This morning I want to direct your attention to the Gospel lesson. It’s here that we’re introduced to the blind beggar, Bartimaeus. In the Ancient Near East blind people were often relegated to a life of begging. Each day they would feel their way to the city gates, lay their mats by the side of the road, sit down, and begin asking people on the road for money.

This small piece of background information sheds light on our story. Bartimaeus is doing what he always does – sitting on his mat and begging for money. Then he hears the shuffling of feet. People talking. Their robes brush his face as they pass by. A crowd, larger than usual. "What’s going on?" Bartimaeus asks. A person answers him from the crowd, "We’re following Jesus."

Bartimaeus is filled with anticipation. He yells, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" The crowd pauses. Some men standing near the beggar tell him to be quiet. It doesn’t work. Blind Bartimaeus screams even louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stops. The crowd. There is nothing, no one between Jesus and Bartimaeus. He hears his name. "Bartimaeus."

He bolts upright, tosses his mat aside and moves toward the voice. "What do you want me to do for you?" "Teacher, I want to receive my sight." And immediately the blind man saw and began following Jesus.

When we read this story in the Bible, we notice there’s an unusual repetition of the blind man’s name. We’re told that he was Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, sitting by the roadside.

The name "Bartimaeus" means "son of Timaeus." So it’s redundant to say "Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus," because they mean the same thing. But repetition is a way to accentuate an idea. It’s a way to grab our eye. But what exactly does St. Mark want us to understand about this name? The Greek word Timeaus means, "honor."

The beggar’s name is "the son of honor" who is "the son of honor." When St. Mark penned this story he wanted to make sure we didn’t miss the fact that Bartimaeus is what his name says he is. He’s an honorable man. In and of itself this seems inconsequential, insignificant, until we remember the story of James and John that precedes the story of Blid Bartimaeus.

What did James and John ask Jesus for? Honor. "... that we may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." They want high profile, positions of honor. But our Lord tells them that honor can’t be bought. Honor isn’t something that’s attained by manipulation and finagling. Honor is bestowed on a person by God.

Then we have the story of the honorable blind man, Bartimaeus. Here was a man of honor who didn’t sit on a throne but on a mat, beside the road. Honor has very little to do with our outward appearance, but everything to do with what’s inside of us.

Here I want to pose a question. What makes Bartimaeus an honorable man? I want to offer one suggestion. Mark his determination. He won’t be put off. He’s warned to be quiet but he only yells louder. Twice he calls to Jesus, "Son of David have mercy on me!" Then he throws aside his mat because he knows beforehand he won’t be needing it in the future.

Illustration: I remember reading about Spanish explorers who burned their ships after landing on the shore of Central America. They pressed forward with the realization that there was no turning back. This is the kind of determination that coursed through Bartimaeus.

The past three weeks we’ve been preparing ourselves for Lent by asking this question, "How can I prosper during Lent? How can we grow during the next six weeks?" First, we must be determined to pursue Christ by using the disciplines of Lent. May God bless us with grace that we might be determined to purse Him in the coming weeks. Amen