•

the travel narrative

•

opens the theological error of Peter in Mark, chapter 8

•

closes with James and John

•

the three most important disciples

•

Jesus takes these three up the mountain where he is dramatically transfigured

•

his clothes become so dazzlingly white that he could hardly be beheld

•

if these three most important disciples misunderstood Jesus, we can safely infer that the others did as well

•

last episode of the travel narrative

•

the second act of healing of a blind man

•

humanity as a whole is blind as to the identity of Jesus

•

just as it took a supernatural act of grace to restore sight to the physically blind

•

so a similar act of grace will be required to inform the disciples of who Jesus is, and who they are in light of their decision to follow in his path

•

different than the first

•

Mark 10:46-52

•

And they came to Jericho. And as He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the wayside begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me!"

•

Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. And many charged him that he should hold his peace; but he cried out all the more, "Thou Son of David, have mercy on me!"

•

analysis

•

in the first story, nobody was named

•

in the second story, both are identified

•

Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus

•

Jesus is named, including his title, Thou Son of David

•

the major theme is the question Jesus put to Peter: who do you say I am?

•

response

•

blind man jumps to his feet, and followed Jesus

•

Jesus is now on his ascent, from Jericho, one of the lowest places on earth, to the city of Jerusalem, several thousands meters up

•

by embarking on the road with Jesus, Bartimaeus shows himself ready to be tutored as to the deeper meaning of what it means to be a follower of Jesus

•

it's not just about one grace one receives, e.g. physical sight

•

but embarking on the service of others

•

none of these details would have been appropriate in the first healing story

•

at that point, everyone is ignorant as to who Jesus is and he hasn't begun to instruct the audience about himself

•

even in the first healing story, the way he heals has an awkward dimension to it

•

takes place in two stages

•

as if it required more effort on the part of Jesus

•

travel narrative and Joseph story

•

chosenness means to be a service to others

•

the goal is suffering for the love of others

•

only over the course of the 14 chapters of Genesis does Joseph realize that his chosenness is for the purpose of serving his family, and the world around him

•

who is Jesus and who is the church

•

the concern wasn't to correct the disciplines to reveal his identity, but to teach them about their identity

•

the disciples had the same purpose

•

to act not for their own glory, but to serve out of love for others

•

paints a negative picture of the disciples

•

conveys a theme that will taught clearly in Paul's letters

•

we are saved by grace not by works

•

the notion of what it is to be served by God is counter-intuitive

•

one can never understand it

•

only in the wake of the resurrection and the Pentecost