46 Then they came to Jericho…Jesus and his disciples…with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus…was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man,
“On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” [Mk. 10:46-51]
An almost identical account is given by [Luke 18:35-43] except the name of the blind man is not given…Matthew records a similar account but he mentions two blind men [Matt. 20:29-34].
Jesus was on His way to attend the Feast of Passover…Jesus was one among the thousands of Jews heading toward Jerusalem…for Jesus it would be His last trip to Jerusalem.
He had to pass through the old town of Jericho which was only about fifteen miles from Jerusalem…sitting by the side of the road was a poor, miserable, blind beggar named Bartimaeus.
He possibly heard from the people passing by that the famous Prophet about Whom everyone was talking about was a part of that procession…and would soon be coming by as well.
Bartimaeus must have heard about the miracles that Jesus had done and was determined that if Jesus ever came his way that he would do whatever it took to get His attention.
He was desperate…Jesus was his only hope of changing the miserable circumstances of his life, so he began to cry out…. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” …and he kept shouting even though people tried to shut him up.
Up to this point in Mark’s Gospel, no one had ever called Jesus by the title…the “Son of David.” …for the first century Jew, the term, “Son of David” was a title reserved only for the Messiah.
As Jesus was hurrying along Bartimaeus yells out this messianic title. Jesus doesn’t stop him…at this point in Jesus’ ministry He would no longer keep his messianic identity a secret.
Before this Jesus would not allow people to divulge who He was…in a conversation with the disciples Jesus asked them
Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. [Mark 8:27]
In the Gospel of Mark more than any of the other Gospels…Jesus explicitly conceals his messianic character and power until the closing period of his ministry…as seen here in the case of Bartimaeus.
So you know…theologians call this The Messianic secret…why was Jesus so intent in keeping His identity secret…the reason why still remains a mystery.
So Jesus stopped and invited the beggar to come to him.
What do you want me to do for you? …it’s an extraordinary moment …the entire crowd waiting breathlessly to hear Bartimaeus’ response…their attention focused on someone who just minutes before they were trying to shut up.
It’s not the first time Jesus asks that question of someone…what do you want me to do for you? …it’s the same question Jesus asked of James and John who wanted Jesus to grant that one sit on His right and the other on His left when He came into His glory [Mark 10:37].
James and John wanted Jesus to fulfill their selfish request to sit in the seats of power when Jesus came into his Kingdom.
Jesus asks this same question in His dialogue with the rich young man…and while Jesus didn’t initiate the conversation with the rich young man, the man did want something from Jesus. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
In both cases Jesus refused their self-centered requests…both James, John, and the rich young man went away with their requests unfulfilled…and yet, the request of blind Bartimaeus was fully granted on the spot…this healing is the last recorded healing miracle in Mark…so what can we learn from this poor, blind beggar?
At the start of His ministry, Jesus had taught the importance of prolonged persistent prayer…that whoever asks and keeps on asking, seeks and keeps on seeking, and knocks and keeps on knocking, will be answered.
Bartimaeus answers Jesus…I want to receive my sight…notice that when Jesus asked this man what he wanted, the man didn’t say, “Well, Lord…I just really need your help…I have an unspoken request…you know my heart, and uh well… I just need your help with my situation.”
I’m not against unspoken requests…sometimes, it’s the most appropriate way to ask for prayer in public when wanting to conceal what it is you’re praying for… that’s why I don’t share our prayer requests with anyone but those who come to Tuesday night prayer service because some of those requests are personal.
Let me share with you the danger when we don’t ask God specifically what it is we desire…because God deals in specifics…praying for world hunger or world peace…or that all Covid-19 people are healed doesn’t get the attention of God.
If you are asking God for something in prayer…two things you need to do: –Tell God exactly what the problem is
–Tell God exactly what you need done about it.
This man was unwilling to give up in his quest for healing…he chose to believe in Jesus and was determined if at all possible, to meet with Him despite the crowds being unsympathetic about his situation.
He was persistent in his desire to be healed and was not going to be deterred in his efforts to be seen by Jesus…so he continued to cry out.
Maybe the disciples had also become too accustomed to Christ’s healing ministry that they had grown callous of the miracles Jesus was performing so they became unsympathetic to this poor blind beggar as well.
They had witnessed the faith of the Centurion, whose servant was healed, and the Samaritan woman, whose demon-possessed daughter was delivered.
Jesus never touched either one…instructing many people to, “go in peace, your faith has made you whole,” and told others, “according to your faith be it unto you.” All being healed by only having faith.
Bartimaeus had probably heard these stories…people being delivered from sickness… from demonic possession…blind being healed…crippled walk…and although for those they only knew Jesus as Jesus of Nazareth…Bartimaeus knew him as the Messiah, the Son of David.
What a joy it must have been for Bartimaeus when Jesus stopped and told the crowd to, “Call him here.” …imagine the anticipation that must have rippled through the crowd when they heard Jesus ask the beggar, “what do you want Me to do for you?” and heard the blind beggar’s request “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”
Bartimaeus made his faith in Christ very clear, for he addressed Him as “My Lord” – “My Master”… Bartimaeus not only received the desire of his heart – but was given so much more.
Bartimaeus demonstrated that it was not only his physical sight that would be affected, but that his spiritual eyes of understanding had been opened, and he acknowledged Christ as the Lord of his life.
For many of the men and women who approached Jesus for healing…there was also the evidence that they needed not only physical healing but a spiritual awakening – they needed salvation.
People ask me…ask the church…pray for a family member…my first concern always is…are you a Christian…because if you’re not a Christian God will not hear your prayer.
The only prayer God hears from an unsaved person is the prayer for salvation.
Second…I ask them…when’s the last time you prayed for them…these are the concerns we should have when praying for someone else.
That not only bodily health is restored, but that the spiritual needs are also met and spiritual eyes are opened to see Jesus as Lord.
Source: https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/mark-10-51
In just eight verses the Bible tells the story of how a blind beggar was healed. From this we learn four lessons that can help us to be more successful in life:
Be Ready to Take Advantage of Opportunities
Bartimaeus teaches that we should not allow the opportunity of a lifetime to pass us by.
This was a road Jesus had passed down many times before…and yet we know from this account it would be His last time passing down this road…He was on His way to the cross to die.
Here’s the tragic lesson…ONE…not preparing ourselves for what God has purposed for us…I’ll wait to go to school…I’ll wait to get that training…I’ll do whatever is necessary or whatever is required of me after I get the job…then I’ll get serious about preparing myself.
You need to be prepared when the call comes…that is not the time to be getting ready. Be ready to take advantage of the opportunity when it presents itself.
SECOND…being hesitant to take a job because you feel you lack the necessary skills…thereby missing out on an opportunity that may not come around again…this was Bartimaeus’ only chance…Jesus would not come down that road again.
THIRD…here’s the tragic lesson to be learned, particularly for sinners who have never trusted Christ – everyone hears the gospel for the last time at some time…there will be a time when an unbeliever will hear the offer of salvation for the last time…there will be no more opportunities.
I don’t know how many people listen to us on YouTube…I don’t know if there’s someone listening to this message right now…it could be that this is your last time…your last opportunity…the last time Jesus will pass by you – never to pass by again…don’t miss this opportunity.
Bartimaeus is a lesson…he was determined that he would not let Jesus pass by him this last time. He wanted to lay hold on Christ by faith – that’s exactly what he did…he cast aside his cloak that he used to collect money…got up and approached Christ and was healed.
As soon as Bartimaeus was made well he turned and followed Jesus…the blind beggar on the roadside becomes a disciple…he could have easily faded quietly back into ‘regular’ life like 9 of the 10 leapers who were healed did, who did not even give thanks for being healed.
Don’t Let People Keep You from Pursuing Your Dreams
Bartimaeus did not let the opportunity of a lifetime pass him by…he didn’t let peer-pressure distract him from his only opportunity for change…Bartimaeus had a need and he wasn’t about to be silenced by people.
Too often we tend to think of all the things that could keep us from getting to the end…it’s too hard…it’s too expensive…it takes too long…I’ll be too old… persevere…these thoughts can paralyze us by keeping us from ever beginning the journey.
But with the knowledge of where you want to end up, you should start moving immediately with each step making the next step possible…don’t let the opportunity of a lifetime pass you by.
Bartimaeus exercised faith:
…First…he cried out to the One Person He believed could heal him;
…Second…he kept calling out even after everyone tried to shut him up;
…Third…he made his request believing it would be given to him.
Do we have that kind of faith? …Do we really believe that God can and wants to respond to our cries? …Do we really believe that He can meet our needs? …Do we have the faith to keep praying and continue praying until God responds?
Start Working Towards Your Dreams Even When You Can’t See How You Will Achieve It
Our present condition does not have to be our final condition…often times in life, we try to work out all the details before we start working towards our dreams…it’s just human nature.
Here’s the frustrating part…here’s how God works…see it countless times in the Bible…seen it in my own life…FIRST…when God purposes you to do something, He may call you before you have any skills in that area at all…even when there doesn’t appear to be any way that is going to be accomplished in your life time.
SECOND…He never gives you all the details up front…He just says go
…then He waits to see if you’re going to debate about it
…or make your decision based on how workable you may think it is
…or accept the fact it will never happen in your life time and so you do nothing
…or…are you going to step out in faith and begin to work toward the purpose He predestined for you?
Get Rid of All That Hinders You
Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak…he got rid of whatever it was that would hinder him from getting to Jesus…throwing aside his cloak demonstrated:
He was leaving his old life…the cloak defined who Bartimaeus was…he positioned his cloak over his knees to catch the coins people threw…he wouldn’t need that cloak anymore…he would never be a blind beggar again.
Like Bartimaeus we need to throw off our ‘cloaks.’
That cloak represents dependencies that bind us to our circumstances…many times, we want to come to God but not wanting to let go of the things that hold us in bondage.
We need to throw off our failures…our weakness …our depression…our sinful habits… our old life…things that define who we are.
In order for us to move forward we must learn to throw off our old cloak…get up and move…we can’t grow and remain in the same spot we were in.
When Jesus healed Bartimaeus, Jesus told him to “Go, your faith has healed you” but instead of leaving when he received his sight, the Bible tells us that Bartimaeus followed Jesus. Bartimaeus did not just want the healing, he also wanted the healer.
Every person seated here this morning…those watching on YouTube…our lives parallel that of Bartimaeus…we may not have the physical issues he had but every one of our lives is reflected in how Bartimaeus acted.
Everything he did to receive his sight is what is required in receiving salvation:
He saw his need.
He cried out for help.
He would not be deterred by those who tried to silence him.
He knew what he wanted Jesus to do for him.
He asked for what he needed.
No one puts “Blind Beggar” on their list of career choices…in the case of Bartimaeus he made a decision to do something…to change his circumstances …when Jesus showed up this man’s life changed forever.
Whether it’s a decision to become a Christian…or a decision to pursue your dreams and purpose God has called you to…at some point YOU are the only person that can initiate that action…like Bartimaeus you have to ask…and when Jesus shows up…your life will change forever.