This coming Sunday is the 30th Sunday. Neither the blind man’s social status or the crowds’ rebuke matter to Jesus. It is evident that Bartimaeus has heard about Jesus of Nazareth and that his relentless crying of “Son of David, have pity upon me” reflects a conviction, formed on the basis of what he had heard, that Jesus could restore his sight. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 30th Sunday. Though Bartimaeus was blind, he understood a great deal about Jesus. There is a division of opinion about the expression “Son of David.” Some scholars hold that it is a generally accepted, polite moniker for a Jew. Others hold that it is a title with Messianic overtones as indicated in documents from the Qumran community. Others take it more literally because in Judaism there was a tradition that Solomon, as David’s son, was specially enabled by God to heal (Josephus Antiquities 8.41–47). There is something compelling, in the shadow of the City of David, to suspect that the Markan Messianic “secret” is becoming unveiled. Continue reading
The first reading today is taken from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. One verse stood out for me: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the Blood of Christ.” (Eph 2:13) … and this is “the good news?” As I read the verse for the “umpteenth time,” I wondered if St. Paul was speaking of the Blood of the Cross (which he is as v. 16 makes clear) or the Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. Either one has the possibilities of raising questions among those who are inquiring about the Faith as happens this time every year in the OCIA process (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults; also called RCIA) as they consider entry into full communion with the Catholic Church. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 30th Sunday. These gospel verses are the last healing and miracle in the Gospel of Mark. It is easily passed over as another miracle among many, but the story of Bartimaeus (bar-Timeaeus; lit. Son of Timeaus) is in some ways the most significant since the restoration of sight is the one miracle not recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures. There are general promises in Isaiah that promise healing and deliverance (Isaiah 29:1; 32:1-3; 35:1-10) along with specific promises that in the day of the Messiah the blind will have their sight restored (Is 42:18; 61:1-4), but there is no account of sight being restored. (Note: the restoration of sight to Tobit is recorded in a Deuterocanonical book) Continue reading
The first reading today is taken from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. Ephesians is a letter about the church – not necessarily just the congregation in the city of Ephesus but rather with the worldwide church. While in other letters Paul describes the church as the Body of Christ, here Christ is referred to as the head of the Church (Eph 4:15), directing the church as the instrument for making God’s plan of salvation known throughout the universe (Eph 3:9-10). Yet this ecclesiology is anchored in God’s saving love, shown in Jesus Christ (Eph 2:4-10), and the whole of redemption is rooted in the plan and accomplishment of the triune God (Eph 1:3-14). In its own way, Ephesians might well have opened with the words “in the beginning” to describe the new age of the Church.
But unlike the creation story in Genesis, our story begins in the midst of the “age of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient.” (Eph 2:2). That description might strike you as odd, but it is a reference that would have been understood by the listeners of the age. The literal Greek describes the believer’s journey as “walking” in a time when there is something “in the air” that which people breathe – a word quite different from our understanding of sky or atmosphere. The manner in which Paul uses the word personifies “air” adding to the expression, ruler of the power of the air.” Paul paints a vivid picture: the Church is being born into a time when there is “something in the air” and its intent is of evil. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 30th Sunday in lectionary cycle B. The gospel is the story of Bartimaeus, a blind man, who cries out to Jesus for pity. Despite the rebuke of the bystanders, Bartimaeus calls out even more vigorously. And in so doing he encounters Jesus who asks, “What do you want me to do for you?”At first glance it might seem that this is another miracle story in which Jesus reaches out to the marginal. It is indeed a miracle story, in fact it is the final healing miracle in the Gospel of Mark. But it is also an account that is part of a mosaic that Mark has been constructing. Continue reading
What is the longest river in the world? Gotta’ be the Nile River, right? It flows 1,700 miles from Khartoum, Sudan to the Mediterranean Sea – and that is just where the White and Blue Niles meet. You can follow the White Nile south to Lake Victoria bordering Uganda… and then the arguments begin on what is the source of any river. Clearly rivers, streams, and the like flow into Lake Victoria – do you get to keep following the water flow? Even as recently as 2006 the geographers and cartographers were seeking the “headwaters of the Nile River.” The most recent claim is a muddy hole in Nyungwe Forest in southwest Rwanda. The forest area is spectacular, the muddy hole not so much. Personally, I would have taken Lake Victoria as the headwater. Think about it: a great lake giving greatness to the greatest river. Continue reading
As the disciples will discover in the Passion of the Christ and in their own experience of mission, the power of the world is quite real. Throughout the millennia of Christianity many of those who have given witness to Jesus (the true meaning of martyrs) have also given their lives. And while death remains a primal fear and thus we fear those who wield its power, Jesus tells the disciples: “do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.” (v.4 in the same chapter) After all, if we are people who believe in the Resurrection, then the power of mortal death is rather limited, but the authority that extends into immortal life is the real power, without limit. Continue reading
45 For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” As a follow on to Pheme Perkin’s discussion about ransom (lytron) and its meaning as the price paid to free a slave, Matt Skinner offers additional insight:
Jesus’ mention of a “ransom” indicates that his death will be more than just an inspiring example or a martyr’s tragic protest against an unjust system. The word in question (in Greek, lytron) indicates that his death does something; it secures a release. This verse often sparks lively debates, and it has a history of, in my opinion, being misunderstood by those who take the notion of a “ransom” to mean a specific type of payment. In those readings, Jesus’ death is transactional, a payment made to satisfy the penalties accrued by human sin or to repay something owed to God. Continue reading
The refrain from today’s psalm proclaims: “Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.” The words of psalm are taken from Psalm 145, verses 10-18. The words proclaim the glory of God and the splendor of His Kingdom. They extol the justice, power and holiness of God’s works. The words announce the everlasting presence of the kingdom and the call to all to draw near. Continue reading
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