Introduction: our ninth ‘Lectio Divina’ follows the topic of the previous month, from the same Gospel of Mark 10:46-52. This text illustrates the blindness of the disciples of Jesus and the failures to believe in Him as the Messiah, the suffering Servant.
Initial Prayer
Lord God,
Open our hearts and minds
to understand and see all that
your Son Jesus does and says
to us in our daily life;
do not permit us to harden our hearts.
Amen.
‘Lectio Divina’
- Read the Gospel of Mark 10:46-52, read it slowly and listen attentively to the scriptures with the ‘ear of your heart’. What word, sentence or phrase stands out for you?
- Reflect: read the passage again and pay attention of what touches you; why is it meaningful for you. What thought or reflection comes to you
- Respond: read the passage again but this time respond spontaneously to the word of God. In other words, make a dialogue with God what comes from within you. What gift does this passage lead me to ask for from the Lord?
- Stay with the Word: read the passage a final time and rest in the word. Allow God to speak to you in deep silence. Don’t say anything just listen to God’s words. What is He saying?
- Take now the word, sentence or phase, into your daily life/activity; allow it to become part of you. Always listen to it, reflect on it, pray over it and rest on it as time allows during the day. Then allow the Word lead you action.
Concluding your ‘Lectio Divina’ with the ‘Our Father’…
Reflection
Introduction: Mark 10:46-52, after the three predictions of Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection Mark in away concludes the teaching of Jesus on true discipleship with the irony illustrated in the cure of a blind man which he puts it as a contrast with the blindness of Jesus’s followers even after Jesus taught them all about discipleship.
Central Message: a) a blind beggar began to shout ‘Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me’. b) Jesus spoke, what do you want me to do for you? ‘Master’ let me see again’… and Jesus said ‘Go your faith has saved you’. c) ‘Immediately his sight returned and he followed him along the road’.
Main points:
- Bartimaeus, ‘a blind beggar, began to shout ‘Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me’. the story of Barimaeus contrasts with that of the close disciples of Jesus for the reason that Bartimaeus didn’t know Jesus personally, but at least he knew his name and his family roots as he shouted ‘Son of David have pity on me’. So he had faith in Jesus, and is of course one of the blessed ones ‘blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed’ (John 20:29). By contrast the disciples knew him personally but didn’t understand him and didn’t accept him as the suffering Messiah, they luck of faith, ‘how is it that you have no faith’ (Mk 4:40).
- ‘What do you want me to do for you? ‘Master’ let me see again’… ‘Go your faith has saved you’. Jesus listens to the cry of the poor man and he enters into a special relationship with him asking him what he wants, what grace, what gift he wants to receive. Jesus exactly knew his needs but he wanted to hear from him his plead. He knew that man lost his sight for some reason and that he wanted to recover it. So he gave him not only the gift of seeing again but the gift of knowing and having faith in Jesus. In contrast the disciples lost their sight for their ambitions ‘to be the greatest’ (Mk 9:14), ‘to seat on his right hand’ (10:37) etc. After having been taught they ‘didn’t understand what he said and were afraid to ask him’ (Mk 9:32). They remained quiet not like the blind man who even shouted all the louder wanted to be heard and was not afraid of being scolded because he believed in Jesus and wanted to show his faith not in an idea or philosophy but in a person, his Master and Saviour.
- ‘Immediately his sight returned and he followed him along the road’. The cure of blindness is the result of the faith in Jesus. Once Bartimaeus is cured he abandons everything and follows him, where? Along the road to Jerusalem, to Calvary, to the Cross. He sees and understands clearly the consequences of being with Jesus, walking with him the same road not in front but behind Him. Bartimaeus is a model of discipleship for all those who want to follow Jesus along the road, in the direction of Jerusalem. Walking with Jesus towards the Cross is found security, strength and meaning of true life commitment; from the Cross springs life like the tree of life.
Some questions for our reflexion:
- What would be your answer to Jesus’s question, what do you want me to do for you?
- What do you learn about discipleship?
- How do you see yourself being a true disciple of Jesus?
