A Sign of Faith

"Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, 'Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.' And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. " - Mark 10:46-48

According to prophesy, the Messiah was to be the seed of David - that is, King David. The same David who fought Goliath, to whom many Psalms are either attributed to or written by, and whose annointing turned Samuel's oil to pearls and diamonds. So David is a pretty well known and well-respected figure to the Jews of Jesus's time.

And to have a blind man - no doubt already shunned from society - call out and identify Jesus as a descendent of David would have been both an embarrassment to the Jews and possibly blasphemy depending on who was listening.

But Bartimaeus didn't care. He was willing to call to Jesus in a way clearly identifying who he thought Jesus was, because he knew Jesus could heal him. He knew Jesus wasn't like the temple priests, the scribes, the pharisees. Jesus was wholly someone different - someone who was sent to help others believe. 

When I first started writing this blog, I was fairly shy about my faith. I've certainly had my moments when I was willing to express it - but it was usually in a safe place with fellow believers. I wasn't ever the type to share my belief with anyone who passes by - and certainly not through the channels of social media. After all, what if I risk offending a friend? What if people start thinking I'm one of those people - start developing preconcieved notions about who I am, what I believe and what I think about others? 

While it's been a bit of a struggle on my part, I've tried to take a page from Bartimaeus's book - that I shouldn't care what other people may think or assume about me because of what I believe. That I too should be demonstrating my belief - confirming it day after day - because it's who I am, and how I choose to live. And in doing so, I've learned a lot about my own faith - I've been forced to look things up that I didn't understand, read more into bible passages to figure out the setting, and try to "seek the meaning of divine words which is hidden from others" - including myself.

Thankfully, so far, no one has yet told me to be silent. :)

Me First!

"James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, 'Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.' He replied, 'What do you wish me to do for you?' They answered him, 'Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.' " - Mark 10:35-37

James and John have been around Jesus for awhile. And while they certainly were extraordinary men, they still were human and still had weaknesses. In this case, James and John were feeling like they were pretty special - and thought that should be recognized when they make it to Heaven. After all, they've been in the weeds with Jesus, turning away from their old life and following Jesus in a new life. Why shouldn't they be afforded this special privilege?

I find that, some days, I do that too. That there must be something special waiting just for me, because of all the good things I say and do while I'm here on earth. 

But when it comes down to it, there was only one person - ever - that was more special in the eyes of God than anyone else. That person was his only son, Jesus Christ. It's a hard thing to swallow - especially on those days when you feel like you've gone the extra mile. But in the eyes of God, we are all equal - all his children, doing our best to help each other out. And when we do go that extra mile, we should take comfort in how pleased God is with us - and how we've helped out someone and made them feel special, or just helped them get by. 

It may show them just what's waiting if they do the same.

The Best Things In Life

"Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, 'You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.' At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. " - Mark 10:21-22

I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing that I can sympathize with the man Jesus instructs. After all, I have yet to sell all my things and give it to the poor. But I think, while Jesus instructs this man to sell everything, he did so because of what these possessions meant to the man:

Everything.

For someone who sees "things" as a mark of accomplishment - a way to openly demonstrate your success, your capability in life, then being asked to get rid of it all would seem like the hardest task, the most impossible chore. But maybe, as the man pondered if he can get rid of it, how he'll ultimately do it, and what he absolutely can't part with - he'll see the hidden meaning in Jesus's request.

That they're just "things". "Things" that have no meaning when it's all over. "Things" that may provide satisfaction now, but should not be the sole focus in life. That focusing too much on "things" may start to make those things more important than God. And once that happens, it's very hard to turn away and let go of those "things" for something much more real - and something that's everlasting.

It's tough - and it's something we need to be constantly aware of. That our primary focus in life isn't on getting more "things", but understanding God and loving each other.

 

It's Not Easy

"As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, 'Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'" - Mark 10:17

I often get caught up in the day-to-day rush of life. The wake up-work-home-kid stuff-home-bedtime-relax-bed routine that seems to dominate our little family of five. And so it's easy to focus on "doing enough" to feel like I'm giving God some time in that routine. That saying prayers at meals and at bed time is enough, and that the rest of my life can go on when those activities are over. 

Unfortunately for the man talking to Jesus (and for us), it's not that easy. It isn't an equation that we can simply solve for - that our life + some fraction of God will be enough. Rather, we need to weave God into our lives at all times - from the moment we wake up to the moment we close our eyes. And it's hard - it takes work, constant reminders, and (to borrow a phrase) constant vigilance to always put God first. It's a challenge that we will certainly fail at some days, but one that we must continue to strive for, for the reward is far greater than the effort.

And we just might find that, by doing so, we won't be as focused on the reward - but rather, we'll be able to see and absorb life with a vividness we have yet to experience. That, by putting God first, we can see and experience His glory in all aspects of life,  in areas that had once seemed mundane, boring or routine. It allows us to receive the reward now and later - something Jesus knew quite well and wanted us to experience for ourselves.

As for the man in the story - we'll find out soon enough what he had to do to change his life. And for him, it might have been too hard. Hopefully, we can learn a lesson from his mistakes.

Additional Note: I apologize for the unexpected week off in posting to my blog. I was a bit under the weather all last week, catching a pretty nasty cold that had me pretty worn down by the end of the day. Thankfully, after almost two weeks with it, I'm feeling better!

Silent

"Jesus replied, 'Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward. " - Mark 9:39-41

"Be excellent to one another" - Bill S. Preston, Esq.

In a previous post, I talked about how, as Christians, we are more alike than different - that the way we choose to celebrate Jesus's life isn't as important as the mere fact that we are celebrating his life. He's now reminding us that, though we may agree with that point, we need to show it as much as think it. That we need to help other Christians when we can and, in doing so, we continue to demonstrate our Christianity to the world.

This doesn't mean that we ignore non-Christians, however. By helping those that are not followers of Christ, we are a living, breathing representation of the life Christ led. And we should do this in all endeavors in our lives - not that, every time we pick up a piece of trash we proclaim we're cleaning up in the name of the Lord. But rather, we should try to live our lives like Christ, as a silent witness to what drives us to do better in the eyes of God.

No doubt it's hard - even when we're talking with fellow Christians. As I wrote in the past, I've recently started teaching 2nd grade religion class, and Wednesday night was my first "official" attempt at teaching 7-8 year olds the finer parts of Catholicism. And I was surprised at how easy it was to talk about and share my faith with them (when I wasn't stopping them from wrestling with one another). It seemed infinitely easier to share it with them than others of my own age. I suppose it's because I was there (and expected to) teach - something that rarely happens in my everyday life. 

But it doesn't always have to be about talking - as Jesus reminds us, simply helping out another person demonstrates our belief in what Jesus told us to do. And in some cases, it opens the door to sharing a deeper part of ourselves, so that others can experience what we know.

Tattle

"At that time, John said to Jesus, 'Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.' " - Mark 9:38

The disciples are proud that they're in Jesus's "inner circle" - many have been with him since the start, have been first-hand witnesses to the miracles he's been performing, and have heard things from him that others have not. So it's no wonder that they get upset when an "outsider" tries to perform deeds in his name. 

But Jesus reminds them that it's ok - that there will be people doing things in his name and, if they're doing it for good, then they shouldn't be stopped. After all, the fact that they're doing it demonstrates just how much they believe in Jesus. 

2,000 years later, we too get caught up in this. We try to compare and contrast ourselves as Christians to others. One version thinks certain activities are good, others damnable. Some believe in the literal translation of the events transpired at the Last Supper, others believe them to be representations. Some believe healing can only be accomplished through a formal process, others see it as a very personal experience. There are millions of ways one Christian can be different from others. But there's one thing we will always share in common - our belief in Jesus, the Son of God, who walked with us, talked with us, and wants us to believe in him. And no matter how we express our faith, how we interpret what he said, at our core we all believe that fundamental idea. 

Jesus was, is, and always will be with us. Let's focus on that, instead of what makes us different.