Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus [Mark 10:49-50]. For years now, I’ve been captivated by the story of blind Bartimaeus. It’s the Gospel reading appointed for this upcoming Sunday [Mark 10:46-52, the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost, RCL, Year B]. Luke offers us a similar story [Luke 18:35-43], albeit with fewer details. For example, in the Lukan passage, Bartimaeus is unnamed. I’ve sometimes pictured what might have gone through Bartimaeus’ mind as Jesus approached him on that day so…
"Dispatches to the Front" -- a collection of theological meditations by Thomas A. Robinson, J.D., M.Div.