Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign
[00:00:04] Speaker B: welcome to Hope for Today, a weekly Bible teaching program that will bring you hope for every day.
It is a privilege to open the Word of God and allow its timeless wisdom to mold us and shape us. Think about the many godly people who have read these same stories and been changed by studying the Bible.
Thanks for listening to Hope for Today and we're honored to spend this time with you in the Word of God. Today's title is Believing is Seeing. No, I didn't say it backwards. This is the blind man who believed Jesus could help him. He was just a blind beggar who heard Jesus was passing by and he would not be quiet because he believed and knew Jesus could help him see.
Miraculously, Jesus gave him his sight. Turn to mark 10 and let's see how his faith gave him sight.
[00:01:06] Speaker A: Being able to see is one of our five senses, and the development of sight in human beings is fascinating.
We know that newborns can only see objects within 8 to 12 inches of their faces.
Babies are born with a preference for human faces, and that aids them in their early social interaction and their bonding with the parent.
At six months, most babies can perceive depth, and that allows them to reach for objects and be accurate in their reach.
This period is crucial for the development of their hand and eye coordination and for their motor skills.
And then, as children's physical sight develops, wise parents will also pay attention to the development of their spiritual sight.
Every child should hear the regular daily reading of the Scriptures in their home, and especially by the Father, if that is at all possible.
In Mark's Gospel we have arrived at the account of Jesus healing a man named Bartimaeus.
This account deals with sight and blindness in relation to discipleship.
I've titled My teaching Believing is Seeing, and the Scripture portion is Mark 10:46 52 Listen as I read now they came to Jericho, and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude blind, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.
And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth his he began to cry out and say, jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.
Then many warned him to be quiet, but he cried out all the more, son of David, have mercy on me.
So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.
Then they called the blind man and they said to him, be of good cheer, rise. He is calling you.
And and throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.
So Jesus answered and said to him, what do you want me to do for you?
The blind man said to him, Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.
Then Jesus said to him, go your way. Your faith has made you well. And immediately he received his sight and followed, uh, Jesus on the road.
In this text, the participants of this narrative reveal to us how faith leads to sight and how believing is seeing.
The first participant that we observe is the calloused crowd.
I believe this crowd demonstrates a particular kind of character, and I've called it calloused. To be calloused is to be hardened. It is to be unfeeling, not able to show sympathy to other people.
At the beginning of this chapter, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their calloused attitude toward marriage. They thought a man should be able to divorce his wife for any reason.
But Jesus said, no, that's not God's intention.
From the creation, he created one man and one woman for life. That's marriage. And when they questioned him about Moses provisions for divorce, he told them that it was because of the hardness of their hearts. Their hearts were dull. They were insensitive and uncaring.
They were calloused.
After that interaction, the disciples had earned Jesus disapproval because they had a calloused response to the children.
The mothers wanted Jesus to bless their children, and the 12 tried to chase them away.
Jesus sharply rebuked them for their callousness.
As our text opens, Jesus continues his journey to Jerusalem for the Passover. He's Traveling with the 12 and in the company of other pilgrims. It was a considerable crowd.
According to verse 32, Jesus was at the head of the crowd, and he was resolutely leading the way.
As Bartimaeus, uh, listens to the noise of the crowd, he gathers that Jesus is at the front.
And once he knows this, he loudly cries, son of David, have mercy on me.
You know, this is the first time Jesus has given this title in in Mark's Gospel.
Displaying their callous character, the crowd sternly rebukes him. They tell him to be quiet.
Jesus doesn't have time for the likes of you. You're just a beggar. Why do you think he'll pay attention to you?
He's on his way to Jerusalem. He has more important things to do.
You see, Bartimaeus was considered a sinner, someone unworthy of Jesus. Notice in John chapter 9 and verse 2, where Jesus healed a different blind man. The disciples asked Jesus, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind.
The crowd saw this man as being undeserving of Jesus attention. So they said to him, be quiet. Save your breath.
Now let's observe the next participant.
He is the persistent beggar.
In response to the crowd's attempt to quiet him, Bartimaeus only cried, louder, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.
His very cry tells us that he believed Jesus to be Israel's long awaited Messiah. Because Son of David was clearly a messianic title. Every devout Jew knew that Bartimaeus was physically blind, and yet he has spiritual insight. He is loudly confessing that Jesus is the Messiah.
In contrast to that, you have the 12 and the crowd who can see physically, but they're spiritually blind.
They saw Jesus miracles, yet they doubted him. They refused his instructions, and they followed him for the loaves and the fishes he provided.
Bartimaeus, uh, simple, confident faith stands in stark contrast to the behavior of the 12.
They rejected Jesus predictions about his death, and they squabbled over who would be the greatest.
This account presents an interesting contrast of the words cry and call.
If we return to Mark 7, we find the 12 crying out in terror as Jesus appears to them walking on the stormy sea.
His call, his voice reassured them that it was him.
But then the text says he went up into the boat to them and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure and marveled, for they had not understood about the loaves because their hearts were hardened.
Bartimaeus also cried out, but not in fear. He cried out in faith, and his heart wasn't hardened. His confident confession of faith leads us to the next participant, the compassionate Savior.
Jesus walked up that road to Jerusalem with purposeful strides. He was determined to drink the cup of suffering that waited for him.
And yet now he suddenly stops in the middle of the road and tells the crowd, find out who it is that's shouting at me and bring him here. I'm not moving another step toward Jerusalem until I see this man.
Jesus knew what he was facing in Jerusalem, but he took time to serve Bartimaeus. His actions proved what he had told the disciples just a little bit earlier.
I did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life a ransom for many.
And so the crowd told Bartimaeus, cheer up, get up, Jesus is calling for you.
Bartimaeus response was action motivated by faith. Can you picture him throwing aside his cloak and leaping to his feet to go to Jesus?
Those aren't the actions of someone who is doubtful.
He had confessed Jesus with his mouth, and his actions proved that he actually believed it in his heart.
According to Romans 10, 9, those are the requirements for every disciple of Jesus to confess with your Mouth and believe in your heart.
And so Jesus asked him, what do you want me to do for you?
Where did we hear that question before?
You know, we might be tempted to criticize Jesus. Come on, the man is blind. Why are you asking what he wants? But Bartimaeus doesn't hesitate.
All I want, Lord, is to receive my sight again.
No, that's not exactly the way he says it. He says, rabboni, you know, that's the same title that Mary gave to Jesus in the Garden of Resurrection.
This alteration from the title Rabbi has intense personal significance. It is a confession of faith. Bartimaeus is saying to Jesus, my Lord and my Master.
Let me see.
Did you think about where we heard Jesus question to Bartimaeus before?
It was to James and John. They said, teacher, we want you to do whatever we ask for us. And then Jesus asked them the same question he had asked Bartimaeus. What do you want me to do for you?
The question was the same, but the response was completely different.
Because James and John selfishly ask for privileged positions in Jesus Kingdom.
In response to that, Jesus taught them the necessity of humility and service.
Bartimaeus simply requested to recover his sight instead of sitting by the road begging. The ability to see would allow him to have an everyday, productive life.
Jesus said, go your way. Your faith has healed you.
What Jesus meant was, your faith has saved you. And some Bible translations say, your faith has made you whole.
I like that because it indicates the completeness of the action and the finished results.
Bartimaeus had already placed his faith in Jesus by proclaiming him publicly as the Messiah.
Now his physical sight was restored too.
He was a whole man in the fullest sense of the word.
Immediately, Bartimaeus sight was restored and he began to follow Jesus.
I think most blind people would want to run through the city and see all the sights. Instead, as soon as Bartimaeus saw anything, he saw Jesus and he followed him on the road to Jerusalem to his death.
You know, Mark gives us a picture of a true disciple who is ragged and poor and blind. But he recognizes the Messiah for who he is. And when he calls upon him, he addresses him as my Lord and my Master.
Where Jesus disciples failed, the blind man succeeded.
And now you understand how believing is seeing.
Bartimaeus confessed that Jesus is the Christ before he was healed.
However, there is spiritual blindness that even a believer can have.
The disciples had that problem.
Bartimaeus did not.
Unlike the blind man at Bethsaida and the disciples themselves, Bartimaeus m sees clearly.
And so I ask, where do you find yourself in this story?
Are you calloused to the needs of people around you? Do you think that some people are more worthy of Jesus attention than others?
Or do you exercise the faith of Bartimaeus? Bartimaeus confessed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of David.
Have you made that confession? Are you one of Jesus disciples?
And what is your level of compassion?
While we can't do everything Jesus did, we are called to follow his example.
He took time to care for a man whom many people ignored.
Am I willing to care for people like that?
Are you?
You know, when you and I genuinely believe in Jesus and follow him, then our faith will also result in sight.
[00:13:17] Speaker B: Imagine being blind and then being able to see. Do you think the face of Jesus was the first thing he saw? I am sure that was riveted in his mind for the rest of his life. How many times do you think he blinked and looked around to make sure he was really seeing?
Imagine waking up the next day expecting everything black like it was your whole life. Instead, you open your eyes and you can see.
May God open our spiritual eyes to see as he sees.
If you have any other comments or questions about today's lesson, we'd love to hear from you. Our, uh, email address is hopeheraldsofhope.org and our website is heraldsofhope.org There you will find contact us under the partner tab on the top right. Click on that to message us directly. Till next time. God bless you. As you first believe and then see. Bartimaeus gives us a great example of having a faith that works. His faith led to action.
May our faith also lead us to good works.
