Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30, Cycle B
Following the emphasis this past Sunday on struggling and suffering, we have in the first three texts to consider for next Sunday the cry to God, “Have mercy on me!” expressed or implied directly to God or to God through Jesus. The prayers for mercy are prayers of communities of faith in the two Older Testament texts and is a prayer of an individual in Mark 10:46-52.
Psalm 126
Severe economic depression and drought appear to be the reason for the prayers for mercy in this psalm. The situation depicted is primarily agricultural. The Lord, who has restored the fortunes of Zion in the past, is urged to act now to deliver the people from sadness and starvation.
Those of us who live close to the soil, who have sowed and waited for the needed rains and have hoped for the harvest that is always uncertain, have the greatest understanding of the plea for mercy in this psalm. Lack of moisture, disease in the crop, destruction by insects, and hail from the skies constantly threaten the livelihood and survival of the grain farmer. No rain means no grass for the cattle. There is no regular paycheck here, only a heavy investment of time and resources and a plea for mercy to God.
Jeremiah 31:7-9
The prayer “Have mercy on us” is declared to have been answered in this text. The return of the exiles in large numbers of all ages and physical conditions is said to be accomplished even though it has not yet occurred. The blind and the lame come, assisted by those who can see and who can walk, in this prophetic declaration. We should not be surprised if there is some exaggeration here, with Jacob described as the chief of the nations and the parade depicted as a great multitude. The theological point to be made is that the Lord has shown mercy abundantly. After many years of waiting and of suffering, the Lord has saved the people who belong to the Lord.
Mark 10:46-52
“Have mercy on me!” the blind beggar Bartimaeus cries out repeatedly when he hears that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. Bartimaeus refuses to be silent even when many people rebuke him. He states his request and he receives his sight. Instead of going away, he follows Jesus in the way.
Comparison of this account with the redacted texts in Matthew 20:29-34 and in Luke 18:35-43 indicates how freely the Matthean and Lukan writers changed this story. The sequence of events is basically the same in all three accounts, but in Matthew instead of one beggar named Bartimaeus there are two blind men sitting along the path where Jesus was walking and in Luke the blind man was encountered as Jesus was entering the city of Jericho rather than as he was leaving it. This is consistent with the other redactions of Markan material by the Matthean and Lukan writers. The Matthean redactors often magnified the Markan stories, doubling the number of blind men given sight here, doubling the number of animals on which Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and increasing the speed and magnitude of the miraculous. The Lukan writer often “pruned” some of the details from the Markan accounts and added other details. Our analysis of the changes made in the redactions from Mark to Matthew and from Mark to Luke indicate that it is very likely that even greater changes would become apparent if we would be able to reach back beyond Mark to the pre-Markan level of oral and written development of this and of other accounts.
The point of this Mark 10:46-52 text, of course, is not in the number of blind men who were given sight or in whether they called upon Jesus as he was entering the city of Jericho or as he was leaving it. The point of these accounts is that those who are blind called upon Jesus to have mercy on them and that Jesus, with the power of God, had mercy on them. That is the message of this Mark 10:46-52 account for us also.
Hebrews 7:23-28
Continuing the persuasive argument used throughout most of the document, the writer of Hebrews states in 7:23-28 that unlike all other priests who are mortal, Jesus as the Christ remains the ruler-priest forever, able for all time to save those who come to God through him, since as the Christ he lives forever to appeal to God in their behalf. Christ is the wonderful high priest who is holy, entirely good, morally pure, differentiated from those who are sinful, and raised to heights greater than the heavens.
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
After God has spoken to Job, clearly separating God’s almighty and everlasting self from Job’s human weakness and limitations, Job repents “in dust and ashes.” Then, after Job intercedes with God in behalf of Job’s friends, God restores to Job his family and flocks, twice as much as he had before. Job dies in peace as an old man, and the prolonged literary drama is ended.
Psalm 34:1-8 (19-22)
The psalmist testifies that he had cried out to the Lord, and the Lord has delivered him from all of his afflictions. He blesses the Lord with praise and thanksgiving and invites the young men to listen to him, “to taste and see that the Lord is good!”
