“Our Primary Prayer”
Mark 10
Richard M. Wright
Church of the Nations with University Baptist Church
21st Sunday of Pentecost (B)
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What do you see? Young woman or older woman?
Can you see the deer?
Which direction are the birds flying?
Where are the elephant’s feet?
Sometimes we look at the same thing but see different things. Sometimes there is a difference between what we see with our eyes – and what he behold? perceive? discern? with our mind. Perhaps even our heart.
Then they come to Jericho. Jesus and his disciples – along with a large crowd – are leaving the city. A blind man – Bartimaeus (which means Son of Wisdom) is sitting begging along the way. When he hears that it is Jesus of Nazareth he begins to shout “Son of David – Jesus – have mercy on me!” People tell him to be quiet but he shouts all the more “Son of David – have mercy on me!” Jesus asks him “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man says to him “Master – that I will see”. And Jesus says to him “Go – your faith has saved you”. And immediately he sees again and follows Jesus on the way.
This week as I am doing research on this Bible reading I was surprised by how little Bible scholars have to say about this story. Even though it is short – only seven verses – it has a very important place in the book of Mark. It is the last healing story. It is the last story before we enter the Passion of Jesus – the last week when Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem / is arrested / is put to death on the cross.
This story also comes at the end of three chapters – chapters eight nine and ten – that focus on discipleship. For three chapters Jesus has been teaching the Twelve – his closest followers – teaching them concerning the way of Jesus. And for three chapter for the most part his closest followers do not understand. There is a sense in which this story is the last chance the book of Mark has to show us what discipleship looks like. To show us someone who does understand. “This is what it means to trust in Jesus Christ the Son of God and to follow him on his way. Pay attention! Can you see?”
And what does the book of Mark want us to see? How does this person cry out to Jesus?
<Huie Dawid Iesou – eleeson me> “Son of David – Jesus – have mercy on me”.
And when those who are with Jesus tell him to be quiet again he shouts even more loudly.
<Huie Dawid – eleeson me> “Son of David – have mercy on me”.
Have mercy on me.
One of my favorite prayers of the Christian church is the Great Litany – also called the Litany of Peace. Many Christian traditions use the Great Litany as part of their regular worship. The one who leads says:
“In peace let us pray to the Lord”. And the people respond: “Lord have mercy”. “For the peace from above and for the salvation of our souls let us pray to the Lord”. Lord have mercy. “For the peace of the whole world for the holy churches of God and for the unity of all let us pray to the Lord”. Lord have mercy. And so on – the Litany of Peace continues to mention every need every situation that you can imagine.
Several weeks ago I read a scholar who writes that all these things that the Litany of Peace mentions – “for those who travel by land by sea and by air… for the sick and the suffering” – there are not the prayer. The actual prayer that repeats itself throughout the Great Litany is “Lord have mercy”.
During the last few months in Church of the Nations we have talked about how prayer is the peculiar power of the Christian church. How the primary vocation – the primary task or responsibility – of the Christian church is prayer. Last Sunday both in the morning and the evening we talked about the priest-hood of the believer. And one of our most important responsibilities as priests to and for and with each other is to pray.
Peculiar power… primary vocation… priests who pray… Brothers and sisters – I submit that our primary prayer is what this man shouts when he encounters Jesus along the way. Lord have mercy.
That may sound strange. Perhaps for us to pray “Lord have mercy” sounds like we hate ourselves or that we are constantly saying that we are sinners who have done terrible things. But look at the story. The story does not mention sin. Does not say Bartimaeus is a bad person. Does not say he somehow deserves to be blind. Do not misunderstand me – Bartimaeus is a human being and all human beings have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All of us need forgiveness.
But the story does not mention that. Only that Bartimaeus is a person in need who cries out to Jesus “Son of David – have mercy”. Whatever our need or the need of the person for whom we pray. Sickness. Grief. Confusion. Loss. Looking for a job. Broken relationship. Even hurt or disappointed by what someone else has done to us. The central prayer of the Christian life is “Lord have mercy”.
In his book Wounded by Love the Elder Porphyrios writes:
“Pray for those who make accusations against you. Say, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me’, not ‘have mercy on him’, and your accuser will be embraced in this prayer. Does someone say something to you that upsets you? God knows it. What you have to do is open your arms and say, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me’, and make your accuser one with yourself. And God knows what is torturing your accuser deep inside of him and, seeing your love, he hastens to help. God searches the desires of hearts”. Lord have mercy.
And when Bartimaeus cries this prayer, Jesus answers. He asks Bartimaeus the desire of his heart. “What do you want me to do for you?” Unlike James and John earlier in the book of Mark when Jesus asks this question he does not ask for power and position. Bartimaeus says to him “Master – that I will see again”. One of my teachers in seminary Glenn Hinson once wrote that the first prayer of the Christian is “Lord – help me to see”. Not only physical sight but to see spiritually in new ways. That our visual perception will match what is true and right and holy. That when we pray, we pray to see through God’s eyes. When we worship we are able To see who Jesus is. When we read the Bible we are led by the Spirit To see what God wants us to do and where to go. When we are hurt by others or are hurting for others we are able to see ourselves and other people as God sees us. So that when the world sees us, the church, the people of God, they see people of mercy, truth, and light. And then they will cry with us:
Lord have mercy. Help me to see.
