⁴⁶ They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ ⁴⁸ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ ⁴⁹ Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ ⁵⁰ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ ⁵² Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. (Mark 10:46-52, NSRV)

The text above was the basis for a recent sermon on miracles. It was a good sermon. The truth of pastoral care is that many folks in our congregations desperately need miracles. Caught in the midst of life’s trials (job transitions, divorce, illness, death) humans yearn  for God’s deliverance. The sermon focused on calling out to God, perhaps so loudly and persistently that others around you order you to, “Shut up!”, and to be specific in naming your desires.

But was that Mark’s intended message?

Reading the scripture above, projected on a 50-foot screen, I was struck that Mark emphasized that Bartimaeus meant son of Timaeus and that when he called out to Jesus he twice specifically referred to him as “Son of David”. These”Son of” emphases drove me to research this Timaeus character. Why would Mark so specifically call attention to him?  A quick search with Bible Gateway revealed that Timaeus is not a biblical character. Perplexed, I turned to Google and learned that Timaeus is a principal character in one of Plato’s dialogues!

So what was the intended meaning? Was Mark providing documentation of one of Jesus’ miracles? Was he advocating that Christians should cry out to Jesus in our time of need? Or was he writing an allegorical story illustrating the paucity of Platonic ideals and the superiority of the Judao-Christian view of our relationship with God?

Yes. Yes. Yes.

In many disciplines, and sometimes in life, there are single right answers: 5+2=7; The capitol of Minnesota is St. Paul. But in art, music, poetry, and theology the purpose is not to find the right answer but to respond to and integrate another’s experience and perspective with our own.

The fact that our faith journey is not a “search for the right answer” is disconcerting for many. We crave the false comfort of God neatly boxed with an accompanying checklist of appropriate human responses to the trials of this life. But as C.S. Lewis underscored in his “Chronicles of Narnia” series, “After all, he’s not a tame lion.”

Being analytically inclined, you may be tempted to create a new checklist for Biblical interpretation:

1. Documentation of Jesus’ ministry
2. Application for our Christian walk
3. Allegorical insight into theology/history/philosophy

But even that list is incomplete. In reading this passage one can ask, “Why did the man throw off his cloak?” That question might lead to the observation that people always seem to be putting cloaks on and taking cloaks off in the Bible. Why is this mundane human activity so persistent in scripture?

But adding symbolism and its interpretation will not complete your “Systematic Guide to Biblical Interpretation”, nor will learning Hebrew or Greek, or understanding Jewish history and sacrificial traditions.

The search is not for answers, but for God. Let scripture speak to you, let it convey God’s loving faithfulness and presence in your present. And, in the future, when your life changes, look again and you will find “éhyeh ásher éhyeh” (“I Am Who I Am”).  Read Exodus 3:7-15, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally!

Bruce

Today’s Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+3%3A7-15&version=NRSV