Title: Redirected Question
Author: Christopher Harbin
Text: Mark 10:46-52
A comedian was lamenting that his wife never answers his questions. He'll ask, "Do you want to go out to eat tonight?" She may respond, "I can be ready in 15 minutes," "Shall I change clothes?" or perhaps, "Do I want to go out to eat tonight?" None of that answers his question! They are all responses. They just aren't on the same wavelength as his question. He has to work out what was not stated amid those responses. They have to be interpreted. He has to work out the context, the underlying message, and evaluate the meaning behind the words actually pronounced. Not every question conveys the same thing, even if the words are exactly the same. How closely do we pay attention not only to the words, but also to what lies beneath them?
Mark mentions Jericho in this account. That is where Joshua's spies had entered the Promised Land to report back on what they faced upon crossing the Jordan River. The Hebrews were uncertain over what lay before them. The previous generation had determined it would be too difficult to take over the land. They had turned back at Jericho to wander for another generation. Joshua's spies spoke with Rahab and heard her declaration of Yahweh's impending victory. Rather than taking Yahweh's word through Joshua, the people took her word as the confirmation they needed to trust Yahweh.
As Jesus is leaving Jericho, a blind man by the roadside raises a ruckus. Bartimaeus is not in the least bit put off by his blindness. He refuses to be silenced by the crowd he was disturbing. The more they shushed him, the louder he became, crying out and asking Jesus to intervene in mercy. He calls Jesus Son of David, a declaration we have not heard elsewhere in Mark's gospel. It is a declaration of trust in Jesus reaching beyond where the disciples seem to be, emphasizing Jesus' role at the head of God's Reign. This is no title Jesus has claimed for himself. This declaration of ...
Author: Christopher Harbin
Text: Mark 10:46-52
A comedian was lamenting that his wife never answers his questions. He'll ask, "Do you want to go out to eat tonight?" She may respond, "I can be ready in 15 minutes," "Shall I change clothes?" or perhaps, "Do I want to go out to eat tonight?" None of that answers his question! They are all responses. They just aren't on the same wavelength as his question. He has to work out what was not stated amid those responses. They have to be interpreted. He has to work out the context, the underlying message, and evaluate the meaning behind the words actually pronounced. Not every question conveys the same thing, even if the words are exactly the same. How closely do we pay attention not only to the words, but also to what lies beneath them?
Mark mentions Jericho in this account. That is where Joshua's spies had entered the Promised Land to report back on what they faced upon crossing the Jordan River. The Hebrews were uncertain over what lay before them. The previous generation had determined it would be too difficult to take over the land. They had turned back at Jericho to wander for another generation. Joshua's spies spoke with Rahab and heard her declaration of Yahweh's impending victory. Rather than taking Yahweh's word through Joshua, the people took her word as the confirmation they needed to trust Yahweh.
As Jesus is leaving Jericho, a blind man by the roadside raises a ruckus. Bartimaeus is not in the least bit put off by his blindness. He refuses to be silenced by the crowd he was disturbing. The more they shushed him, the louder he became, crying out and asking Jesus to intervene in mercy. He calls Jesus Son of David, a declaration we have not heard elsewhere in Mark's gospel. It is a declaration of trust in Jesus reaching beyond where the disciples seem to be, emphasizing Jesus' role at the head of God's Reign. This is no title Jesus has claimed for himself. This declaration of ...
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