How Are You Dealing With Your Blindness? (AM Sermon Notes)
GIST: The disciples were worried about their position, but Bartimaeus understood his. To see, we need Jesus.
SCRIPTURE: Mark 10:32-52
32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”
35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. …
46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 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 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.
We’re going to take these final three segments from Mark 10 in two parts. This is the end of a teaching segment that started in chapter 8 with the healing of a blind man and ends here in chapter 10...with the healing of a blind man. In between, we’re given pictures of the disciple’s spiritual blindness in the face of Jesus repeatedly telling them about His mission. In fact, there is a bit of a pattern in this teaching section. We have a discussion of spiritual blindness, and then a healing of a blind man. Then, Peter proclaims that Jesus is the Christ, and Jesus explains what this means and has to rebuke Peter for missing the point and wanting to make it about earthly gains. Then, after some teaching, we have Jesus explaining why He came again, quickly followed by the disciples arguing over who will be greatest...followed then by more teaching. Then, here we have Jesus explaining for the third and final time, and in the most detail, what He came to do, followed immediately by James and John coming and asking for the most privileged positions in the kingdom. They’ve clearly missed it, and Jesus explains this again, then shows it once more by… healing a blind man.
Tonight, we’ll spend some time talking about Jesus as the “ransom for many”. Because of this, I skipped that section in this morning's reading. This morning, we’re going to zoom out a bit and compare the concerns of the disciples to the concern of blind Bartimaeus. The truth in these passages is clear, and it’s one we’ve addressed before...even recently. Nonetheless, it’s a beautiful picture of a truth I know I need to embrace more every day. The gist? The disciples were worried about their position, but Bartimaeus understood his. To see, we need Jesus.
I. THE DISCIPLES WERE WORRIED ABOUT POSITION
Disciples Make A Bold But Misguided Request. I just want to walk through the account as it came to us. Immediately following Jesus telling the disciples He would die and rise again, James and John make this extremely bold and incredibly wrong request. “35b Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”
This is James and John as in Peter, James, and John. Two of the “big three”. These are the guys who appeared to be closest to Jesus during His earthly ministry...and yet, they miss the point here. I didn’t even think about it until I was typing up these notes, but in the pattern we just talked about, the first disciple to be rebuked for missing the point was Peter. Then, during the second rebuke, John gets special attention for trying to stop a man from casting out demons in Jesus’ name. Now, James and John together put their feet in their mouths. Given Jesus’ teaching on servant leadership and the sacrificial lives we know these men went on to live, I do not think this is just by chance.
Positive: Boldness? Nonetheless, there is a positive side to this request. Their boldness demonstrated that they truly believed two things: Jesus is the Messiah and has ultimate authority. They came knowing He could do whatever they asked. We’ll come back to this in the takeaways, but I think sometimes our prayers lack this confidence.
Negative: Arrogance and Skewed View of the Kingdom. However, the negative side gets in the way...significantly. They’re arrogant, and they’ve missed out on what the Kingdom of God is all about. They’re still thinking in terms of a physical kingdom where they can have a physical position. They came with some of the right knowledge, but the wrong hearts.
Jesus Redirects. We’re going to spend more time tonight looking at Jesus’ rebuke and the teaching about servant leadership that follows. This morning, let’s just note how He responds. Really, He just redirects them. His words aren’t harsh; they’re corrective. He starts by pointing out that they don’t really understand what they’re asking, and then asks them a question. “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” These words are symbolic of His suffering. There are several Biblical references where you can see this, but here are two examples if you’d like to check them out: Jeremiah 25:15 and Romans 6:3-4.
The cup represents the wrath of God, and His baptism is symbolic of His death and resurrection. He is about to take on the full wrath of God in our place, and die and rise again...in our place. Jesus had just told the disciples what He would suffer, so they should have understood what He meant with this question. Yet, their ready response doesn’t seem to show this. They just say… “yes”. They don’t know what they’re saying, but Jesus tells them, ‘Well, you’re not wrong. You will suffer for my name’s sake, but you’re asking for the wrong things.’ Their suffering will not carry the weight of His, but they will still suffer. They were looking for positions of power, and Jesus promises them positions of suffering service.
Disciples Grumble. The last thing we then see in this part of the interaction is how the remaining 10 disciples react to James and John’s request. They’re indignant. The last time we saw this word, it was used to describe Jesus’ reaction to the disciples trying to stop children from coming to Him. His indignation was justified. Theirs? While it could be that they couldn’t believe James and John could be so arrogant, given their track record, it seems to imply that they were more likely upset about James and John asking before they could! Needless to say, this passage does not cast the disciples in a positive light. (Side Note: This is one reason cited for why the gospels can be trusted. If these were just made up stories, wouldn’t they try to make themselves look better?)
II. BARTIMAEUS UNDERSTOOD HIS
The attitude of the disciples is then directly contrasted with this blind man. The account reminds us of what Jesus told the disciples earlier in this teaching segment. He’s opening their spiritually blind eyes. Like with the first blindness healing, though, it’s a gradual process. To hit home the point, we’re immediately given this story.
It’s is the last healing miracle in the gospel, and the only one where the name of the one receiving the healing is provided. His name is Bartimaeus, which means “the son of Timaeus” (Mark explains this to his Gentile readers). The account is simple, but, man, it’s beautiful.
Bart Cries For Mercy. The disciples came boldly asking for prestige. Bartimaeus, he cries for mercy. He’s a blind beggar. The people traveling with Jesus tell him to be quiet. They don’t think he’s worthy of Jesus’ attention. How does he react? He just cries all the more.
Positive: Boldness. He’s bold, as well. We don’t know how he came to know about Jesus, but he calls Him the “Son of David”, which was a title for the Messiah, the Christ. He knows who Jesus is and that he needs Him.
Positive: Humility. Unlike the disciples, however, his boldness comes with humility. I can’t remember who said it, but one of the sermons I listened to this week on this passage (I’m leaning toward John Stott or Derek Thompson) said if we could come to understand the balance between boldness and humility, we’d understand much of what it means to be a Christian. Bartimaeus understood his need, and knew it was only in Jesus’ power to meet it. He wasn’t trying to use Jesus as a genie to bring him earthly success.
Jesus Stops and Calls! However, the real beauty in this picture isn’t Bartimaeus. It’s Jesus’ response to him. When James and John came asking for power, Jesus redirected them. When Bartimaeus came crying out for mercy, Jesus stopped and called him. That’s how salvation works. And when Bartimaeus heard He was calling, he sprung up and threw off his cloak and went to Him. Let’s not overlook this. It’s remarkable. He’s a blind man. If he throws off his cloak in a crowd, he won’t be able to easily find it again. There are two sides to this coin that point to the faith for which he’s later commended. When Jesus calls, he threw off his cloak because either he’s willing to do what the rich young ruler could not, and leave what little he had to follow Jesus, or because he’s fully expecting to be able to pick it back up as he walks away with Jesus...seeing! He’s coming expectant and with his whole heart because Jesus called him! He can’t see Him, but he follows His voice. Man, do you see the applications to our lives here!
When he gets to Jesus, he is met with the same question Jesus had asked James and John, “ 51 ...“What do you want me to do for you?” His response? “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” He knows his need. Jesus meets it.
Bart Follows. I love this. “52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed Him on the way” (emphasis added). Jesus changes his life and tells him to go his way. Bartimaeus follows Jesus. He knew his need, and he knows his way is now following Christ. His life is not his own!
TAKEAWAYS
1. We’re blind, and only Jesus can give us sight.
If you’re saved today, it is because He called you. If you’re not, may your prayer echo the hymnist:
Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
- “Pass Me Not” by Frances J. Crosby
Oh, come when He calls!
2. Boldly come to Jesus who hears your cries.
Throw off your cloak! Often we complain about not knowing what to do. Come. Cry. He is listening. We need to remember the importance of earnest prayer. I know you’re like me in this, because this is the human condition. You have concerns this morning. You have burdens. Are you bringing them to Jesus? Am I? Do we sometimes waste our energies worrying and thinking about what we should be praying about? We pray in His will and trusting His power. He doesn’t have to do what we ask, but He can do all things, and does work out all things according to His purpose. Do we believe that? Is that reflected in our prayers?
3. Humbly submit to Him as the sovereign God who came to take the judgment you deserved.
Don’t fall into the arrogance trap the disciples did. It’s not about your position; it’s about His mission.
4. Follow Him.
Your life is not your own. Matthew 6:33 “33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
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