Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

Transcription

1 Message for WEDNESDAY NIGHT, October 25, 2017 Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus Mark 10: (NKJV) Our scripture text comes to us this evening from the Gospel of Mark chapter ten. And we will be reading verses Mark 10:46-52 (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. 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! 48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, Son of David, have mercy on me! 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. 50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. 51 So Jesus answered and said to him, What do you want Me to do for you? The blind man said to Him, Rabboni, (RA-BONE-AI) that I may receive my sight. 52 Then Jesus said to him, Go your way; your faith has made you well. And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. *******************************

2 The Background His name was Bartimaeus...blind Bartimaeus. Through his blinded eyes...the word was just a drab,colorless...forest of darkness. Day after day...bartimaeus sat along the roadside begging...as a busy world rushed all around him. He has a STORY TO TELL...but no one wants to listen. He LONGS FOR A GENTLE TOUCH...A KIND WORD...or...EVEN THE SLIGHTEST HINT of human compassion...but most everyone passes by him on their way to somewhere else. Soon BARTIMAEUS feels the hem of someone s garment brush across his out-streched hand. In desperation he grabs hold of the garment and makes his usual plea... alms for the poor alms for the poor. The passerby brushes back Bartimaeus hand and reluctantly plunks a single coin into his cup. He hears the man mumble cursing under his breath as he hurries off. Such is the LIFE of a BLIND BEGGAR. take whatever comes his way... Bartimaeus has learned to...be it a COIN IN THE CUP...Or a SLAP ON THE HAND...A BLESSING or A CURSE!

3 But on this particular day...what comes his way is the RUMBLE OF A LARGE CROWD...and in the midst of the CROWD...is a man named, JESUS. FAME of Jesus miraculous healing powers has spread far and wide. Bartimaeus has even heard that this JESUS can give sight to someone who is blind. He thinks to himself... I am blind...i am someone...why not me? Like a stone in a fast moving stream Bartimaeus sits with the crowd flowing all around him. They will soon pass by; Bartimaeus knows he must act quickly! In desperation, he cries out... Son of David, have mercy on me! (v.47) The insensitive crowd shooshes Bartimaeus as though they are protecting JESUS from a nuisance they have to put up with everyday. Undeterred by their complaints, BARTIMAEUS only intensifies his efforts! He cries out again at the top of his lungs, Son of David, have mercy on me. (v.48) JESUS is drawn to the desperate voice everyone else is trying to ignore! (PAUSE) JESUS stops and calls for the BLIND MAN. (PAUSE) Awkwardly...BARTIMAEUS rises to his feet and begins to move toward JESUS voice. As if feeling his way along a wall, Bartimaeus makes his way through the wall of people. Once face to face with JESUS...Jesus asks him, What do you want me to do for you? (v.51) The very Son of God was assuming the position of a lowly servant before this blind beggar. Without any hestitation, want to see. (v.51b) Bartimaeus answers... Lord, I

4 ... I want out of this prison of darkness!... I want to get off this roadside... I don t want to have to beg for a living any more!... I want a normal life like everyone else.... I want to look inside the shops...and find my own way to the synagogue! LORD...I WANT TO SEE! I want to see a SUNRISE and a SUNSET! I want to see a FULL MOON and a starry night! I want to see CHILDREN laughing and playing. I want to see A FRIEND passing by on the street...and be able to wave to him! LORD...I WANT TO SEE! In an instant...jesus, THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, brought light into the eyes of BARTIMAEUS! For the very first time BARTIMAEUS sees a kaleidoscope of colors and images he has never seen before. *BRILLIANT SUNLIGHT floods his eyes! *THE DEEP BLUE SKY with billows of white fluffy clouds are even more beautiful than he had ever imagined! *BUILDINGS he had always touched with his hands to navigate from one place to another...were now plainly visible! *And for the very first time...he CAN PUT FACES with the voices his sensitive ears had heard all those many years!

5 Then he turned and looked into the FACE OF JESUS. had his eyes beheld the look of TENDERNESS and COMPASSION...until now! Never before...his FAITH in JESUS CHRIST had healed him!...faith enough to MAKE A FOOL out of himself by shouting to the top of his lungs!...faith enough to ASK FOR A MIRACLE...SOMETHING GOD, AND GOD ALONE COULD GRANT. BY FAITH, Blind Bartimaeus had seen the invisible and believed in the impossible. Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed! (John 20:29b) ************************************************************************************* APPLICATION For those of us who have been blessed with SIGHT...it is just as hard for us to imagine not being able to see as it is for a BLIND MAN to imagine being able to see. Oh we have all experienced momentary blindness...like when someone puts a blindfold on us when playing a silly party game...or...like those times a storm suddenly knocked out the power, leaving us groping in the darkness to find a flashlight or a candle. But none of us truly knows what it is like to live in a world of complete darkness!

6 ILLUSTRATION We had a blind woman in my home church. Her name was MABLE RAGSDALE. Every Christmas our Senior High Youth Group would go Christmas caroling at Miss Ragsdale s. Now I'll be honest with you, it was always kind of scary to go to Miss Ragsdale's house because it looked like a haunted house at Halloween. There were NEVER any LIGHTS on inside the house...no TV...no LAMPS...nothing! There wasn t a security light outside either. Everything was pitch dark! With our flashlights we could trace a wire leading from Miss Mable s backdoor out to her mailbox...and...another wire leading from her backdoor out to the barn. As we sang Christmas Carols, we were never sure Miss Mabel was even aware we were there, until finally her back door would slowly open and she would emerge out of the darkness to thank us for remembering her! Imagine going your whole life without ever seeing the faces of your loved ones...or...the beautiful decorations of Christmas...or...the blossoming of the springtime flowers...or to see the ground blanketed in snow. Imagine never being able to distinguish any difference between DAY and NIGHT. Imagine never being able to see the face of your parents or your children or your grandchildren. Imagine never being able to see your son or daughter's baptism... or their graduation...or their wedding. My, we take a lot for granted don t we!

7 But you know something...physical BLINDNESS isn t the worst thing that can happen to someone. Helen Keller once said, The only thing worse than being blind is having vision but no sight. Some people suffer from MENTAL BLINDNESS They live under such a dark shroud of depression and negativity they can't even see all the blessings they have in life because they are so obsessed with all their troubles and problems. Some people suffer from MORAL BLINDNESS We recently saw a tragic example of moral blindness when 64 year old Stephen Paddock opened fire with his assault rifle killing 59 and wounding over 500 innocent concert goers in Las Vegas. How could someone just extinguish the lives of so many innocent people whom he didn't even know? He was morally blind! He saw nothing wrong with his actions. Some people are blinded by PRIDE Remember Jesus' Parable of The Pharisee and The Tax Collector in Luke 18? Jesus said the Pharisee prayed to himself, God, I thank You that I am not like other men---extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; and I give tithes of all that I possess. That was a man who was so blinded by his own pride and self-righteousness that he couldn't even see what a miserable wretch of a sinner he truly was. There are a lot of people who are blinded by pride.

8 Some people are blinded by PREJUDICE Have you ever seen a time in your life when racial hatred and bigotry is worse than it is right now? And its not just limited to racial prejudice. Many in this country are blinded by prejudice towards police officers...or prejudice towards President Trump...or prejudice towards Christians. Multitudes of people suffer from a kind of blindness that is as bad if not worse than physical blindness. But without a doubt, the worst kind of blindness of all is SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS! How tragic it is when someone is blind to his or her own sins. How tragic it is when someone is so blind they can't see that they are eternally lost without JESUS CHRIST. There are multitudes of people who are staggering through the darkness of sin who have never seen THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. Some of these blind people are our own relatives and friends who still can't see the need for Jesus Christ. And while we should have great compassion upon those who are physically blind, we must also have great compassion upon those who are spiritually blind.

9 THROUGH THE EYES OF A BLIND MAN I saw a homeless beggar, on my way to work each day. I never paid him much mind, as I went along my way. But this day he looked saddened, and his eyes began to weep, As he held his cup out pleading, to the people along the street. I paused to ask a question, of the blind man sitting there, What virtue is there in begging, or do you even care? Blind...he said, How silly! It is they who are blind, not me, Who can t see the virtue in simple charity. No, I cannot see their faces, nor do I know their names, But pity I have for them, for I can feel their shame. They pass me by each morning, again, most every night, Yet never stop to lend a hand, to a brother in his plight. Their hearts are full of apathy, how little do they fear, That only by the Grace of God, they could be sitting here. I feel their footsteps pounding, as they go along their way, All of them too busy, to enjoy this lovely day. They will not hear the flutter of the sparrows wings in flight, Or listen to the love song, the warbles sing throughout the night. Nor will they stop to listen to the music of the breeze, As it gently plays its harps strings, through the branches of the trees. But as I knelt a little closer, in the dim light I could see, That the blind man I d pitied, was none other than me! My heart became so heavy, and my eyes soon welled with tears, As I thought of all the needy, I had passed by down through the years. I understood the message now, and how changed my life would be, For only through a blind man s eyes, was I finally able to see.

10 You know one of our favorite Christian hymns is Amazing Grace. Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me; I once was lost, but now I'm found, Twas blind, but now I see. Perhaps this evening the Holy Spirit has opened your eyes to some areas of your life where you have been blind. If so, then I pray that you will take those matters to heart and determine tonight to get those issues resolved between you and the Lord.