Fr. Kevin's Cluttered Desk
October 24, 2021
So there sits Bartimaeus, the blind man, and he starts calling out to Jesus, asking for mercy and what do the people do? They try to silence him, and so he calls even louder. And then Jesus stops and says bring him here. When Bartimaeus hears that Jesus has called him to come, the first thing St. Mark shares with us is that Bartimaeus throws off his cloak. Now on the surface that may not seem important but when we stop and think about it, the cloak is all Bartimaeus had to protect himself against the evening cold, the heat of the day, and the winds. Bartimaeus throws away all that he had to protect himself and goes to Jesus. It is also interesting to note that Bartimaeus does not retrieve his cloak, rather Bartimaeus regains his sight and follows Jesus, for Bartimaeus has placed all his trust in Jesus.
It might make one wonder, do we put our full trust in Jesus, or do we stop short of totally trusting Jesus. Is there something holding us back? Now one might also need to ask what does it mean to put all your trust in Jesus and so we look to the scriptures. To trust in Jesus is to believe that His teachings and promises are true, and to submit our wills and follow Him and live for Him alone (Matthew 10:37–39; 16:24–25; Romans 12:1; Philippians 1:21) or Mark 16:18 “they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Luke 10:19 “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you.”
The act of believing and trusting in Jesus is powerful but let us not forget “sin” and putting God to the test. Jesus’ response to the devil, (Matthew 4:6-7) “If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: ’He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” One has to ask the question, is my trust in God putting God to the test? Bartimaeus believed Jesus could heal his blindness and because he was cured Bartimaeus left everything and followed Jesus. Does my request for God, God’s protection, God’s help come with a promise of leaving everything behind and following Him and Him alone?
Peace Fr. Kevin
It might make one wonder, do we put our full trust in Jesus, or do we stop short of totally trusting Jesus. Is there something holding us back? Now one might also need to ask what does it mean to put all your trust in Jesus and so we look to the scriptures. To trust in Jesus is to believe that His teachings and promises are true, and to submit our wills and follow Him and live for Him alone (Matthew 10:37–39; 16:24–25; Romans 12:1; Philippians 1:21) or Mark 16:18 “they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Luke 10:19 “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you.”
The act of believing and trusting in Jesus is powerful but let us not forget “sin” and putting God to the test. Jesus’ response to the devil, (Matthew 4:6-7) “If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: ’He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” One has to ask the question, is my trust in God putting God to the test? Bartimaeus believed Jesus could heal his blindness and because he was cured Bartimaeus left everything and followed Jesus. Does my request for God, God’s protection, God’s help come with a promise of leaving everything behind and following Him and Him alone?
Peace Fr. Kevin
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