Last week began with a joyful celebration of our Patronal Festival. How good it is when a Christian community gathers to give thanks for its life together, to give thanks for the past witness of the saints and to look forward confidently to the future.

For me, Monday and Tuesday were dominated by the Diocesan Synod, which is a celebration of the life and vitality of the Diocese of Sydney. Without doubt there is a great deal of good to be affirmed, but there were three decisions which brought unnecessary pain to the Anglican Communion, to women and to those who continue to be marginalised because of their sexuality. More about that later.

Also this week we were confronted by Sheik Taj Al din Al Hilali and his remarks comparing women with lumps of meat; a group of Orthodox Rabbis who want to recircumcise a boy because they don't think he's been done properly; the Australian government's awakening to the reality of climate change and the changing view of the American people of President Bush and the war in Iraq.

Meanwhile, back in the time of Jesus, we are asked to look at the story of blind Bartimaeus, the beggar of Jericho. There are only two stories of Jesus restoring sight to be found in Mark's Gospel. The first is back in chapter 8, where Jesus cured the blind man of Bethsaida. Jesus took the man out of the village, put saliva on his eyes and laid hands on him. At first the man could see people, but they looked like trees, walking. After Jesus laid hands on him again, his sight was restored and he saw clearly.

Leaving Bethsaida, Jesus and his disciples walked north up the Jordan river to Caesarea Phillipi, then to the mount of the Transfiguration, then to south to Galilee and Capernaum, further south to Judea and west across the river Jordan. From here Jesus turned towards Jerusalem for the last time. And as he and his disciples travelled, Jesus tried to teach them how to be a true follower of Christ. He had several discussions with Pharisees and he told his disciples three times that "the Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands and they will kill him and three days after being killed he will rise again." And in all that long walk, the disciples did not understand what Jesus was saying.

They were like the blind man of Bethsaida, who could see people, but they looked like trees, walking. The disciples knew that Jesus was the Messiah - Peter said so on the road to Caesarea Phillipi - but none of them could see what that meant. They could see Jesus the Messiah, but they could not see the need for him to suffer and to die and to rise again on the third day.

And now, today, they have reached Jericho, which is twenty kilometres from Jerusalem. It is a very steep and winding road from Jericho to Jerusalem, a dangerous road, for it is the road where the traveller in the good Samaritan parable fell into the hands of robbers. And at the end of this road lies Jerusalem, where Jesus will die.

Jesus and his disciples came to Jericho, and the blind beggar, Bartimaeus, hears that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. Although he was blind, he saw better than the disciples - this was Jesus the Son of David, the one who comes in the name of the Lord. And he began to shout, "Jesus son of David, have mercy on me." The crowd tried to silence him, but he shouted all the louder, "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me." Of all the people in this section of the gospel it was an outsider, a blind beggar who could see best of all that Jesus was the one who could give him his heart' desire. When Jesus called him, he threw away all he owned, the cloak that he wrapped around himself to keep out the cold at night, and sprang up and came to Jesus.

"What do you want me to do for you?" asked Jesus. "My teacher, let me see again."

Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed Jesus on the way. John's gospel records that Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life." Here Bartimaeus, in contrast to the disciples, knows that Jesus is the way and follows Jesus. Jesus did not ask him to follow. Bartimaeus is the blind man who could see, he could see better that all the others what it meant to be a disciple of Christ.

After this meeting, Jesus goes up to Jerusalem, is betrayed, killed and raised again. This is the way of Christ, this is the way that Bartimaeus followed. "No one has greater love than this, than to lay down their life for their friends." How blind can people be? Many of us at Synod felt that the way that Jesus followed had been lost. Was Synod blind when the votes turned against the Episcopal Church in the USA and Canada. Was Synod blind when it refused to talk about the ordination of women? Was synod blind when it praised Government action which denied the benefit of the law for same sex couples who wished to form a civil union?

Was Sheik Taj Al din Al Hilali blind when he made his remarks comparing women with lumps of meat? Were those Orthodox Rabbis blind as well? May God preserve us from such blindness! Unhappily we all have our blind side. None of us can see perfectly, St Paul says it is like looking in a murky mirror.

If we want to follow the way of Jesus, then our eyes need opening to the way others live. Today I am not talking about refugees and victims of drought and tsunamis, although we must care for them. Today I mean the lives of those around us. St Luke's is committed to sharing God's love with all people, regardless of their differences. The best way to do this is the way of Jesus, to give up our lives for each other. We may not have to die on the cross for each other, but how good it would be to spare some time for each other, to ask the question Jesus asked Bartimaeus, "What do you want me to do for you?"

This is what I am trying to do, and I know many others hear have chosen to follow this way. At the moment we are taking the first steps, like a baby learning to walk. We have our fellowship groups, only a few at the moment, but they can grow, we have the Friendship Group, which is now regularly twenty people, and we have a time of refreshment and fellowship after church. This is a vital part of our ministry of welcoming, of being there for others. In a small but important way it is giving our lives for our friends.

And of course, this way is Jesus' way, and Jesus is our light and our guide. He is the way we follow, we don't have to do anything that he has not done. We allow Jesus to open our eyes and take away our blindness.

The blind man of Bethsaida had his eyes partly opened. Bartimaeus of Jericho could see even while he was blind. Between these two meetings Jesus tried to open the eyes of his disciples. In my Bible the journey from Bethsaida to Jericho takes five pages. Not much to read perhaps, but each page carries a blessing and a challenge.

Let us pray that we may accept both blessing and challenge and follow Jesus on the way.