Yeshua! Yeshua! Son of David, have pity on me!

The following is a homily I wrote for our Homiletics Class as part of my Diaconate Formation.

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Mk 10:46-52 (Phillip J. Uro – 10/23/21)

Yeshua! Yeshua! Son of David, have pity on me!

In this story we have a blind beggar that has no personal name given but personally calls out, cries out to the Messiah.

The name Bartimaeus is the Greek for the Aramaic “Bar Tolmai” which is “son of Tolmai.” And in Greek simply means son of Timaeus.

So we have the son of Timaeus calling out to the son of David.

But the man who’s personal name we do not know, is calling out to Jesus first by his personal name, most likely using his Hebrew name Yeshua, and then by his lineage, his heritage, son of David. One son calling out to another.

And what of this name Yeshua? Yeshua means “to rescue”, “to deliver” So this name invokes the Messianic mission of Jesus, the Messiah, the one who is to deliver his people.

When Jesus ask Bartimaeus “What do you want me to do for you?” he replied “Master, I want to see.” This is important because one of the Messianic Prophesies is that the Messiah would give sight to the blind. So here we have a blind beggar asking the son of David to cure his blindness.

Just as important as Bartimaeus’ desires to be healed, is Jesus’ desire to heal him. Jesus meets Bartimaeus heart to heart and heard his deepest cry, and granted his request. Go your faith has saved you. And notice the word Saved! The word saved here comes from the Greek verb sozo, which means both to heal and to save. And upon hearing this he immediately received his sight.

What about us? Are we willing to be as vulnerable as Bartimaeus? Do we recognize our need for healing, our need to be saved? How many of us regularly take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

When Jesus healed Bartimaeus of his blindness, it was also forgiveness that took place. In Bartimaeus’ time, to be blind would have been considered the result of someone’s sin, his or that of his parent’s.

Let us not be blind to our sins or our need for healing. We too are broken and in need of forgiveness and healing.

Bartimaeus had nothing to lose and allowed himself to be vulnerable, to call out to Jesus; to throw aside his cloak, his one possession; to spring up and go to Jesus; to ask to be healed, and then to become his follower.

Are we truly willing to allow ourselves to be this vulnerable? To let go of all that we have? To cry out “Yeshua! Yeshua! Son of David, have pity on me!” And then to follow him?

How often do we take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where we can pour out our sins and make a sincere act of contrition, and hear the words “your sins are forgiven”?

Jesus, son of David, have pity on me!