Talks, Sermons and Reflections

Mark 10:46-52 I love this story of blind Bartimaeus. It comes at a very significant point in Mark’s gospel. The audio of this talk can be found here Mark has put this story here as the climax of the first half of the short book that he wrote. From chapter 11, beginning with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, we are told of the final few days of Jesus’ life before his crucifixion. Julia Stankova (Bulgarian, 1954–), Christ and Bartimaeus, 2017. So it is important. It is about how, at the end of all the teaching, someone puts their faith in Jesus, sees, and follows Jesus ‘on the way’. That phrase, ‘on the way’ is how Mark describes being a Christian. The disciples were ‘on the way’ to Jerusalem with Jesus (v32). We are on the way with Jesus, a way that leads to the cross and through the cross to resurrection. But I love this story for another reason. It is much easier to relate to Bartimaeus than it is to many other characters in the gospel. Like us, Bartimaeus had never seen Jesus.

 Luke 12:35-48 35 “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit;  36 be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks.  37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them.  38 If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. 39 “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he  would not have let his house be broken into.  40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” 41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?”  42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time?  43 Blessed is that

Mark 10.17-31 [Note to congregation on why I hand out the text.  Please feel free to take it home with you. It would be wonderful if you chose to reread it, to think it through for yourself. Possibly to learn a verse. To live with it. And the purpose of this talk is not to give you a correct interpretation of the passage (I could not do that: and almost certainly I will have missed what you might think is the most important part of the passage), but to give you a fascination for the passage – and a desire to look at it again. And if you do, then I will have done my job ]. A man comes to Jesus. He seems to have everything He is young (Luke): life is ahead of him He is a ruler (Matthew) and has influence and power He is morally upright: he has kept the commandments (there is no reason to doubt him) He has wealth, and all that it offers: openings, security, comfort and status But he is not satisfied. He knows that something is missing, there is something more. It is bugging him. He runs