Mark 10:46-52 46 They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! 48 Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, Son of David, have mercy on me! 49 Jesus stood still and said, Call him here. And they called the blind man, saying to him, Take heart; get up, he is calling you. 50 So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 Then Jesus said to him, What do you want me to do for you? The blind man said to him, My teacher, let me see again. 52 Jesus said to him, Go; your faith has made you well. Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. 1
10.25.2015 Believing Is Seeing My Uncle Bob was an amazing man. I can say that even though I have just one memory of him. He died when I was only six years old. That memory I have is of being in the back yard playing baseball with him, my four older siblings, and my cousin, Uncle Bob s son Kevin. I must have been maybe five years old. I was batting and Uncle Bob was pitching. He had a big smile on his face, as he always did, because he was always in a good mood. I remember that he was wearing sunglasses and that he said something like, Are you ready, John? Here it comes! That s the memory. That s it. I don t remember whether I swung at the pitch, and if I did whether I made contact. That may not seem like much of a memory, certainly nothing remarkable, but here s the thing the sunglasses Uncle Bob wore weren t to protect his eyes from the sun. Uncle Bob couldn t see the sun or anything else for that matter. He was blind. He wasn t born blind but had become so as an adult due to diabetes. Yet despite the fact that he couldn t see, he still played baseball with us in the back yard. I m not sure that I even knew he was blind because he didn t seem to have any limitations. For Uncle Bob, believing was seeing. He believed that blindness was no obstacle to playing with us and so it wasn t. Bartimaeus, the blind man that we meet in the scripture today, also faces some obstacles in the form of the crowd that tries to silence him when he cries out to Jesus. But he will not be silenced. He must speak. He must speak because he sees. Although Bartimaeus is blind, he can see clearly who Jesus is and what he can do. He calls Jesus Son of David, and he asks for mercy. In this regard the blind Bartimaeus sees what the disciples do not. He sees Jesus with the eyes of faith while the disciples are blinded by their own self interest. 2
As has been the case throughout chapter 10 of Mark s Gospel, which we have been reading these past four weeks, Jesus and the disciples are again traveling. They are making their way to Jerusalem, where Jesus will soon face arrest and shortly thereafter be crucified. But first they make a brief detour to Jericho, about thirty kilometers northeast of Jerusalem. And it is a brief detour [SLIDE]. Verse 46 finds them both arriving and leaving the city. As Mark writes, They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho (Mk. 10:46). No reason is given for the swiftness with which Jesus and the disciples pass through the city. In any event, this is not the first time that Jesus has been to Jericho and its vicinity. He was baptized by John in the Jordan River near the city. He was tempted in the wilderness for forty days not far from the city. Nor was Jesus the only well known person of the time connected to Jericho. King Herod, the Roman-approved king of Judea at the time Jesus was born, made the city his winter capital. Lying 600 meters below sea level, Jericho remains warm in the winter, making it a great spot for a winter getaway [SLIDE]. That s why Herod had built there a magnificent palace that featured a reception hall with a mosaic floor, a Roman bath with a sauna, and even a swimming pool. It s more than likely that Jesus never saw Herod s palace in all its splendor because he would have confined his activity in Jericho to the poorer section of the city. That s where he encounters the blind beggar from today s scripture. Bartimaeus cannot see, but more than that, and perhaps even worse, he is not seen. For all intents and purposes, he is invisible to the crowd that has gathered around Jesus. He sits by himself on the side of the road. He remains invisible until he decides to make himself a nuisance. He has heard a commotion. There is an excitement in the air. A large crowd is following somebody. He learns that it is Jesus of Nazareth who is passing by and he decides that he must draw Jesus attention [SLIDE]. So he shouts, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! (Mk. 10:47). 3
Although Bartimaeus shouts to Jesus, this is more than mere shouting; he is praying. This is a prayer. Bartimaeus is calling on Jesus for help. He is in the same position that we are when we pray. Like us, he has not seen Jesus in the flesh he cannot but he has heard of him and what he has done. He knows that Jesus heals, and he knows that he is a man in need of healing. But before Jesus can hear Bartimaeus, some in the crowd try to silence him [SLIDE]. Mark even says they sternly ordered him to be quiet (Mk. 10:48). In other words, Shut up! Nobody wants to hear from you. Leave the teacher alone. He s busy. He doesn t have time for you. Sadly, it s probably the first time that day that anyone has taken note of Bartimaeus. He s just a blind beggar, after all. What is there to take note of? But Bartimaeus is undeterred. In fact, he cries all the more loudly, Son of David, have mercy on me! This is a man desperate to be heard. And, at last, he is heard. Among the Gospel writers Mark is the one who usually gives us the fewest details. He often seems in a hurry to tell the story. He wants to get right to the point. But this passage is one of the exceptions. Mark fills the account of Jesus encounter with Bartimaeus with details that help us to better picture the scene [SLIDE]. For example, in verse 49 Mark writes that upon hearing Bartimaeus Jesus stood still. He had been walking, but that second cry of Bartimaeus has drawn Jesus attention. He stops walking and stands still. He tells someone, perhaps one of the disciples, to call Bartimaeus. Do you see what has happened? Bartimaeus is no longer invisible. Jesus has taken note of him. And because of this, his healing has already begun. In responding to Bartimaeus s cries, Jesus changes the way that people interact with him. We see it in the softer tone with which the crowd call him: Take heart; get up, he is calling you (Mk. 10:49). A moment earlier they had tried to silence him. Now they are speaking to him with kindness. Jesus ability to heal is not limited to the laying on of hands. Even his words have the power to soften hardened hearts. 4
The way that Bartimaeus responds to Jesus invitation is my favorite part of this entire passage [SLIDE]: So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus (Mk. 10:50). He throws off his cloak and springs up. You can sense his excitement. He is going to meet Jesus. This is his opportunity to find the healing he so desperately desires. Throughout Mark s Gospel many people come to Jesus with questions. Earlier in the Gospel Jesus is asked why his disciples do not fast. Later, the rich young man asks how he can inherit eternal life. Then the scribes and Pharisees ask questions in order to trap him, such as whether it is lawful for a man to divorce his wife. But here with Bartimaeus Jesus is the one who asks the question [SLIDE]: What do you want me to do for you? (Mk. 10:51). Does that question sound familiar? It should. We heard that same question last week when Jesus spoke with James and John. If you remember, James and John had gone to Jesus in private and said, Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you (Mk. 10:35). Jesus answered them by asking, What is it you want me to do for you? (Mk. 10:36). The question may be the same, but the answers given by Bartimaeus and the brothers could not be more different. James and John wanted glory. They asked to be given seats of honor, at Jesus right and left hand, when he came in glory to sit upon the throne of Israel in Jerusalem. But Bartimaeus Bartimaeus wants only to be healed of his blindness. He wants to see. The funny thing the ironic thing is that the disciples, despite their ability to see, are totally blind, and Bartimaeus, despite his blindness, already sees. The disciples are blinded by their ambition, by their desire for recognition and honor. They cannot see what Jesus has repeatedly shown them that as Messiah he will not be glorified but humbled, and as his disciples they must follow that same path they must humble themselves. By contrast Bartimaeus, who as a blind beggar is utterly lacking 5
in status, recognition, and honor, desires none of those things. He has already been humbled. He wants only to be healed. He asks only for mercy. In English there is an expression, Seeing is believing. It means that something can t be accepted as true or fully appreciated until it is experienced firsthand [SLIDE]. For example, I can describe to you the Grand Canyon in great detail its mind-boggling size and beauty, the way sunlight dances off of every rock and ravine, the deep blueness of the sky that stretches limitlessly over its entire expanse, but you won t fully appreciate its transcendent beauty until you see it for yourself. Even pictures won t do it justice. When it comes to appreciating the beauty of the Grand Canyon, seeing is believing. Seeing is believing. That s also the attitude of the disciple Thomas. If you remember the story from the Gospel of John, Thomas is not there with the other disciples when the risen Jesus returns and meets them in the house where they were hiding. When his fellow disciples excitedly tell him that they have seen the risen Lord, he refuses to believe them. He famously says [SLIDE], Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe (Jn. 20:25). Nothing short of seeing Christ s wounds for himself will convince Thomas that Jesus has risen. For Thomas, seeing is believing. But Bartimaeus reverses this well known expression; for Bartimaeus, believing is seeing [SLIDE]. Although he doesn t see Jesus with his eyes, Bartimaeus still recognizes him. He still believes in him. He recognizes Jesus as Messiah. He refers to him as Jesus, Son of David, which is another title for the Messiah (Mk. 10:47). He says again a second time, Son of David, have mercy on me! (Mk. 10:48). Bartimaeus believes. He believes in Jesus identity as Messiah. He believes in his ability to heal. He believes that Jesus has come not to receive glory but to extend mercy. And so Jesus says to him, Go; your faith has made you well (Mk. 10:52). 6
Bartimaeus s faith is much more recognizing that Jesus is the Messiah. He sees that the nature of Jesus ministry is one of mercy. Of course, the disciples also believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Peter has already declared as much. If you remember Mark 8, which we read about six weeks ago (I know, that s a long time ago), Jesus asks the disciples, Who do people say that I am? (Mk. 8:27). The disciples answer John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets. Then Jesus raises the ante, asking the disciples directly, Who do you say that I am? (Mk. 8:29). That s when Peter makes his bold confession: You are the Messiah. Peter identifies Jesus as the Messiah. He and the other disciples see him as the one who will fulfill the hopes of Israel, who will liberate Israel from Roman oppression. They see in him the Messiah that they want him to be a warrior, a liberator, a king. The only problem is that s not the Messiah that Jesus came to be. He came not to strike down his enemies but to suffer for them. He is not the conquering Messiah, he is the Suffering Servant. This was no secret. It s in scripture Isaiah 52 and 53. This is a long passage that we usually read during the season of Lent, especially on Good Friday, because it speaks of the Suffering Servant of the Lord. I won t read the entire passage, but here is an excerpt [SLIDE]: 3 He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account. 4 Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed (Isa. 53:3-5). Are you ready for some goosebumps ( 닭살 )? Those words were written more than five hundred years before Jesus was born. The writing was on the wall, as they say, or on the parchment. God s plan all along involved the suffering of his beloved Son. 7
Bartimaeus, as one who is no stranger to suffering, is able to see this when the disciples, those closest to Jesus, can not. That s because Bartimaeus has no desire for the glory and honor that comes with victory; he wants only to be healed. I want to close by having us do a brief spiritual exercise. It s going to require some imagination on your part. If you came to the spring retreat, you ve already experienced what we re about to do. Jesus asked James and John [SLIDE], What do you want me to do for you? They answered that they wanted glory and honor. Jesus asked Bartimaeus, What do you want me to do for you? He answered that he wanted only mercy and healing. Like the disciples we too can sometimes be blinded by our desire to magnify and glorify ourselves. Like the disciples we are sometimes blind to the truth that walking with Jesus will cause us to suffer and turn us into servants. But like Bartimaeus we have also been given eyes of faith. We recognize ourselves as sinners in need of healing. That s why we have gathered together here in church. We are the disciples and we are Bartimaeus; we are blind and yet we see. So for this exercise I want you to close your eyes. I want you to picture yourself in a quiet place. It can be anywhere you like sitting on the couch in your living room, at a table in the corner of a café, lying underneath a tree in a park, or even walking along a trail in the woods. Wherever it is it s a place quiet enough to have an intimate conversation. That s because you are not alone. Jesus is there with you. He is sitting with you, or standing next to you, or maybe walking alongside you. There is something you have been wanting to ask him if you ever had the chance, and now you have that chance. He looks you in the eye and asks, What do you want me to do for you? In the brief silence that follows this sermon, I m asking you to think about how you would answer Jesus question. 8