This week, we are presented with multiple examples of people who see themselves as special: Joseph, the favorite son with his magnificent coat; a wealthy, pious young man seeking approval from Jesus; the disciples of Christ, who continuously argue about who will be greatest in the Messiah’s kingdom.
Such is the trap that Satan lays down for believers, draining the mercy and grace from God’s favor and replacing it with the cheap filler of self-righteousness - and, once our sinful flesh has gorged on it, disease takes over. We approach our Lord as frail spiritual anemics, mistaking our pale souls for purity, rather than weakness – and yet, in our pathetic appearance, we still try to assert ourselves as spiritually healthy, even special in God’s eyes.
But that status of “special” is not found in our wealth or earthly relationships or even our church membership. It is found solely in Christ. He has not come for the greatest, but for the least.
The blind beggar, who has nothing to show for himself, understands this and cries out persistently to Jesus. That recognition of our wretched spiritual state, and our plea for salvation, lay at the center of our Lenten journey - not for the perverse goal of taking pleasure in suffering, but for the purpose of drawing closer to Jesus, who calls us to repentance, brings healing and color to our faint spirit, and says, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And so we do. Like Bartimaeus, fully restored, we set out to follow him. And, like his disciples, we can leave everything behind to do so, for the the kingdom to come is the greater reward.
