2023.02.05 Blind Bartimaeus
Notes
Transcript
Blind Bartimaeus
Blind Bartimaeus
Psalm 146 • Luke 18:35–43
35 Now as Jesus was approaching Jericho, a man who was blind was sitting by the road, begging.
36 But when he heard a crowd going by, he began inquiring what this was.
37 They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.
38 And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He asked him,
41 “What do you want Me to do for you?” And he said, “Lord, I want to regain my sight!”
42 And Jesus said to him, “Regain your sight; your faith has made you well.”
43 And immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.
This story is told in three Gospels. The versions include a few idiosyncratic differences, but the essential parts of the event are nearly identical, so most scholars believe these three are all the same story:
You just heard Luke’s account, but the name Bartimaeus isn’t mentioned in Luke’s Gospel.
In Matthew’s account in Matthew 20, there are TWO blind men.
Mark records this story in chapter 10, and he is the only one who includes the name Bartimaeus. So Luke 18; Matthew 20; and Mark 10.
One little biblical academics issue before we jump into our questions — Bartimaeus is told that “Jesus of Nazareth” is passing by (verse 37), but he doesn’t cry out to “Jesus of Nazareth”. (38) He calls out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me”. This title, Son of David, tells us a couple of things that we New Testament folks may not understand on just a cursory read:
Because of this phrase, we know Bartimaeus is Jewish. Son of David was a title only used in Jewish circles. In non-Jewish circles, Jesus would have been called “son of Joseph”.
Since he is Jewish, Bartimaeus would have known that Messiah would come from David’s line, so this title also declares Jesus is part of the royal family that will be Messiah’s line.
Matthew’s Gospel was written primarily to a Jewish audience, so Matthew includes some pecularities that only Jews would understand. In Matthew’s gospel, almost every healing includes someone calling Jesus “Son of David” as they ask for his mercy.
So this title — “Son of David” — is specifically Jewish, it indicates Messianic connection, and is closely associated with healings.
Now … what do we learn about God from this story?
What do you learn about GOD from this story?
What do you learn about GOD from this story?
God heals out of a sense of MERCY, not power!
“Son of David, have mercy on me!” Bartimaeus yells it out, and Jesus’ ‘handlers’ tell him to pipe down. So he yells it louder: “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus hears and responds.
Last week, we learned that Jesus provides signs and wonders so people are empowered to believe — to trust — to have faith in him.
I mentioned that Matthew includes “Son of David” in almost every healing in his gospel … guess what else is included: “Have mercy on me.” Healing is a demonstration of God’s compassion, not a demonstration of his power. “Son of David, have mercy on me.”
Next, what can we learn from Jesus’ question to Bartimaeus in verse 41?
God EXPECTS us to ask for what we need.
This one may be as much about humans as it is about God, but we’re right here so let’s look at Philippians 4:6.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
What are we doing wrong with our needs? The belief God demands of us, wipes out the need and desire to worry about things we can’t control.
Friends — if your plan involves worrying, your plan is sinful. Worry is removed by prayer - the more you worry — the more you demonstrate your lack of trust in God. The more you pray about a need, the less you will worry about it. Paul provides a prescription for worry just like a doctor would provide a prescription for strep throat. Pray about everything — worry about nothing.
Before we move away from Philippians 4, look at the result of asking God for what you need in verse 7.
7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
God doesn’t promise you’ll get what you’re asking for. The real gift you get from praying is help relying on him more. The real gift God offers is “peace that passes understanding.” I hear people refer to this peace a lot … but it’s rarely connected to replacing worry with prayer, and that is the connection Paul makes in Philippians.
God EXPECTS us to ask for what we need — and he provides peace in response.
So, what can we learn about humans from this story?
What do you learn about HUMANS?
What do you learn about HUMANS?
When we find what we need, we don’t care what other people think about us.
When Bartimaeus heard that the commotion was caused by Jesus walking by — he yelled out to him! When others told him to be quiet, he didn’t care what they thought of him. He yelled even louder. He didn’t care about being chastised or pushed aside. He knew what Jesus could provide, and didn’t care if his coworkers made fun of him, or if his friends laughed about his stupid, simplistic faith. He didn’t care if people thought he was weak, or foolish. He did what it took to get Jesus’ attention.
Where do we hesitate with our faith because of what others may think of us? What blessings are we being robbed of because we want to fit in to human’s societal expectations? Wonder why the Church is so disregarded in today’s world? Perhaps it’s because we’re too busy crying about how poorly we’re being treated instead of desperately crying out for Jesus regardless of what others think about us.
If we really recognize our need for Jesus, we don’t care what other people think about us.
And this next one is kind of a dual learning about God and humans:
Most humans want to treat Jesus like a VIP.
Church folk often act like we are Jesus’ defense squad. We act like it’s our job to SHIELD GOD from other humans! Not only is that not our responsibility, look at what Jesus does in verse 40.
40 And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He asked him,
Like I said last week, we look at people as an interruption to God. “Surely Jesus can’t be bothered with a peon like you! Sit down, shut up, and just be thankful you get to be here as he passes by.” But God looks at humans as worthy of stopping and giving ear to our needs.
The people “leading the way” acted like Jesus’ bodyguards, and Jesus showed them He doesn’t need us to defend him. He relentlessly gives all of us unending opportunities to tell him what we need.
I’ll move into the next section with a confession:
What do you learn about YOURSELF?
What do you learn about YOURSELF?
I squander most of the opportunities He provides me to tell him what I need. I let TV, or games, or work, or a thousand other things squeeze out the time that’s readily available for me.
Perhaps worry is more convenient for you than prayer. If you have absolutely no faith, prayer won’t hurt you. Faith or no faith … worry is physically harmful to you ON TOP of demonstrating a fundamental lack of trust in God. But how often do you choose worry over prayer?
As we’ve discussed this story today, what do you learn about yourself?
What needs to change as a result of what you’ve learned?
What needs to change as a result of what you’ve learned?
As we read in Philippians 4, the peace we so desperately need is ready for the taking. But we’re often not willing to sacrifice our right to worry. In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7, Jesus said:
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Worry about nothing — pray about everything … and God will provide a peace that passes understanding to guard your heart.
When we think humans are a bother to Jesus, he stops what he’s doing, pays attention, and takes action. Ultimately, that action included laying down his own life for us.
Blind Bartimaeus
Blind Bartimaeus
We’re reminded when we come to this table that Jesus provides all we really need. That he even provides this meal, this experience, this communion with Him so that we can continue in this life with peace and with hope.
On the night he gave himself for us, he shared a meal with his disciples. At the end of the meal, he took bread, gave thanks and broke it ...