Key Verse:
Mark 10:51 NKJV
51 So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
The blind man said to Him, [a]“Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”
The simple, obvious response, yet how profound that he would ask. Why?
Where to begin?
Mark 10:32 NKJV
32 Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him:
Jesus and His disciples are on their way to Jerusalem to observe the celebration of the Passover. Anticipation is in the air. And why wouldn’t there be? This holiday celebrated the liberation of Israel from four hundred years of enslavement to the nation of Egypt and it marked the beginning of Israel’s journey to the land promised to their progenitor, Abraham. Thousands of people were making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem from all over the known world. Surely, there were hundreds of people in the procession that Jesus and His disciples were in, that was coming from Northern Israel, along the Jordan river toward Judah. All of these people were anticipating a time of celebratory praise and worship, once they reached Jerusalem. They were ready to get their ‘praise on!’
The Lesson
Mark 10:46 NKJV
46 Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.
In the final leg of the journey, the throng of people would have turned west from the Jordan and traveled to Jericho, and from Jericho to Jerusalem. It was here, on the other side of Jerusalem, that Bartimaeus, the blind beggar would enlighten us on the finer points of...worship.
Mark 10:47 NKJV
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
It was as though he was prepared. As though he and his compatriot, a fellow beggar (unmentioned here, but mentioned in Mattew 20:29-30) had prepared in some small way for a day when Jesus might happen by their way. It seems obvious that Bartimaeus had heard of the young miracle worker from Nazareth. But, being blind, it was unimaginable that he would ever have been able to travel the one hundred or so miles to meet the young Rabbi near His home territory in northern Israel. That would have been impossible by most any measure. However, one can dream.
He must have heard of what happened when Jesus encountered the ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19). From a distance, Jesus just spoke to them and they were miraculously healed. Bartimaeus must have gone over it in his mind time and again, just how he would approach the young... Messiah! “
Messiah? Yes! Messiah! Bartimaeus had convinced himself that this young Rabbi from Nazareth was the Messiah. Among the poorest of Israel’s peoples, Jesus had become something of an equalizer. He fed the hungry. He caused the lame to walk and gave sight to the blind. And he performed all of His miracles without cost. Thus, he put all who dwelt in Israel on equal footing. When Bartimaeus called out, he called out of a made-up mind. Jesus had to be … the Son of David, the Messiah promised to bring deliverance to all of Israel’s people. Bartimaeus addressed Him thusly. And He continued to do so, over and over again, to the growing annoyance of the crowd of people around him.
Mark 10:48 NKJV
48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Determined to make the most of this moment, Bartimaeus continued to call out, “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me!” Completely undignified and unashamed, he yelled, “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me!” Broken, cast down, forgotten, with but one Hope in the world, Bartimaeus sold out with his continued entreaty, “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me!” In his repeated pleas, Bartimaeus demonstrated the key component of worship, the acknowledgment the Jesus is Lord! You thought he was just concerned about his sight. Indeed he was, but the greater truth is that he knew, he knew in his innermost being that only Jesus could change his situation because he was… the Messiah!
Interlude
Matthew 15:24-26 NKJV
24 But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”
The Syro-Phoenician woman made a similar breakthrough because she… worshipped. No, she was not a daughter of Abraham. No, she did not have a right to an inheritance amongst the children of Israel, but she had a breakthrough. She broke into the realm of Heaven through worship and she captured Jesus’ attention in a way that was undeniable. Jesus responded to her faith. We know how that turned out…
Matthew 15:28a NKJV
28a Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire…
In that same way, Bartimaeus had broken through to the realm of Heaven, and Heaven responded.
Mark 10:49 NKJV
49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.
Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”
You sense an immediate change in the atmosphere. It’s as though an unusually cool breeze has suddenly brought a welcome respite on a hot summer day. Suddenly Bartimaeus has gained an audience with Jesus. One moment a pariah, the next: called to stand in the Presence of the Messiah, literally Emmanual, ‘God among us’. In this spiritually transitional moment, Jesus’ virtue, His glory comes to the fore. Not only does Bartimaeus get an audience, but he gets an audience with the King of Kings, The Lord of Lords.
Mark 10:50 NKJV
50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.
“...and throwing aside his garment…” Did you catch that? Bartimaeus threw his cloak aside. Listen, a blind beggar must have but a very few, and thus very precious possessions, none more important than a cloak, with which to protect himself from the elements. Owning only what he could carry, it defies logic that Bartimaeus would leave so vital a possession behind. However, the possibilities of what lay ahead for him because of this impromptu meeting with Jesus far outweighed the value of what was possibly Bartimaeus’ sole possession on earth, besides his name. At some future time, a disciple of Christ who was “born out of due time” (1 Corinthians 15:8) made a similar value choice. He stated it in this way…
Philippians 3:8 NKJV
8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.
Indeed, Bartimaeus counted the cost…, then he chose Christ.
Mark 10:51 NKJV
51 So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
The blind man said to Him, [f]“Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”
Suddenly, the Windows of Heaven are wide open and all of the riches of glory are available to Bartimaeus. Stop and ponder Jesus’ question for a moment, “What do you want Me to do for you?” Really?!! Really?!! In this moment Jesus asks Bartimaeus a very open-ended question. The possibilities before him are without measure. Wisely, Bartimaeus requests the one thing that puts him on equal footing with his fellow countrymen, his sight. He understands that without his eyesight, he can never fully receive the inheritance promised to Him by God through Abraham. How precious is good health above riches?
Mark 10:52a NKJV
52a Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has [g]made you well.”
This verse has to be parsed. First, notice Jesus’ response to Bartimaeus’ request, “Boy get on out of here! Your faith, your faith has made you whole!” Like the Syro-Phonecian woman, Batimaeus’ faith, exercised in his repeated pleas to Christ brought about his healing. His repeated declaration of Jesus as the Messiah, literally the Redeemer of Israel established an atmosphere of Grace that delivered his eyesight and God’s favor.
Mark 10:52b NKJV
52b And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.
The second half of the verse reveals something deeper. Having received his eyesight from on High, Bartimaeus continues with a single-mindedness that reveals a life change greater than just receiving his sight. In that very moment, Bartimaeus lays his eyesight on the altar before Christ, along with the entirety of his being. Without, apparently a second thought, Bartimaeus becomes a follower of Christ. In the same way that he had abandoned his coat, he now abandoned everything else for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. No reservations, No regrets. And that too is...worship. Bartimeaus was all in. Oh, that it would be so with all who call on the name of the Lord!
Selah,
wb
Matthew 19:28-29 NKJV
28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother [h]or wife or children or [i]lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.
So, I lost possessions, things I had thought my worth. Then I gained so much more. Trust.
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