Sunday, October 28, 2018

“Nothing Left to Lose” (Mark 10:46-52)


There is a movement that calls for people to live with fewer material possessions in order to find freedom.  It is a call to live with less stuff that ties a person down from experiencing life more fully.  Two of the leading “gurus” of this minimalist movement, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, describe minimalism as “a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important—so you can find happiness, fulfilment, and freedom.”  Basically, their argument is to get rid of those things that keep one from fully being free to live life . . . to free one’s self from all the weight, baggage, and strings that tie one down from what one owns . . . to find more time to pursue what matters over what one owns or possesses . . . freedom.

“Freedom” is a big word that we like to throw around—especially as Americans.  What does “freedom” really mean?  Probably my favorite definition of “freedom” comes from an old Kris Kristofferson song, Me and Bobby McGee.  In the chorus the singer (Janis Joplin if you’re a purist) sings: “Freedom is just another word for nothin’ left to lose.”  That makes sense to me.

If you have nothing left to lose . . . what’s to stop you?

When I think of Bartimaeus, I picture a person with nothing left to lose.  He was blind.  Certainly, a disability.  Within the Jewish culture of that time those with disabilities were seen as sinners.  Either they or someone in their family had committed a sin to cause their disability . . . a punishment from God.  To have a disability threw you out of the social circle of society.

Bartimaeus was probably poor.  When we encounter him, he is sitting by the roadside begging.  Being disabled he had no other way to earn a living.  He would have to rely upon the goodness of others in order to survive.  Also, the poor were not looked upon favorably within the Jewish society, thus throwing Bartimaeus even further out of the circle.

Bartimaeus was definitely a person with nothing left to lose.  When he heard all the commotion being made and who it was for—after all, he was blind, not deaf—he decided to take a chance.  He had heard about Jesus, thus he cried out: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  Over and over he yelled.

Of course, this upset those around him . . . who was he to call out to Jesus?  So, they rebuked him . . . told him to be quiet.  I imagine that Bartimaeus paused for a nano-second, thought about it, and decided there was nothing else they could do to him . . . so, he shouted even louder: “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Nothing left to lose.

Bartimaeus had nothing left to lose . . . no money . . . no power . . . no status . . . nothing!  Having nothing to lose he went full-throttle for what he wanted.  He wanted to be healed of his blindness.  That is exactly what he told Jesus when he went up to him . . . which Jesus granted him, telling Bartimaeus: “Go, your faith has healed you.”

I don’t believe that Bartimaeus chose to be a minimalist.  His minimalism was probably circumstantial.  Yet, he understood that there was nothing left to keep him from approaching Jesus to get what he wanted.  He had no possessions to lose.  He had no power to lose.  He had no status.  Even the berating and ridicule of the crowd attempting to shut him up was no big deal . . . they always treated that way, after all, he was an outsider—he wasn’t one of them.  He was blind.

We remember the story of the man who approached Jesus asking what he must do in order to follow.  Jesus gave him the usual answer, to which the man stated that he had been doing that since he was a child.  Then Jesus told him to sell everything and to give it to the poor.  The man was heart-broken . . . he couldn’t do it.  He was bound to his possessions.  I imagine, in his mind, the price was too high . . . he had too much to lose . . . he was not free.

It was Bartimaeus’ faith that restored his sight, but it was his freedom that allowed him the courage to pursue it.  There was nothing stopping him . . . nothing to lose.  That is the way that we are to pursue our relationship with God and others . . . as if there is nothing to lose . . . just like Jesus showed us.

One of the fallacies of our faith has to do with eternal life.  For some reason there is this idea that eternal life begins once we have died . . . that we enter into eternal life.  But, that is not the way that it works.  No, it begins the moment that we dedicate our lives to following Jesus . . . begins that minute we are saved.  It begins right then and there, and we are living it right now in the present moment.  Through Jesus we have found life . . . eternal life.  Thus, the question becomes, what is keeping us from fully living and experiencing life right now?

Could it be because we are not truly free from that in life . . . our lives . . . that is keeping us from completely focusing on what is really important . . . having a loving relationship with God and others . . . allowing ourselves to discover the joy, happiness, fulfilment, and freedom that comes from such a relationship?

Jesus challenges us to constantly be aware of those things in our lives that block our relationship with God and others.  To consider our possessions—material, psychological, and spiritual—that keep us from fully embracing intimacy with God and others.  Jesus tells us to rid ourselves of those things to the point that we free ourselves to experience the deep grace and love of God.  When there is nothing left to lose, we are free to discover all there is to God’s love and grace.

In the end, Bartimaeus received his sight because he had nothing left to lose.  If Jesus granted his desire . . . wonderful; but, if Jesus didn’t . . . he lost nothing.  With nothing to lose, he put all his being in the hands and heart of Jesus.  He won it all.  May we find such faith.  Amen.

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