Gary Minnick
Midland SDA Church
September 8, 2018
What do you do when you see a man standing at the intersection with a cardboard sign: "I am hungry, I will work for food?" and he has his hand out. What do you do? Well, we probably think, "That fellow has made more money today than we have." And we look around to see where he has parked his BMW. Isn't that awful that we make that assumption? Let me tell you about a beggar in the bible. It's found in Mark 10:46.
One eventful morning a ragged street person left his small miserable dwelling and slowly made his way to the roadside. He had repeated this same act almost every day of his adult life, maybe even as a child. His life work was to sit there beside the hot dusty road and beg for coins. He couldn't work because he was disabled. What was his problem? He was totally blind. Blind Bartimaeus.
Mark 10:46 says: Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and His disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. Which was the Jericho road? Jesus was just about to leave Jericho. The parallel passage in Luke 18:35 says Jesus was approaching Jericho. In Mark, says He was leaving; Luke says He was approaching Jericho. See how the Bible contradicts itself! Isn't that awful? Can Mark and Luke both be right? I mean, was He leaving or was He approaching?
Do those two words mean the same thing? Actually they're both right because there were two Jericho’s. Remember that? They were two miles apart from each other. He was in one and was about to approach the other. The Old Testament Jericho was 2 miles north of the New Testament Jericho which was the Capital and winter resort for Herod the Great. Zacchaeus, was a chief tax collector of this warm area. So both Mark and Luke are correct! You can absolutely trust the Bible!
Bartimaeus! And his friend came to this spot every day and just barely got enough coins to eat. They were just etching out a living because they could not work to support themselves. They were both totally blind. There were two of them according to Matthew 20:30. Bartimaeus was a poor man despite his begging according to what I read in the comments from Volume 5 of the Seventh-day Adventist Commentary, p. 1111. His world and his future looked very dark.
This blind man was Handicapped. You know, Heaven doesn't always heal handicapped people. Have you noticed that?
We sometimes have an ailment and Heaven helps us through them all but doesn't always remove them. So, what were his problems?
1. He was blind. That would be a problem, wouldn't It.? If you can't see anything, the world is black and dark, you're blind, and you have a problem. Can you imagine being blind? Now, I'm not going to ask everybody to shut their eyes, and ask what you see. If you had to lose one of your five senses, which would you choose to lose? Sense of touch? Oh, you can't lose that. How about the sense of taste or hearing? I mean, which one would you choose to lose? It would be a tough decision, wouldn't it.?
2. Another handicap: His environment was bad. How do we know that? Remember that Joshua cursed Jericho after its walls fell. This accursed place was Bartimaeus's (Barta May us ) home. Maybe he lived in a small dwelling, of the Old Testament Jericho. I don't know. But please notice that Jesus goes to the accursed place. Jesus goes to places you would not expect Him to go. And He comes there to help. Wherever you are Jesus will come by.
3. What was another handicap? His heredity was bad. How do we know that? Look in Mark 10:46 calls him Bartimaeus. Bar means "son." He was the son of Timaeus. What does that name mean? It means, "Unclean He was the son of an unclean man.
4. He was poor. All the beggars in Palestine's were poor. His possessions were very little. Probably hoping that he could improve his condition.
5. Another handicap that he had: He was totally dependent on other people. He was helpless! What could a blind man do for a living? His choices would not be very many, would they? So being a beggar, Bartimeaus had a lot of strikes against him.
But I want to tell you that
* With Jesus you can overcome your obstacles.
* With Jesus you can master your mishaps.
* With Jesus you can trounce your troubles.
* With Jesus Christ you can do all things!
If you are down and out and the future looks dark, don't focus on your adversities. Focus on your assets! Focus on your resources. And I want to focus on what resources blinded Bartimaeus had. Did he have any resources? Yes he did! Let’s see what they are.
* Resource #1- He had an exceptional ability to hear. Mark 10: 47 say that Bartimaeus keen ears picked up the sound of something. Have you noticed that when one of the five senses is gone the other senses try to make up for it? You mean that if a person is blind you'd better be careful what you say in the distance if you don't want to be heard. He did have very keen hearing. And that's a resource. His keen ears picked up the sound of the treading of many feet and he thought there was a big crowd coming. "Oh, he said to himself, I'd better get ready. I'm going to make some money here.
* Resource # 2- He can speak! You can see how he used his voice to eagerly ask what the great noise is all about. Bystanders tell Him that Jesus of Nazareth is about to pass by and He's followed by a large crowd. Normally when a beggar hears a crowd coming he would put on his best efforts at begging for money. As Bartimaeus got ready to make some real money, something happened. He sensed something he had been waiting for all of his miserable life. He sensed that Jesus was near! He cried out to Jesus. He used his voice.
Let me ask you a Question: Would Jesus have stopped and given him 20/20 vision if he didn’t have asked? I doubt it. The reason we don't have our needs met today is often because we don't ask! I am fully convinced of that.
We need to ask the Lord in prayer and God want His children to ask Him for His resources. Luke 11:9 “And I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be open to you.” If you ask God in faith, expecting and it's in harmony with His will, you're going to receive. Never be timid with Jesus!
* Resource number 3 -- He had FAITH!
Where do we see this? Look at verse 47. He asked in faith! What did he call Jesus? "Son of David." Bartineaus was a believer. He believed that Jesus was the true Messiah. And he had faith enough to know that Jesus could heal him.
* Resource # 4 He had persistence!
Look at what the crowd does to him. The crowd tried to quiet him up. I mean, they're on their way to Jerusalem where they are going to try to anoint Jesus as a king. They don't have time for this old dirty beggar that's been sitting on the road. That would delay the Prophet on His way to the throne. If they could quiet him up, that would save Jesus from having to deal with an old tramp. Some Jews in the crowd hated to hear Jesus being called the Son of David, They didn't like that. And so they also tried to stop him.
The crowd saw that man, sitting by the side of the road as a loser. He'll never amount to anything. Do you judge others by what you see? What comes to your mind when you see a person begging for help? Do you see an old dusty tramp sitting beside the road, or do you see potential? Yes! That's what Jesus saw.
The crowd didn't see it. And how does God look at each one? I believe he looks on the heart. God sees great potential in each one of us.
The rebukes of the crowd only made blind Bartineaus more persistent. He would not have been healed and saved had he listened to the crowd. Beware of peer pressure and public opinion. They will lead you away from Jesus.
Mark 10:49- Jesus stopped... Now, imagine the creator of the universe stopping for a beggar. Stopping for the least of the least. That's what Jesus does. The least is the most with Jesus. I will tell you that God always stops to answer the sincere cries of his suffering creation. He always has time for you. His schedule is never too busy.
Verse 49- “Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called” So, who called him? Who was it? THEY called the blind man. Who is "they?" Some of the crowd.
They called sightless Bartimeaus to get up and come. Do you see how Christ depended on people here? See how He used people to bring this beggar to Himself!
The beggar couldn't get to Jesus because he couldn't find his way through the crowd. There's a lesson in that. They led him to Christ. Jesus still chooses people to lead other people to Himself.
Back in 1986 I heard of a woman by the name of Rose Crawford who had been blind for 50 years. She had a special surgery in Ontario. As the doctor lifted off the bandages she said: "I just can’t believe it!" She wept for joy when for the first time in her life she saw a dazzling and beautiful world of form and color. The irony of the story is that the technique had been perfected 20 years earlier and she had lived on for 20 more years before someone finally told her that she could have the surgery and be able to see in just a few days.
You know, most of the world is spiritually blind. Just think about the plight of all who live in spiritual darkness. Were all those people in the World Trade Towers ready for their life to end? I doubt it. There was no second chance for someone who would bring them to Jesus? How about the miners who were trapped underground for days? They were in the dark, yet someone ask for a bible so he could read about the true light of the world.
Is God depending on you to bring somebody to Jesus? What did I Say? Matt. 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Maybe this afternoon, maybe tomorrow, maybe this coming week, we're commanded to bring somebody to Jesus. We ought to be out there bringing people to Jesus. Pray that He will show you who it is.
Do you suppose Jesus would ever pass that way again? I looked in the Bible to see if Jesus ever walked that way again. I couldn't find any other time he passed that way. Maybe this was the only time He ever passed by that particular spot there in His whole ministry. If that is true, this was the first and last opportunity that blind Bartimaeus would ever have in his whole life. You've got to make a decision while you can. Don't put it off to tomorrow. Respond when the Holy Spirit is calling to you to receive & witness, while there is yet time.
* Resource #5 He could walk! He wasn't crippled. Some in the crowd said: "Get on your feet! He's calling your name!" He came blindly to Jesus. He walked by faith because he couldn't see where he was going. He trusted in Jesus.
* Resource #6 He was a risk taker!
Now where do we get that? Look at Mark 10:50. “Throwing aside, his garment, he rose and came to Jesus” What did he do before he jumped to his feet? "He threw his garment aside." Bartimeaus threw his camel hair tunic, his expensive outer garment! He just threw it aside and headed for Jesus. When Jesus spoke to him he could hear where that voice was and he headed that way. He threw away his outer garment that was used for protection from the weather. This camel hair Tunic was tossed aside. Do you see what is going on here? If Jesus would not have healed him, could he have ever found that coat again, maybe? It would be pretty tough, wouldn't it? He had to put on the new robe of righteousness which was a gift.
You have to want victory. You have to want salvation bad enough that you’re willing to give up everything and cast aside everything that's holding you down, and go without any hindrance to Jesus. He was a risk taker.
That coat symbolized everything he owned. He surrendered everything he had and came to Jesus. And that's the only way that anybody can ever come to Jesus, is to give up everything.
Removing his garment enabled Jesus to get through to him and touch him. Until we are truthful and take off our mask we cannot be helped or healed. You can never see the light while hiding behind a covering. You've got to be truthful with Jesus. You've got to come out into the open to be healed. Can’t be like Adam & Eve and hide. You've got to open yourself up to Jesus.
You've got to cast off the garments of self-righteousness. Because nobody can come to Jesus covered with their own righteousness. We need to be covered with the robe of His righteousness. Some of us are all wrapped up in ourselves. We must lay aside every weight and besetting sin. Read Hebrews 12: 1,2 & Comment.
Resource # 7 Bartimeaus was in the presence of Jesus!
You may say, "Well, I don't see any other resources here." This is the greatest resource of all. Jesus was right there. And you may say, "Well, if Jesus was just thirty feet away from me what a blessing that would be." Jesus is close to you. Rev. 3:20 He is knocking at your door.
Mark 10:51 Jesus said "What do you want me to do for you?" Why did Jesus ask this question? Because Jesus wanted him to ask personally.
He wants us to personally ask for our needs to be met. John 16:24 ..."Ask, and you shall receive!"... The blind man said: "Rabbi, I Want to see." He could have asked for money or land or anything. He had the Creator of the world standing right there, the One Who owns it all.
I've heard fairy tales of some starving man on an island finding a bottle and rubbing it and out comes the Genie. The man could ask for anything, He asked for material possessions, or some trivial things. Friends, when you are in the presence of Jesus ask for something of eternal value.
I think we need to stop praying for a new dishwasher and start praying for a new heart. We need to stop praying for carnal temporal things and start praying for eternal things.
Notice how willing Jesus was to heal the man. He doesn't hesitate. See how rich in mercy our Savior is. Quick was Jesus reply to this poor man in need. Jesus ever lives to show compassion and love to us. Jesus is caring.
In the great story of blind Bartimeaus, the thing that really grips my heart is the caring, unselfish, tender nature of our wonderful Savior. When we are fallen, when we're down, Jesus comes by and if we will cry out to Him, he will instantly come to help us.
Jesus can't be near someone in need and not do something to help that person. That’s His nature.
Let's be like Jesus. Your mission statement in life ought to be, being helpful to others in their needs. James 1:27 (KJV). Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this: To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
That's what Jesus was all about. That's what we need to be all about.
Blind Bartimeaus was led to Jesus. Jesus touched him! Where did He touch him? You don’t get that from Mark, but you get that from in the parallel versions. Matt.20-34 “So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes”
Have you ever let somebody touch your eye? That's where He touched him. He was touched by the Creator and he was healed. Permanent blindness is hard to cure. Yet Jesus did cure this man, instantly and totally.
Did you know that in the whole Old Testament not one person was ever healed of blindness?
None. In the New Testament, no disciple ever healed anyone of life-long blindness. (Acts 9:17, Only Ananias seemed to heal Saul/Paul from temporary loss of sight) “By laying his hands on him” That power was limited to Jesus.
The Old Testament predicted this would be a function reserved only for the Messiah. Isaiah 35:5; 42:7. Only Christ can restore sight to the permanently blind. Why? Because Jesus is the Light of the world. Only Jesus can give spiritual eyesight.
Isaiah 42:16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them. And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them The gift of eternity and salvation can come by none other than Jesus. That blind man represented all of lost people struggling for the true light. Jesus was Bartimeaus only hope. And Jesus is the only hope for this world.
Jesus did not say: My Power hath saved you, He said: "Go your wayu; your faith has made you well” Mark 10:52. Jesus emphasized faith! We live in a strange age. I've always been amazed by what people will believe and what they will not believe. While standing in the line at the Food Store I noticed some of the Tabloids by the checkout lane.
* William & Kate baby drama
* Maria Shriver collapses
* Caylee’s real daddy
* Woman gives birth to a 2 yr old. Child walks in 3 days
How can people believe this nonsense, Yet not believe the clear evidence of Jesus.
Today, where are we in this story of blind Bartimaeus? Are we blind? Are we the beggar. If that's where we fit in this story. Without Jesus we are in deep spiritual darkness. We are blind. Isaiah 59:10 Like the blind we all grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes. We all need to have the good sense to come to Jesus, come to the Light of the world.
1 Corinthians 15:52 (KJV) At the coming of Jesus Christ In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. That's when this takes place. I want to be saved. I want to be changed. I want to be what my Savior wants me to be.
What was Bartimeaus greatest need? To see the light! He begged for light. Jesus is LIGHT! He knew how to beg. He utilized his talent to find Jesus. When we as sinners approach Jesus with great desire, and beg and plead for mercy, we will find it and our blind eyes will be renewed that we might see Jesus as our Light, as THE LIGHT of the world. What was the first thing he saw? The face of Jesus!
What ever happened to Blind Bartimeaaus? Mark 10:52 "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. From that day on he followed the Light. He became a disciple of Jesus Christ. He became a follower of Jesus. He probably became a great leader in the church. I don't know what happened. It says he followed Jesus, and the way I read it, he followed and kept on following Jesus.
The beggar became a follower. The healed followed the healer. And that can happen to you. You can be healed. You can receive spiritual strength. Whatever problem you have, Jesus is the answer. Friend, if you keep following Jesus He will lead you along that road that will take you to heaven. Jesus will not lead you astray.
Deuteronomy 27:18 Cursed is the man who leads the blind astray on the road.
Someday we will get to see the kind face of Jesus. When that man's eyes opened, what was the first thing he saw? He saw Christ. And when we really are changed, we're going to see Jesus in a new light, all of us beggars. Let me just tell you some advice for all of us beggars. If you're going to beg, don't beg for new possessions, beg for light, the Light of the world and when you receive it, you will never be the same.