The Dynamics of Seeing and Hearing

One powerful memory I have from my childhood religious education is a drawing by Kees de Kort. The Dutch illustrator was, and still is, best known for his biblical illustrations used throughout various Christian communities. I can easily recall his rendition of this evening’s Gospel: The Blind Bartimaeus. He calls out to Jesus. Those around him rebuked him and told him to be silent. But with a bright red face, he kept yelling out louder and louder to Jesus.

Dear Faith Community

In our Gospel text (Mark 10: 46-52), we heard that Jesus and his followers were about to leave the city of Jericho. We do not know how long they had been in Jericho, but I am certain that Jesus and his friends made a lasting impression on the people there. For sure, Bartimaeus had heard of Jesus, but he could not see him. The encounter between Bartimaeus, the crowd, and Jesus in the Gospel of Mark is shaped by the dynamics of hearing and seeing. It involves a kind of multi-dimensional listening and seeing.

Internal and External Hearing

Through our sense of hearing, we are constantly surrounded by sounds, voices, noises, and tones. Hearing is an essential part of our daily life. For example, if someone doesn’t know sign language and wants to communicate with a deaf person, they are, quite literally, speechless, just as most of us would be. Myself included. It can be a real challenge. Let’s add another element to this challenge. Try to put your self in the shoes of a blind person. Because of his blindness, he must use his ears to see, to communicate with others. From this point of view: The ability to hear becomes very important. I would call this kind of hearing an inner listening, a way of hearing with the heart. This “hearing” of the heart has a way of perceiving the unheard and responding to it. Let’s now try to put ourselves in the shoes of Bartimaeus.He hears about Jesus, and interactions with people.

The Shoes of Bartimaeus

He hears that Jesus listens to them. With the ears of his heart, Bartimaeus hopes to encounter this Jesus. He probably thinks to himself, “What do I have to lose? I have to find a way to meet and see Him. I need to listen closely so I don’t miss him.” And then he hears that Jesus is near and cries out, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” And what does the so-called “many” from the sizable crowd do? They seem to get annoyed at his shouting and rebuke him. They tell him to be silent. But he called out more and Jesus hears Bartimaeus’ voice above the crowd. He stops and says, “Call him!”

Jesus Calls

This call can be seen as an invitation from Jesus to reflect on how we handle uncomfortable situations. Situations that challenge or even overwhelm us. It’s reassuring to see the crowd changes its attitude. Instead of trying to silence Batimaeus, they now encourage him to rise and go to Jesus. What follows is truly remarkable. Filled with tenderness and love Jesus responds to the blind man by asking “What do you want me to do for you?” “Master, I want to see!” In other words: I want to see the colors of the world, the shapes of nature, the faces of people. I want to experience the world with my own eyes. We can all imagine Bartimaeus' amazement, joy, and his boundless happiness in seeing again. It is a spectacular miracle but Jesus bases this miracle in Bartimaeus’ own faith, saying, “Go your way, your faith has saved you.” This reflects a deep trust in God’s presence, a trust and presence which is open to all of our inner and outer senses. It is a trust in the healing and strengthening presence of God, especially in times of need and fear. In times of blind darkness.

The Wisdom of Jeremiah

The prophet Jeremiah speaks of this trust in our First Reading: “Behold, I will bring them back from the land of the north; I will gather them from the ends of the world, with the blind and the lame in their midst; the mothers and those with child; they shall return as an immense throng.” This internal and external listening and seeing stirs the soul.

In our awe at this miracle, something important moves subtly into the background. In the last verse, it says: “Immediately he received his sight, and followed Him on the way. ”I think, that the goal of divine miracles is not meant to be the miracle itself.

It is more, much more.

God wants to use these biblical miracles to strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ as God’s Son and our Savior. Through out the gospels. Jesus says: "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Even when the noise around and within us becomes so loud and overwhelming.

I am convinced that these miracles still exist today.

They are wonders that open our eyes and ears to the sacredness of God’s presence.

Praised be Jesus Christ. Amen