Sermon, Proper 25B, Mark 10:46-52

A man was going down to Jerusalem from Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers who stripped him, beat him and left him for dead. As he lay in the ditch on the side of the road, he called out for help to a passerby; but the priest was late for services and didn't have time to help him. Again someone came by and again the man called out for help; but the lawyer didn't want to get involved because the man probably didn't have insurance. A third time someone came down the road, and a third time the man called for help; this time a foreigner stopped, cared for him, and saw to it that he was healed.

As we travel through our own lives, do we get so caught up in our jobs, in the rules or in ourselves that we either miss, or simply refuse to notice and help those people lying by the side of the road? Do we get so caught up in the technicalities and legalities of life and religion that we see those people on the side of the road, those people outside the norm, as a problem to be avoided rather than as a person to be helped? As we attempt to follow Jesus to the best of our ability, would we rather keep those outsiders outside because of either our fear of them or because of our fear that they will somehow contaminate us.

Now, about this time I would expect that some of you are wondering why I'm preaching on Luke's story of the Good Samaritan. The answer is that I'm not. One of the things we can find in the life of Jesus s told in the four gospels is consistency. I'm not talking about the supposed lack of consistency between accounts -- things like the birth narrative with two different lineages, or kings vs. shepherds -- things that people like to use as a basis for doubting the entire system. I'm talking about the consistency of the life that Jesus led. There is a consistency between stories he told and actions he took. In short, he did what he said.

Over in Luke, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan. In today's gospel passage from Mark we get to see Jesus act consistently on this story.

Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho with a large crowd following them. On their way, they pass a blind beggar sitting by the side of the road who, when hearing that it is Jesus passing by, begins to call out to him, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" People in the crowd try to ignore him, silence him and keep him in his place. But he cries out even louder until Jesus hears him and invites him closer; whereupon he is welcomed and healed and becomes a disciple.

Notice the similarities between these two passages. A man leaves Jericho for Jerusalem; Jesus is traveling from Jericho to Jerusalem. A man who needs the generosity and help of strangers to survive is on the side of the road. Both discarded men are ignored by the people passing by. A Samaritan arrives who cares for and sees that the man is healed; Jesus arrives and cares for and heals the man.

These two stories help to point out the consistency of Jesus between his words (the story of the Good Samaritan) and his actions (blind Bartimaeus). These two stories also point out how the followers of God and disciples of Christ consistently ignore and keep out those people on the fringes, those on the outside, those different from us.

In the passage from Mark we meet Bartimaeus, a blind beggar. More than likely he has no home; nowhere permanent to sleep, no shelter, no change of clothes, no place to bathe. Bartimaeus is a social outcast relying on the leftovers of society and the scant generosity of others to survive. As he hears that it is Jesus who is passing by, he cries out to him.

There is a large crowd following Jesus as they make their way to the Passover festival. In the next few verses, Jesus will ride in on a donkey to the cries of, "Hosanna!" Many of these followers of Jesus, so-called disciples, hear Bartimaeus crying out and try to silence him. People who may have heard Jesus talk about welcoming the kingdom like a child, who saw him heal a variety of people, and who heard him talk about being a servant to all, these same people barred the way and tried to prevent Bartimaeus from coming to Christ. These people who should have known better try to keep the outsider outside.

There does seem to be a problem with people in general that, unless you are just like me, cause us to close up and keep others out. People who are different are cast aside, pushed out, ignored, maybe even abused because they aren't like me, or us. Think for a moment how we would react if, suddenly, we had two or three Mexican families begin attending "our" church. Or how would we react if a busload of developmentally handicapped people began attending?

People in general don't like the Other. We want to keep the outsiders outside to keep ourselves pure and uncontaminated. We don't want the distraction of having to deal with them. If we have to allow them into the group, then we work hard to make them conform to our standards. And this is what the crowd following Jesus does -- they try to keep Bartimaeus on the fringes.

But Jesus reaches out to him just like the Samaritan reached out to the injured man. He reaches out and calls to him; he calls him to be part of the crowd, part of the congregation.

And this is where the crowd is to be commended. So often we hear people upset with Jesus for associating with the outsider that this is a refreshing change. Jesus calls to Bartimaeus and, instead of challenging Jesus or continuing to treat Bartimaeus as an outsider, they welcome him. "Take heart; get up! He's calling you!"

The crowd recognizes that Bartimaeus is searching for Jesus. They recognize that whoever seeks will find. They recognize that those whom Jesus calls must be welcomed by them. They recognize, like the Samaritan, that it is not just in the following but in the doing that we reflect God to the world. This is why organizations like ERD and UTO are so valuable, and why we are going to figure out a way to get turkeys to those who need one this Christmas.

Who are the outsiders that we would rather stay outside? Who are those whom Jesus is calling that we need to allow in to meet? As our crowd continues to grow, as we continually move forward towards Jerusalem and our own cross, death and resurrection, let us live consistently. And let us not become so focused on the following that we neglect to see those by the side of the road who need our help.