal at the camp and be fine whereas the homeless didn’t have that. She suggested the group give the leftover bag of money to someone they met on the streets.

Many of the youth wanted to take that money and go buy more food, especially the ones that had used their $1 by themselves because it didn’t add up to much, but there was one youth that decided that putting the lesson into action in a more service oriented manner would be better. She told the group that she knew a good amount of us were hungry but we could eat our next meal at the camp and be fine whereas the homeless didn’t have that. She suggested the group give the leftover bag of money to someone they met on the streets.

Sure enough they found someone and that girl took that bag and ran it over to him and proudly gave him the sack of money and ran back to the group. They got it! Sure the ones that pooled their money got that that option was smarter but this girl understood that their greater need was to serve those who truly needed help.

They got it! Sure the ones that pooled their money got that that option was smarter but this girl understood that their greater need was to serve those who truly needed help.

Jesus said, “...but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Not to be served but to serve. It isn’t about prestige, it isn’t about the place of honor, it isn’t about using the leftover money to get more food for themselves, it is about serving those who are in the greatest need.

Jesus then follows up this example with a practicum. Not long after Jesus talks about serving others and not being served does Bartimaeus, a blind man, come yelling for Jesus to heal him. People try to silence the man probably because they want to hear what Jesus is talking about but he yells even more loudly and Jesus calls him forward. Jesus shows everyone that it really is about service to one another. He sees, he knows that this man has faith in Jesus and so Jesus calls him forward and heals him. He puts to practice what he just finished saying and what is even more incredible about this encounter is that the blind man throws off his cloak springs up to his feet and runs to Jesus.

Jesus shows everyone that it really is about service to one another. He sees, he knows that this man has faith in Jesus and so Jesus calls him forward and heals him. He puts to practice what he just finished saying and what is even more incredible about this encounter is that the blind man throws off his cloak springs up to his feet and runs to Jesus.

Now I don’t want to make fun of a blind man but every time I have ever done a trust exercised where I had to close my eyes and walk involved slow and calculated steps typically with my arms flailing about (if I was allowed) so that I didn’t hit anyone or anything. But here is Bartimaeus who doesn’t care about the crowds in his way; he doesn’t care about the people telling him to be quiet; he doesn’t care about the people who are probably telling him to sit back down; he just doesn’t care and being fully blind he takes off and runs in the direction of Jesus’ voice.

I started this morning by telling you the range of emotions that we get when we read the gospel I have to admit until I studied this passage this week I had never thought about a blind man running to someone in a large crowd. First I had to laugh because that image is somewhat amusing, but after that initial chuckle I instantly became overcome with emotion thinking about this blind man not caring one bit about his disability or what others thought because he knew, in his heart and with his faith, he knew and trusted that Jesus would heal him and so he ran to his savior, and his faith made him well. I cannot even begin to imagine what that must have been like for him, but it hit me right in the core that God cares so deeply about us that he cures even the deepest of our hurts, so that we might have an everlasting relationship with him. And Jesus doesn’t let anything get in the way between us and God who loves us. God removes the naysayers and the people who would try to keep us away and opens up a path for us all to turn to him. “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Amen.

“For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”