30th Sunday of Ordinary Time
This prophecy is set in the ruins of Jerusalem, at a time when its leading citizens have been exiled in Babylon. Jeremiah confidently predicts their restoration to their homeland. The returnees will include not just the powerful, but the blind and lame, vulnerable mothers and their children. The name Jacob in "Shout with joy for Jacob," means the whole nation; remember that Jacob was the grandson of Abraham who was renamed "Israel." It was common usage to call a tribe by the name of its patriarch.
In our second reading, the writer describes first the priests of ancient Judaism, then Jesus as the priest of the new covenant. The people reading this letter had been kicked out of their synagogues when they accepted Jesus as the fulfillment of their ancient Jewish hopes. The writer tries to comfort them by depicting Jesus as the superior replacement for the priests they formerly depended upon.
In the Old Testament, only the High priest could enter the Holy of Holies. Only members of the professional priesthood could enter the the sanctuary in the Temple. But now, through Christ, access to God becomes the privilege of every Christian, all the baptised. Under the old dispensation, the offerings brought were animal sacrifices. Under the new dispensation, the offering brought is constant self-giving.
In the passage before this in Mark's gospel, Jesus had said to them, "What do you want of me?" The asked for the two best seats in heaven! Jesus is forcing this comparison. Bartimaeus is the next character he meets along the road. He is very different. Unlike the picture Mark paints of the ambitious brothers, this blind beggar is depicted as a perfect disciple. Notice what he does when Jesus "calls" him: "He threw aside his cloak, sprang up and came to Jesus."
In Mark's gospel, we come to the last act before Passover. Jesus and his retinue have arrived at Jericho on their way to Jerusalem for the Passover. They have only 17 more miles to travel. As they made their way out of Jericho, Bartimaeus the blind man is sitting by the side of the road. 'Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me,' he pleads. Mark is drawing a contrast between Bartimaeus and the disciples. He is physically blind but he sees; the disciples are blind to the message. Bartimaeus believes; his faith saves him. The disciples are still in the dark. They have not yet found the way. Though they profess to be insiders, they are in fact outsiders still.
Furthermore, Bartimaeus follows Jesus. He professes faith and follows him along the way. The disciples, as Mark will portray them later, abandon Jesus all together. Bartimaeus responds to the call of Jesus; the disciples are as yet unable to make the desired response. Full understanding will not come until the resurrection. The reader must recall that throughout the Gospel Mark has demonstrated that those who look like they are "inside" may, in fact, be on the "outside," and those on the "outside" may really be "inside." The last shall be first and the first shall be last.
Also, a new title is given to Jesus in this section: Son of David! This title will be echoed in the next section of the Gospel as Jesus makes his entry into Jerusalem. The crowd that accompanies him call out, "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our Father David!" (11:10). The entry into Jerusalem begins the story of the last seven days of Jesus' life in Mark's Gospel.
The entry into Jerusalem (11:1-10), which is omitted from the semi-continuous weekday cycle, begins the saving act of Jesus. Mark echoes this in the last line of the story concerning the ambition of James and John: "The Son of Man came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many". It is also echoed in the account of the healing of Bartimaeus, when Jesus declares, "Your faith has saved you".
For Mark, Jesus is the ransom, the pledge paid to buy back slaves. Jesus will redeem all slaves. Jesus will save the powerless, those who are held in bondage. Mark's Gospel turns its focus in this direction for the next six chapters when all will be accomplished.