The Blind That Did Not See
Notes
Transcript
Intro; As we continue to look at the narrative of “The Triumphal Entry”, I want us to look at “The Blind That Did Not See.”
This morning we saw that Jesus healed two men from blindness. One of those men is named in the Gospel account of Mark. His name is Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus.
The question is, “why is he named here and not in the other gospels?” The explanation that Bar-timaeus means “Son of Timaeus” reminds us that Mark is writing to Gentiles, not Jews, so he always has to explain Jewish customs and Jewish talk.
Any Jew would know that in Hebrew (and Aramaic), “bar” means “son of.” So Mark explains that to the readers—what he doesn’t explain is what the name Timaeus means. Why not? Because the readers already knew. It’s a Greek name, they spoke Greek, so they already knew what Timaeus meant. It’s a form of “timao”—the Greek word for … “honor”. Mark says, “This blind beggar—his name was Bartimaeus, which means “Son of Honor.”
That’s ironic, especially in the Jewish custom, that a blind beggar would have the name “Son of Honor”. Jews, similar to how we think today in our western culture, associated God’s blessings with good health, prosperity and social stature. If a person was blind or suffering, they considered it because of SIN and God was punishing them [Remember Job].
2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
The blind who heard Jesus, cried out to Him and responded to His call, He honored their faith and they were healed.
Mark 10:51–52 (NKJV)
51 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.”
52 Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.
Tonight we are going to look at “The Blind That Did Not See”
Text Mark 11:11-20
11 And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.
12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.
13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
14 In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.
15 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.
16 And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.
17 Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”
18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.
19 When evening had come, He went out of the city.
20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
1. The Fruitless Fig Tree; 12-14
1. The Fruitless Fig Tree; 12-14
The cursing of the fig tree might be seen as a little harsh by Jesus because He found no fruit when He was hungry. That is not the case!
In the Old Testament, Israel is often associated with the fig tree and a vineyard. It is a staple food and the sycamore fig bears fruit twice a year [early & late seasons]. The sycamore fig is also one of the few varieties of fruit trees that it’s fruit buds before the leaves appear.
So when Jesus goes by and sees leaves on the tree, He is expecting some fruit, even though its not the season for mature ripe figs, there should be new fruit buds. So Jesus cursed the fig tree.
1 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a very fruitful hill.
2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes.
3 “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
4 What more could have been done to My vineyard That I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, Did it bring forth wild grapes?
5 And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
6 I will lay it waste; It shall not be pruned or dug, But there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds That they rain no rain on it.”
7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.
10 “I found Israel Like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers As the firstfruits on the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal Peor, And separated themselves to that shame; They became an abomination like the thing they loved.
This is the only judgment miracle Jesus performs in the Gospels. It is clearly symbolic of what was to come of the nation of Israel. Israel was planted in this land to bear fruit for the kingdom of God. Unfortunately it did not. The blind that never hear will never produce fruit!
2. The Temple Cleansing; 15-17
2. The Temple Cleansing; 15-17
One of the reasons the “Blind Can’t See” is that they had lost contact with God!
The temple grounds covered 35 acres with the court of the Gentiles being the outer perimeter. This outer area was a place that those who were not Jews, but desired to worship Yaweh, this was their only area of worship. [The Ethiopian Eunuch that Philip ministers to in Acts was able to worship in this area].
Now when Jesus enters this area of the temple grounds He does five things because of His anger of what was happening in the house of God.
1. Jesus drove out the merchants who had set up the outer court as a market place to purchase animals for sacrifice. Originally there were four markets set up on the Mount of Olives for those who needed to buy animals for sacrifice. But Caiaphas [Sadducee] and Annas [priest] moved it to the court of the Gentiles to disrupt foreigners from coming and also to make a profit off the sale of the animals.
2. Jesus then overturned the moneychangers tables. Those who came from foreign countries had to have their money changed into Jewish currency [shekel] because this was the only money the merchants accepted and the only money accepted for payment of the temple tax. The Roman drachmas had the image of Caesar on it and he was an idol worshiper and the was blasphemy to the Jews. The exchange rate was 10-12% from the drachmas to the shekel. Extortion.
3. He scattered those who sold doves. The dove was one of the few sacrifices that the poor people could afford. It was the sacrifice Joseph and Mary brought when they dedicated Jesus in the temple (Luke 2:24). Even the poor people were victimized by the merchants in the temple, and this grieved the Lord Jesus.
4. He stopped people from traveling through the temple using it as a shortcut into the city. The temple grounds covered 35 acres and there were 7 or 8 gates to the temple. Many would take a shortcut from the city to go to the Mount of Olives or visa versa. This was a disruption to those Gentiles who came to worship God.
5. He taught them. When Jesus had finished getting things straight and had the attention of the people, then He taught them what the temple was meant to be, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
6 “Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants— Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant—
7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
The temple, where all nations were welcome to come and worship the LORD, had now been turned into a “den of thieves.” A den of thieves is compared to what we would call “organized crime” today.
G. Campbell Morgan points out that “a den of thieves” is the place to which thieves run when they want to hide. The chief priests and scribes were using the temple and its religious services to “cover up” their sin and hypocrisy.
3. Jesus Wept; Luke 19:41-44
3. Jesus Wept; Luke 19:41-44
Luke 19:41–44 (NKJV)
41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it,
42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side,
44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
The scriptures reveal twice where “Jesus wept”. Once at the physical death of Lazarus [John 11:35], and now at the spiritual death of Israel!
[42] Jesus is the One who gives “peace”. Israel has been waiting/looking for their Messiah for centuries!
They are in the midst of their most important festival, The Passover, remembering how God delivered them from Egypt and gave them peace in the land they now inhabit!
The 69th week of Daniel’s prophesy is finally coming to fruition, right before their very eyes, and they miss HIM!! [Turn to in my Bible for clarity]
24 “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.
25 “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.
26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
Israel missed their visitation because they were blind and could not see!
11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
Close;
Our Lord’s condemning of the tree and cleansing of the temple were both real and symbolic acts that illustrated the sad spiritual condition of the nation of Israel. In spite Israel’s many privileges and opportunities, Israel was outwardly fruitless (the tree) and inwardly corrupt (the temple).
Christ seeks fruit from His church, just like He did from His chosen people Israel. We need to examine ourselves and our ministries to see if we are producing fruit or making merchandise of the Gospel.
We must cultivate our spiritual roots to bear fruit and not simply settle for “leaves on the tree.”