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Good morning bus riders!
I sent out the email with the link to the lectionary page; so, I hope everyone took the time to read all the selections for this twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost. We don’t read them aloud here, so we can spend more time talking about what is read.
You can follow along with what I’m about to say with your smart phones if you want. Remember, I’ll speak about all of the readings, not just a few that matches some personal or church organization agenda for one day.
So, with that said, let’s begin!
Today, once again, the readings seem to be twisting and turning, so they loop together and then tie in a knot, which leaves the Gospel reading seemingly left ‘out of the loop.’
We have the final chapter of Job, where he is finishing up speaking to Yahweh; and, then it switches from song lyrics to prose, telling about the wonderful things that happened to Job.
It ends with a ‘happy ever after’ conclusion.
Psalm 34, you might have recognized, was read over three Sundays earlier in the Ordinary after Pentecost season, when it was associated with Solomon and his wisdom. Now, it is singing praise to Yahweh, as a good match to Job’s life having been set back on course.
Then we do a flip when we read Jeremiah’s verses, where it is Yahweh speaking. His words verify the promise of good things happening to the servants of Yahweh, in particular those of the Northern Kingdom. They were about to face ruin; but Yahweh promised to care for the remnant of Israel.
Psalm 126 is one of David’s songs of ascent, which sings praises of a return. That matches both the Jeremiah promise made by Yahweh, while also fitting the scenario of Job’s happy ending.
Then, we have a short reading selection from Hebrews, where Paul continues to write about the high priest he spoke of last Sunday. Now, he says this is Jesus, with Jesus being an eternal high priest, who does not die. That becomes a statement about Job and Jeremiah – both who could speak with Yahweh and hear Him speak back – as being Jesus spiritually.
Then, we read about the blind beggar named Bartimaeus, which is one of those head-scratchers that makes you have to think hard about how that healing fits in with the other readings.
It is that story, I saw this past week, which ties everything together in a nice, tight little bundle of joy. It made me remember what I found out about the man born blind that Jesus healed, which I discovered a couple of years back.
I need to share that story with you now.
One of my interests has been the lore of the place now known as Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, or Saints-Marys-of-the-Sea. That place in in coastal southern France, in the region of Provence, and it was there that a rudderless raft landed with Mary Magdalene, Mary of Cleopas, and Mary Salome – the three women at the cross (along with Mother Mary) when Jesus died.
Along with those three women named Mary was Lazarus, Joseph of Arimathea, a baby names Sarah and two men named Maximus and Sidonius.
Maximus, also known as Maximus of Aix-en-Provence, is said to have been one of the seventy sent into intern ministry by Jesus (as told in Luke 10).
Sidonius, who followed Maximus to Aix, is said to be the name of the man who was born blind, who Jesus healed by the pool of Siloam, on a Sabbath.
Everyone on that raft was associated with Jesus, all venerated as Saints, with the girl Sarah said to be the bloodline of Jesus. She has been the focus of such books as Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The DaVinci Code.
Every year in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is a pilgrimage and festival for Saint Sarah, also called “the Black Madonna.”
She was (I believe) the child of John the Beloved, who was the son of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Her complexion was dark, because she is thought to be of Egyptian blood, which would mean John married in Egypt, to an Egyptian woman (possibly Jewish), and his daughter was kept by his mother, while he was in ministry.
It is important to see how close-knit all the people on this raft were, as they were all the first true Christians to enter Gaul and begin the true line of faith that was Christianity; and, Joseph of Arimathea, Maximus and Sidonius had married into the family of Jesus through having their souls become married to Yahweh. That is the truth of being Christian.
Because today’s Gospel reading tells of the blind beggar named Bartimaeus, one needs to realize that Sidonius played a role in this encounter we read Mark tell.
Sidonius was given vision as an adult. By being touched by Jesus – and therefore Yahweh – he received a divine gift to which he was forever indebted. Sidonius, I found from sources, became a devoted servant of Jesus, who served him through his assistance in the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary Magdalene, in Bethany.
In today’s reading, Jesus is headed back to Bethany, because of two reasons. First, the Passover was approaching and it was time to be close to Jerusalem again. Second, Jesus had been told that his brother-in-law, Lazarus, was gravely ill and needed Jesus to come heal him.
Jesus heard that news and said, “Lazarus was only sleeping,” so he stayed beyond the Jordan for two more days, before passing through Jericho, as we read in today’s Gospel.
By realizing that Sidonius was a committed servant in the house of Lazarus, when it became time to send someone to tell Jesus to come quick, Sidonius would have been the one sent. Because John is the only Gospel writer who wrote of that news reaching Jesus, John (a child of Jesus living in that house) would have accompanied Sidonius there and back.
Because John did not write about Bartimaeus and Jesus, like Matthew and Luke did, John and Sidonius had left Jesus to return to Bethany prior to Jesus leaving the place where he and his followers had spent the winter.
This means Sidonius, who himself had been forced to beg because of his blindness, would have seen Bartimaeus and another with him (Matthew wrote of “two”) and felt a need to sit and talk with him.
Sidonius would have told Bartimaeus to have hope. He himself had been born blind and the man named Jesus of Nazareth had given him sight. He would have told Bartimaeus that Jesus would soon be coming through Jericho and to listen out for that name. The second person with Bartimaeus might not have been physically blind, but outcast as a family member whose relative was blind, thus seen as also being close to a sinner. That second “blind man” might have been able to be the eyes of Bartimaeus, as they both waited for the name Jesus of Nazareth to be spoken as people passed by.
Because Jesus was leading his followers back to Bethany, to be near Jerusalem for the Passover, the Jericho road would have been very busy then, also traveled by pilgrims coming from the east. So, there would have been a lot of travelers passing by.
Because Jericho was not a Jewish settlement, being more mixed with all kinds of people, it is doubtful the name of Jesus would have been commonly known. Still, because the subsequent story of this passing through Jericho is of Zacchaeus, who climbed a tree to see Jesus, there was some knowledge of his three years in ministry and his achievements.
Remember, when Jesus would enter Jerusalem later, on a donkey with a colt, the crowds would again see Jesus as some entertainer, like a Hollywood or sports superstar. His name was known, but little else. Jesus was one most had never seen in person, so gawkers would talk and murmur, just like as if some movie star or celebrity singer would cause, by walking through a public place, with an entourage.
This means it would not have been hard for a blind man, especially one with an assisting ‘lookout,’ to know when Jesus of Nazareth was close by. It is from knowing that Bartimaeus had been told to wait for Jesus of Nazareth that makes everything told by Mark, Matthew and Luke make perfect sense.
Bartimaeus had been told to look for a “son of David” who could return his vision to him.
When we read that not only did Bartimaeus cry out for Jesus once, but twice, important. Reading, “Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” says sinners had no social ranking at all. They were allowed to speak publicly less than women and children (who had no rights to do so).
That says everyone was sneaking a peek at a celebrity, none of whom knew him; so, for somebody to start a ruckus, Jesus hearing his name being called could cause all his ‘posse’ to close ranks around him, making it more difficult for others to see anything of value. In a day well before paparazzi would have crowded in, causing such attempts to not be seen routine, the people all wanted to pretend they were not looking at one who was seen as an idol, above the crowd of commoners.
We are told Jesus stood still. He heard his name called loudly and he heard the reference to him being a “son of David.” That spoke to Jesus as the voice of one of the lost sheep of Israel. David was a true Israelite, meaning his soul Retained Yahweh as one of Yahweh’s elohim.
Jesus reacted the same way, basically, when a hemorrhaging woman simply touched the hem of his tallit. He stood still, asking, "Who touched me?"
Jesus had told a Gentile woman, “I come only for the lost sheep of Israel.” Anyone who knew David as divine, were those who were like him as true Israelites. One was now calling out to Jesus, not only saying, “I know you have the same Spirit David had,” but also saying indirectly, “I have the same Spirit in me, but I have been rejected as impure.”
Bartimaeus was crying out for salvation, in the same way that Job had done. In this way, we need to see the blindness that Bartimaeus suffered a being somehow unjust. Bartimaeus, like Job, had been seen as wicked and a sinner, thought to have brought his blindness upon himself, as punishment from Yahweh.
Jesus heard the voice of one of the lost sheep of Israel, whom his Father had promised Jeremiah would be rescued.
When Bartimaeus yelled out to Jesus, he spoke as did Job, when he said to Yahweh, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”
When Job said, “‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you declare to me.’ I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you,” that spoke as Bartimaeus having heard the whispers, “Jesus of Nazareth.” He spoke out and questioned Jesus. He had heard of his coming by Sidonius, but when Jesus said, “Your faith has made you well,” he could see again.
He saw Yahweh in the form of Jesus of Nazareth.
And, we read that Bartimaeus then followed Jesus, in the same way as had Sidonius. It is impossible to have been divinely touched and not follow. That speaks of the power of divine love passing between two.
Just like David’s Psalm 34 sang of Job’s redemption from his trauma, writing, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me out of all my terror,” the same words project onto the future, when Bartimaeus would sing the same verse.
One of the ‘optional’ verses to sing from Psalm 34 says, “Many are the troubles of the righteous, but Yahweh will deliver him out of them all.” That says both Job and Bartimaeus were “righteous.” We know that of Job, as we are told he was “blameless and upright.” However, we can now assume that was the state of being in Bartimaeus, as his troubles were not caused by his having ever lost faith.
Jesus said it was his faith that made him well; and, that kind of faith means a righteous way of living. Bartimaeus can then be seen as having his faith tested by unfair physical conditions.
Thus, when David sang, “Yahweh ransoms the life of his servants, and none will be punished who trust in him,” the same faith found in Job was found in Bartimaeus.
In Jeremiah’s song, he wrote, “Thus says Yahweh: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, “Save, Yahweh, your people, the remnant of Israel.”
In that, it is imperative to see that Jacob was the sinner, while Israel was the Saint. Yahweh then said to Jeremiah that Jacob was the prototype of all servants of Yahweh who marry Him and become transformed from being a “Supplanter” – one who grabs hold of whatever he wants and claims it as his – and "One Who Retains Yahweh," through divine marriage that makes his or her soul become an “el” of His elohim.
To understand Jeremiah, one needs to know Yahweh was speaking to His wife-prophet when the Northern Kingdom was falling into ruin. It was falling into ruin because of bad leaders, poor rulers, false prophets and worship of wicked ways.
The “remnant of Israel” was not Yahweh referring to “the wicked people of the Northern Kingdom, who will be scattered around the world.” Yahweh meant – and Jeremiah understood – the remnant of Israel meant those who were unjustly cast out into the world, due to the wicked ways of their rulers. Yahweh meant the remnant of Israel would be His wives who suffered like Job because of the abuse brought upon them by leaders who led a nation of people to be overthrown.
Can you see that?
<Look for nodding heads.>
That means Bartimaeus was a blameless and upright man, whose blindness was no cause of his own, but the neglect of some sinner. The same bad rulers of Jerusalem would unfairly treat Jesus, in the not distant future. Surely, they played a role in the abuse laid upon Bartimaeus.
Who knows? Maybe someone accused him of seeing something he should not have seen, leading some false judge to order him blinded?
This means his soul was one of the “remnant of Israel,” who never ceased his love and devotion to Yahweh.
This means when Jesus told the Gentile woman he only came for the lost sheep of Israel, when he heard the voice of Bartimaeus, he heard the cry of a lost lamb of his Father, who had promised Jeremiah would be saved.
When Yahweh told Jeremiah, “I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn,” that says Yahweh is the Father of all who Retain His name (Israel). The nation falsely named Israel was not born of devotion to Yahweh, thus it fell into ruin and destruction. When Yahweh then added, “Ephraim is my firstborn,” that must be understood.
The “firstborn” [male] once was sworn to be dedicated to Yahweh. That was reduced to just the firstborn males of the Levites. Then the firstborn males only meant a price that had to be paid to get out of being given to the Tabernacle (or Temple). Still, for Yahweh to speak of His “firstborn,” that means His priests solely devoted to Him, as His wives, as His elohim. In that, the souls of both males and females are His Ephraim.
The name Ephraim means “Two-fold Increase” or “Doubly Fruitful.” That does not mean the son born to Jacob, whom he named Ephraim. The word speaks as a statement that ALL Priests of Yahweh will be “Two-fold Increase” of Spirit added to soul. It means ALL Priests of Yahweh will be “Doubly Fruitful” as souls married to Yahweh, so two have united as One.
Job was such a priest of Yahweh. Now, we can see that Bartimaeus was indeed a priest whose soul was married to Yahweh, even though there is nothing in the Gospels that confirm that.
Believing that demands faith … faith that Yahweh led the original priests who established the lectionary as it stands today with divine foresight and purpose.
In the companion Psalm to the Jeremiah reading – Psalm 126 – the first verse shows as saying, “When Yahweh restored the fortunes of Zion, then were we like those who dream.”
In that, I have restored the name Yahweh, where the NRSV says “the Lord.” Still, this past week I found that to be a very poor translation overall.
The literal translation says, “when returned Yahweh the captivity of Zion; we were like those who dream.”
If you recall a while back, when the readings told of David taking Jebus and making it the capital of Judah united with Israel, as the City of David, the name “Zion” was said to mean “Fortress.”
The “return captivity,” when written by David, could only refer to the captivity of the Israelites to Egypt, from which Moses freed them.
This means David was now singing of a “return captivity,” but not slavery to a nation of the world, but to Yahweh Himself. That “captivity” is then singing about the servitude of divine marriage; so, a soul is not free. It is in servitude to Yahweh as its King.
Now, “Zion” means “Fortress,” as that was the name of the underground “stronghold” of the Jebusites. Still, the word “zion” can equally mean “a dry place.”
That name takes on the "Doubly Fruitful" state of a physical body without, possessed by a divinely elevated soul within. The presence of Yahweh within makes one a "Stronghold," while the outer body of flesh is still a "dry place," because Yahweh does not inhabit matter.
In verse four, David basically repeated verse one, singing: “return Yahweh captive our captivity, as the streams of the Negev.” The Negev is a most dry place, filled with dry channels from where the heavy rains that come rush through that semidesert region, temporarily returning life to death.
Because that life is short-lived, the water soon dries up and the dryness returns. This has to be seen as symbolic of incarnation, followed by reincarnation. It is metaphor for the temporary reality of life in bodies that are bound to die.
As I saw that, it came to me the dream of Ezekiel, when Yahweh showed him a valley of dry bones and asked him, “Mortal, can these dry bones live?”
I saw in my mind’s eye an aerial view of the Negev as being that valley of dry bones.
Ezekiel saw that in a dream. David sang, “when returned Yahweh the captivity of Zion; we were like those who dream.”
The captivity becomes the reincarnation. The captivity of Yahweh, as “return Yahweh captive our captivity,” becomes the “Two-fold Increase” that is the flood of Spirit that allows dry bones to not only live temporarily, but have eternal life.
Thus, the dreamers are those who are Yahweh elohim, as His prophets and Saints. Ezekiel was one and David as well.
By seeing how all this is tying together so nicely, we can then read Paul’s Epistle and realize that when he wrote, “Jesus holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever,” that means the union of Jesus’ soul with one’s own soul.
Jesus was the high priest within Job, within Jeremiah, within David and Ezekiel, and within all who are told, “your faith has made you well.”
When Paul wrote, “For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens,” this is the meaning of Yahweh telling Jeremiah, “I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.” It is the high priest Jesus that makes one be “Doubly Fruitful.”
I see the bus is about to arrive. So, I will end here; but I ask you all to see how blind we are to all the truth that is in the readings of Scripture each Sunday. Some of us are born blind. Some of us have been blinded unjustly, like Bartimaeus.
Everything depends on faith; and, faith is a sign of the remnant of those Who Retain Yahweh, as one of His elohim.
We have to hear a whisper telling us, Jesus of Nazareth is coming soon. He healed me. He can heal you too.
All you have to do is ask; and, you shall receive.
If you truly have faith.
Think about these lessons in the coming week. I look forward to seeing you all again next Sunday.
Amen