TEXT: Mark 10:46-52

SUBJECT: Meeting the Lord #13: Bartimaeus

"Meeting the Lord" is the name of our study. And it's goal. We're looking at people who met the Lord in Mark's Gospel. And inviting you to meet Him as well. For the first time; for the thousandth, it makes no difference. Come, meet the Lord Jesus and enjoy the fellowship He offers you in the Gospel.

The story takes place in Judea, just outside the city of Jericho. Our Lord and many more are "marching to Zion". The others are going to observe the Passover; He's going to fulfill it.

Some beggars are alongside the road. They're pleading for alms. Well, that's what the others are doing. One of them is making another request. His name is Bartimaeus; he's blind; and having learned our Lord is passing by, he's yelling out for His attention.

The Lord doesn't hear him, it seems, but others do; and don't like it one bit. They tell him to pipe down. He's getting on their nerves; making a fool of himself.

What does the blind man do? He keeps on yelling at greater volume than ever: "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Our Lord hears him at last. And stops. "Bring him to Me" is the word. The same people who were warning him to be quiet are now saying, "Be of good cheer, rise, He is calling you".

The blind man obeys, throws his coat down and stumbles his way to Jesus Christ.

"What do you want?"

"Rabbi, that I may receive my sight".

What faith this required! Give a blind man sight? No one can do this but God. No prophet had ever done it; no king; no sage. No one would "open the eyes of the blind" but Messiah.

Is "Jesus the Christ, the Son of God"? Bartimaeus sure thought so.

Was he right? The epilogue says he was: "And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the way".

That's the story, full of interest. Shallow enough for a child to wade; deep enough for a whale to swim.

The Meaning.

What does it mean? The story says a good deal about Bartimaeus; things worth thinking about long and hard. Five of which I'll briefly mention.

First, the value of listening. It is said blind people listen more carefully than those who see. I suppose they do; of necessity. This was true of Bartimaeus. He had never seen our Lord, of course; nor had he observed any of His miracles. Yet he listened to the stories with interest and keen understanding. That paid off, didn't it? It produced something in him, something you'd expect: faith. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God".

We would do well to sharpen our listening skills. When the Bible is read aloud, we ought to lean forward as though God Himself were speaking. For He is!

"Speak Lord, for Your servant hears".

And not just the Bible. For the Lord may speak to us through the advice of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Yet how often do we not listen to them! If they criticize us, we become defensive. If they're not super-clear, we become impatient. We tune them out and so miss the Word of Christ and do our souls a disfavor.

We also have the value of persistence. When the beggar first cried out, our Lord did not hear him. And so, he cried out again. When nothing came of it, he yelled out even louder. And still, no response. It would have been natural to quit after three or four attempts. "I gave it my best shot". But he didn't! He "kept on asking...kept on seeking...kept on knocking" till at last he got what he wanted from Jesus Christ. Let's face it, we often "have not because we ask not". We get tired and bored and distracted and--worse things too--and give up praying. Let the cries of the blind man hearten us to "pray without ceasing".

Thirdly, we have the value of disregarding other people. There is a time to regard others; there's a time to forget them! When others keep you from Christ, it is time to ignore them.

This is true of faith. For me, the most touching scene in Pligrim's Progress is when Christian flees the City of Destruction, with his wife and children pleading with him to come back. He's moved, too, and yet he cannot do what they want, and so he plugs up his ears and leaves them behind. Is someone hindering you from coming to Christ? A loved one? A wife, a husband, a wife, a child, a friend, someone at work? If so, forget him for now, come to Christ...and then go back and get the loved one you left behind.

This is also true of service. One of the most disturbing things in the Bible (and not just in the Bible) is how often devotion to Christ is misunderstood, not appreciated, and even discouraged by people who truly love Jesus Christ. Some good men "cast out devils" and the disciple lower the boom on them! Mary "anoints the Lord for His death" and the Apostles read her the riot act! You have to answer to God for how you serve Him. If you want my advice, I'll give it to you. But don't make up your mind by what I say. If I think it's stupid--who am I? Our Lord Jesus may think it's wise. Listen to Him. Make Him the Lord of your conscience. No one else.

Then, of course, we have the value of faith. "Your faith has made you well". Who healed Bartimaeus? Our Lord Jesus. But how did he receive the blessing of Christ? The same way we do: Through faith. We often "limit God" (so to speak) by our unbelief. "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!"

Finally, we have the value of discipleship. Can one accept Jesus as Savior but not as Lord? Some say you can; others say you can't. I think a better way of putting it is this: Why would you want to? There is something natural to discipleship. The blind man isn't dragooned into following Christ; it's the natural response to having his eyes opened. Likewise, when one is saved by Christ, he spontaneously wants to serve Him. His Lordship is not the hard and heavy thing some make it to be, but a wonderful blessing.

These are points worth making. I hope they have blessed you. But they're not "the big idea" of our passage. Bartimaeus is important to it, of course, but he's not the star of the show! Our Lord is. What does the story tell us about our Lord?

It tells us that He is the Messiah. Long before, a prophet had described the Savior as one who would "open the eyes of the blind". When our Lord did this, everyone should have said,

"The Lord, He is God;

The Lord, He is God".

Most didn't. But you can. Now. Do it.

It also shows the use to which He put His power. The power that "opened the eyes of the blind" could have been put to a more sinister use; it could have been abused; it could have been enlisted in the service of self. But it wasn't. The gifts of God are meant to be used for the welfare of others. Having all gifts Divine, our Lord "Went about doing good".

These are important issues, but the crux of the matter is this: The eagerness of Christ to do us good.

Who is the Man who opened the eyes of the blind? He is Jesus--the most important Man in the world.

What is He doing? He is going to Jerusalem to do the most important thing in the world--to die for sinners.

What time is it? It is late, only a few days from Passover, just hours from His prophetic death.

Who is the man pleading for help? He is a nobody!

Yet, despite the supreme greatness of Jesus Christ and the unique importance of what He's doing, our Lord has time to stop, listen, and heal the blind man!

This is no deviation, is it? It is perfectly consistent with His whole life and character.

This is God--not the severe, hard Being some take Him to be. But the God who has time for bums! The One who tunes His ear to "the groans of the prisoner"; and who takes special notice of the fatherless and widows.

This is God. "The Son does nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do".

This is the God who invites you to come. The God who prefers the company of publicans and harlot to that of scribes and Pharisees. If you're not too good, come in faith.

This is the God we must represent to the world. In word, of course, by properly teaching His attributes. But mostly, in deed, by living this way ourselves. By "putting the interests of others before our own".

Are we up to it? No way! Not without grace! So let's plead for grace and put it to good use.

Will someone try to live this way? We need examples of selfless living! Will anyone provide it? Not to draw attention to yourself, but to draw attention to Christ? I pray someone will. Maybe everyone.

God make it so. For Christ's sake. Amen.