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The lesson in today’s Gospel is clear, do not get seduced by appearances! There is also a sub-theme of humility. Jesus is critical of the Scribes for their hypocritical behaviour. As Luke 12:48, states, "To whom much is given, much will be required." Jesus emphasized the idea of responsibility that comes with blessings and resources. The verse suggests that those who have been entrusted with more—whether it be talents, wealth, or knowledge—are held to a higher standard of accountability.
Jesus continues his teaching on looking beyond appearances when he is watching wealthy people putting in large sums of money into the temple treasury. On the level of appearances, the large donations would suggest that the rich deserve more while in reality it is the poor widow who gave all she had.

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In today’s Gospel Jesus is asked by a scribe, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answers his question directly. Jesus talked about loving God exclusively, with all your heart, mind and all your strength. Jesus did not leave anything out. Jesus does not stop there but teaches that we are to love our neighbor as our selves. Jesus would later go on to define his understanding of who is a neighbor in the parable of the Good Samaritan. It is not impossible to love people we admire or who love us or are similar to us. It is hard if not impossible to love those who have hurt us or have broken our trust. We must make a conscious choice to live by our own values rather than reacting to the behavior of others.

The Gospel really makes it clear that Jesus sees that loving God and loving others are intertwined. We cannot say that we love God and at the same time hate part of his creation. I would like to suggest six things that might help you become more loving.

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Bartimaeus was blind and so had to resort to begging to feed himself. As a beggar he had to compete with other beggars in order to survive. His life was undoubtedly harsh. We do not know if he had any support from his family.

Probably, he learned to be pushy to get what he needed. We can see his assertiveness in the Gospel reading. He is not going to be stopped by a bunch of people who didn’t like him, yelling and creating a scene.

Today’s healing addresses physical blindness. Metaphorically today’s healing also speaks to us about spiritual blindness. We can see it in the Pharisees. They were spiritually blind; unable to recognize the Messiah even as He stood before them in their midst. Often truth is too anxiety evoking so the person unconsciously chooses not to deal with it. Have you ever had the experience of getting an insight into a situation and realizing the answer was in front of you all the time?