In Marks story about Bartimaeus the blind man, we get yet another story of someone not being able to see...then Jesus enables their sight. But sometimes we don't see the point very well, reading as we do with 21st century eyes.
Bartimaeus inistantly cries out to Jesus to have mercy on him, continuing after being told by the "normal" people to be quiet. That should be a lesson in itself for those of us not technically blind. But when Jesus calls Bartimiaeus over, that's when first century eyes are shocked.
Bartimaeus throws off his cloak to go to Jesus.
As a blind beggar, the cloak is what collects his money, keeps him warm and protected from the elements. Can he see what happens to his money or the cloak itself once he "throws it off?" In essence, he risks his very life to see what Jesus will do with him.
Truth be told, we are always being asked to take chances as we follow the path of discipleship. We usually do so by wrapping our lives and our security around us. We collect everything that we think "saves" our lives and insure their safety before stepping forward. We take tiny steps that we are confident will be safe. Perhaps we still get to Jesus eventually, but you have to wonder.
What would happen if we took a chance like Bartimaeus. What if we threw off all our safety blankets, our logical plans, everything that we think secures our lives and our faith? What if, when called to do so, we could simply let go and do as we were asked.
What might we see?
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