Blind & Unrelenting Faith

Open your Bibles with me to Mark 10

When was the last time that you were desperate for something?

When we were living overseas, Bethany had to travel to England for a training and I was left with the children in Spain, where we were living. Things were going swimmingly for the first several days, and then the wheels fell off.

I got sick-first a little and then a lot. I had double pneumonia.

They wanted to hospitalize me.

Instead, I convinced them to send me home with all the drugs I needed and would have had in the hospital.

Then, I got a call from London.

Bethany had a bad allergic reaction in a restaurant.

She had gone into anaphylaxis and was at a hospital.

I remember going to bed that night feeling desperate. My fever was incredibly high, I couldn’t breath deeply. Isaiah, who was just one year old at the time, was lying on the bed next to me because I didn’t have the strength to go get him every time he needed me. Now, my wife was also in dire straights in another country and I could get no word as to what was happening with her.

I was all alone. No one to call. I remember going to sleep that night praying for God’s healing for each of us. I prayed that as I went to sleep that I would still be there for my kids in the morning.

Now, on this side of history, I could tell you about the miracles and the struggles. Bethany never saw a doctor, and yet she recovered. I woke up in the morning in our queen-sized bed on bedding that was drenched from side to side and end to end. My fever had broken and my strength was already starting to come back. The kids were all fine, and we were all smiles at the airport picking up mom.

But, in that hour, I truly knew desperation.

Desperation is that feeling when you know that you need something you are incapable of doing anything about.

In moments like that, we know we are desperate.

The truth is that we really are desperate all of the time.

What are you desperate for in your life? Where do you go to get what you’re desperate for?

In your hour of desperation, you reveal where your hope lies.

With that in mind, let’s look at Mark 10 together. We’re starting this morning in verse 46, and as we do, I would invite those who are able to stand with me in honor of the reading of God’s Word:

Mark 10:46–52 CSB

They came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many warned him to keep quiet, but he was crying out all the more, “Have mercy on me, Son of David!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man and said to him, “Have courage! Get up; he’s calling for you.” He threw off his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. Then Jesus answered him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Rabboni,” the blind man said to him, “I want to see.” Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has saved you.” Immediately he could see and began to follow Jesus on the road.

Pray, invite to be seated.

Faith is not a passive admiration of Jesus-It is a desperate pursuit of Him.

In our passage this morning, there is a lot going on

Jesus is on His march to Jerusalem & the cross.

You’ll remember last week, the disciples just had an argument about who is the greatest.

Jesus passes through Jericho, a city that was never supposed to be rebuilt after God destroyed it.

As Jesus come out of this city, He encounters this blind man, who sees what all of these people following Him seem to be missing.

Jesus met the need of a man who faithfully, desperately pursued Him.

Bartimeus is the last person healed before the cross, and I don’t think that is a coincidence.

Mark is telling us this is what true faith looks like.

Jesus will answer the cries of those that desperately pursue Him in faith.

Our passage gives us four steps towards a faithful and desperate pursuit of Jesus.

Mark 10:46–47 CSB

They came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Your first step in a desperate and faithful pursuit of Jesus is to

Cry out to Jesus believing He hears and is able.

Bartimeus knows who Jesus is before He ever sees Him.

He calls Jesus “Son of David”- a messianic title!

He doesn’t ask if Jesus can help- He cries out to Jesus FOR help

Bartimeus cries out to Jesus because he really believes Jesus can help.

Faith doesn’t start with clarity-it begins with conviction.

There is a crowd that is following Jesus.

some of them are his disciples.

One of them is a traitor.

Most of them haven’t really figured out who He is-even after all He’s done

Bartimeus sees what the the crowds and disciples miss.

He sees Jesus, God’s one and only Son.

He is desperate and sees the only path to his healing.

Blind Bartimeus cries out in desperate faith.

The crowd around him hears his cries.

That same crowd would soon scream crucify.

That same crowd would hear Jesus cry out from the cross

Many will ignore Him, not realizing that they are the desperate ones.

Are you desperate for Jesus?

If the answer is no, it is because you have yet to feel the full weight of your sin.

You have not yet grasped that Jesus is your only hope.

You have yet to realize who He is. And yet, in this passage we are reading, HE was already thinking of you.

As Jesus healed Bartimeus, He was on His way to accomplish yours on a cross.

1 John 1:9 CSB

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Won’t you cry out to Jesus that you need His healing and believe that He is able.

Let’s continue: verse 48

Mark 10:48 CSB

Many warned him to keep quiet, but he was crying out all the more, “Have mercy on me, Son of David!”

The second step in a desperate and faithful pursuit of Jesus is to

Pursue Jesus persistently until He answers.

The crowd tries to silence Bartimeus, but he just won’t shut up.

I grew up in the Catholic church, and when I was in late elementary school, the priest in our church was moved to another area.

The Sunday that our new priest arrived, we had a question and answer time to get to know each other better.

The priest asked us “are there any needs in the church family that I need to know about.”

I raised my hand.

My brother told me to put it down.

My sister started giggling.

My mom tried to get my attention.

It was too late.

The priest said “yes, young man.”

Without hesitation, I told him that my friends and I play football after church every Sunday, but that our football had worn out and would no longer hold air.

The whole church busted out laughing at me.

The priest said “thanks for letting me know.”

My mom rebuked me.

My brother made fun of me.

But the next Sunday, when I got to church, the priest met me at the door…with a new football.

Persistence like Bartimeus is not volume.

It isn’t screaming louder and louder

It is a refusal to be silenced.

Last week, we saw the disciples argue about who was greatest.

Now, the crowd tries to silence someone they perceive as unimportant and bothersome.

Bartimeus refuses to stop asking.

In Luke 18, Jesus told a parable about this.

A widow goes to a crooked judge asking for help.

The judge doesn’t want to help, but she just won’t shut up.

The judge finally helps her because of her persistence.

Then, Jesus says in Luke 18:7

Luke 18:7 CSB

Will not God grant justice to his elect who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay helping them?

This is the picture of persistence.

It isn’t nagging God because you can somehow force His hand by nagging.

It is the demonstration of ardent faith and the plea to the only one who can help.

a cub trapped cries out to mom in desperation, not in a nag but in belief she will help.

Some of you have been told…

Stop making such a big deal of your struggles.

Just accept your lot in life.

and “God helps those who help themselves.

Bartimeus says-No, Jesus helps those who cry out with persistence.

Those who will not be silenced before Him.

Look to the gift of your forgiveness through the cross and remember:

Romans 8:32 NASB95

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

Pursue Jesus with persistence, friend, and find that HE is worth the pursuit.

Lets’ look at verse 49:

Mark 10:49–50 CSB

Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man and said to him, “Have courage! Get up; he’s calling for you.” He threw off his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

The third step in a desperate and faithful pursuit of Jesus is to

Follow His call with reckless abandon.

Picture this with me for a moment.

Bartimeus is a blind beggar.

If he has anything at all, it is meager and it is in someone else’s home.

He sits on the side of the road, for what else is he to do?

His cloak is probably his most valuable possession.

It was protection from the sun beating down on him.

It was his warmth and shelter in the night.

That cloak was his protection, his livelihood, and his identity.

I have a closet full of coats-this was his only one.

Bartimeus was blind and there was a crowd.

Anything that he left behind was unlikely to be there when he returned.

And yet, he abandoned his coat.

This blind man jumped up, completely unconcerned for safety in a world where he saw nothing.

Bartimeus was running to Jesus.

Before he receives his sight, Bartimeus abandoned what defined his old life.

You cannot cling to your old life and run to Jesus at the same time.

This abandon of anything and everything else only seems reckless when you look at this world.

But when you realize who Jesus truly is, you see it is really

Letting go of the lesser for the greater.

Leaving false treasures for the treasure of heaven.

Jesus called Bartimeus. Soon we will see Him call sinners through the cross.

This morning, He is calling you. Jesus is calling you.

What cloak might you be clinging to that Jesus would have you drop?

Let’s look at the last one together:

Mark 10:51–52 NASB95

And answering him, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.

The fourth step in a desperate and faithful pursuit of Jesus is to

Grow through Jesus’ provision to follow Him closer.

This man’s belief didn’t begin with this moment.

He knew the name of Jesus before Jesus passed by.

That’s why he started crying out when he learned Jesus was passing by.

Let’s consider this man’s response to healing.

Bartimeus had been blind a long time.

He could have run off rejoicing to see family and friends.

Instead, his response to to “Follow Him on the road.”

Bartimeus didn’t believe so that he could be healed.

Bartimeus found healing because he believed.

Jesus doesn’t heal Bartimeus to make life easier.

He heals him so he can follow Jesus into suffering.

Jesus immediately continues His journey.

They are continuing on Jesus’ journey towards the cross.

Friends, true faith doesn’t just want blessing-it wants Jesus.

I can point to many moments in my life when God did something only He could do.

I can point to many blessings that God has given me and asked me later to cast them aside.

I have lived in a home so small you could trip through the front door and fall out the back.

I have owned a home so beautiful it was literally featured in a magazine

I have experienced hours of abundance and blessing, darkness and last-minute miracles.

Do you know what all of these things have in common?

Not one of them compares to having Jesus.

Just before Christmas, before our pause from Mark, we read about this young, rich man.

He came to Jesus to find eternal life.

Jesus called him to walk away from his wealth.

And that man walked away.

This morning, Jesus calls Bartimeus, who cried out, pursued Jesus, and ran to Him with reckless abandon.

And that pursuit continued beyond his healing.

I don’t know where your heart is this morning. I don’t know if you realize your desperate need for Jesus.

Jesus warns us in Revelation 3:17-18

Revelation 3:17–18 NASB95

‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

Jesus stops for one beggar on His way to stop for you with nails in His hands.

He hears the cries of Bartimeus, but soon He would cry out under the agony of your sin.

The cross proves that Jesus doesn’t just hear your cries-He enters your suffering to answer them.

I would argue that the greater miracle that day on a road outside of Jericho was not that a blind man saw.

It was that a lost man found His way in following Jesus.

This morning, are you ready to let go of everything to chase after Him?

The worship team is going to come and lead us in a song of reflection.

And as they sing, if this morning, your heart is desperate for Jesus, I’ll be right down front.

Coming forward and praying with me this morning is not a move of shame.

It is a pursuit in faith.

It is a joyous step away from death and towards life.

There is no one here that would think ill of you for coming forward

There are many hearts that would praise God with you as you come.

This morning, if Jesus is calling you to find healing in Him, won’t you come and pray with me now.

And together, let’s find some time we can talk together about your first steps on the road with Jesus.

Pray.