Preaching the Scriptures

  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Mark 10:46-52   Mercy   Before sight, instead of money, his first request was for mercy.   Bartimaeus, the man we encounter in Mark’s Gospel today, was a blind beggar – two conditions that were, of course, in no way mutually exclusive.   He sat by the road in extraordinary need; that was obvious to everyone, and still is.   He was blind.   And so he was poor.   And, he was, based on the initial reaction of the crowd around him, something of a pariah or nuisance.   His temporal needs were vast.   But his first request, his primary plea, was for mercy.   On this particular day, the day recorded in our Gospel reading, Jesus was in Jericho.   And for the people of Jericho that was a really big deal.   It wasn’t every day that a miracle worker passed through town.   And so the buzz built and the crowds assembled.   They came to see Jesus.   And see Jesus they d...

  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Mark 10:17-31   Won’t Let Go Church of our Saviour, Lebanon Springs   This is not a test.   Last week, in the Gospel preceding today’s, a group of Pharisees did come to test Jesus; their question was nothing more than a trap, a linguistic exercise meant to ensnare their holy adversary.   But this is different: this man, this wealthy man in today’s Gospel, is sincere.   His humble posture and dirty garments are proof of his sincerity.   He kneels before Jesus on the dusty, grimy road and asks a question of ultimate importance.   “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”   The man’s question was personal – not theoretical, not academic.   He did not ask Jesus, “What must one do?” or “What must they do?”   His question was an “I” statement.   The man was concerned about the state of his own soul.   And about the acquisition of another inheritance – one more permanent th...

  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Mark 10:2-16   Legal Separation St. Andrew’s, Scotia   Then why even ask?   The Pharisees who approached Jesus, the ones who asked this question, this question about what is, and always has been, an emotionally fraught topic, they already knew the answer, their answer.   They could even cite chapter and verse.   Deuteronomy, the book of Moses, is fairly clear: “Suppose a man enters into marriage with a woman, but she does not please him because he finds something objectionable about her, and so he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house.”   Write a certificate and move on.   That was the answer.   So, why even ask?   I’m not sure what these inquisitors were hoping Jesus would say, but Mark’s Gospel tells us that the question was not an honest inquiry.   It was a test – Holy Scripture as a trap.   And not the first time folks came...