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What do you Want?
Mark 10:46-52
Rev. Randy Quinn
Before I read the text today, I
want you to imagine the scene with me. It’s less than a week before the
Passover celebration begins in Jerusalem. People from far and near make the
journey to Jerusalem every year to celebrate this holy day. For some, this is
an annual gathering. For others it’s the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There
is excitement in the air.
Maybe you can imagine yourself
living in Jericho. Maybe you are an Innkeeper. This is the time of year you
look forward to because it’s the season that pays the bills throughout the rest
of the year. People are filling the city streets and lodging is at a premium.
People are in a festive mood, so there are larger tips than usual, too. You
never make it to Jerusalem yourself, but you sure are happy to see the crowds!
On the other hand, you might be
one of the pilgrims who come to Jericho every year for what has become a
de-facto family reunion. You haven’t seen your cousins since last year and this
is a time to “ooh” and “ahh” about how much the children look like your
grandmother or how much they have grown since last year. Passover is a family
celebration as well as a religious festival, after all.
Or perhaps you are a first time
participant in the celebrations. Maybe you have lived in lands far away and
have finally saved enough money to join the crowds in celebrating this most
important event in the life of your people. You have a heightened awareness of
the story of your faith as you gather and sing the Psalms, the processional
Psalms, while walking through Jericho and heading up the hill to Jerusalem.
I suspect there are also those who
take advantage of the crowds who gather. Some might be venders selling the
equivalent of modern day T-shirts and key rings. Some would be offering special
seats or maybe a tour package that would include meals and lodging in
Jerusalem. Some may even offer to provide child care or husbandry services
while the pilgrims make the last leg of the trip on foot.
Still others, I suspect, would sit
by the road and ask for alms, preying on the generosity of the pilgrims. They
have no intention of leaving Jericho; after all, the crowds will come back down
the hill next week at the end of the festival. To these beggars, this is the
best kind of crowd to work with – they are in good spirits, there is extra money
to be spent, and it’s a religious holiday that encourages people to give. They
couldn’t ask for anything better.
Added to the mix this year,
however, is the traveling preacher who has brought his own crowd with him. He
is making a reputation as a miracle-worker, but more recently there is talk that
he may be the Messiah, the Son of David, who will ascend the throne and free the
land from Roman rule.
No matter which part of the story
is your part, expectations are high.
It’s all Jesus could do to keep
the expectations of his Disciples in check. For several weeks now – maybe even
several months – he has been trying to get them to see that he would be going to
Jerusalem to die. But now they hear the expectations of the crowd and the
rumors that are circulating and they want to believe a different story, the
story of a King being acclaimed and anointed, the story of a King who might rule
from David’s throne and fulfill the hopes of the people.
The next day, in fact, Jesus will
enter Jerusalem as throngs of people wave their palm branches (Mk. 11:8). But
in our text for today, all of these groups and expectations meet in the city of
Jericho at the bottom of the hill that leads up to Jerusalem. [continue]
