Healing of Blind Bartimaeus

Power of Prayer

(Slide) Prayer is essential and needed as a part of your life, your walk with God. It takes

(Slide) Persistence like the widow (18:1-8)

The crowds - Healed their sick (

(Slide) Humility like the Publican (1:9-14)

(Slide) To be childlike (18:15-17)

(Slide) There are things we don’t need too:

(Slide) Power like the judge (18:1-8) - had no respect for god nor man

(Slide) Riches like the ruler (18:18-24)

Chapter

(Slide) Pride like the Pharisee’s (18:9-14)

Some main points of chapter 18!

Prayer, an essential component of life with God, it involves asking God persistently for what you need, in accordance to His will. It is believing he will provide. Faith places no stock in personal goodness or personal wealth. Faith prays persistently even knowing the cross of suffering is before you, for Christ it was the a cross of shame, humiliation and suffering as God’s perfect sacrifice. Faith knows that it can ask for God’s mercy and receive it as well as God’s blessings and rewards for faith so you can lead a persistently faithful life.

So now let’s look at our passage before us, turn to 112 in The Story and Bibles to Lk18:35-43.

I. Have Mercy on me!

(Slide) From the story book, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?

Now in the Luke account and the Matthew account they look at it two different ways.

(Slide) Matthew says two blind beggars who met Jesus as he left Jericho. Luke says one beggar named Bartimaeus who called out while coming into Jericho. So how do we reconcile this? Looks like a contradiction doesn’t it?

No contradiction, there are two Jericho’s one is the old ruined city and the other the new one that Herod the great built and they were about a mile apart . As for two men vs. one name Bartimaeus, how about he was the outspoken one, or for the Luke account when this has to do with faith and prayer it is one only needed to bring home the teaching of the Lord.

Let’s start breaking down the passage

Luke 18:35–36 NASB95

35 As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. 36 Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was.

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Jericho marks the last state of the journey to Jerusalem for Jesus. One last trip up the mountain. Jericho was the first state of the journey for the blind beggar.

Luke 12:51 NASB95

51 Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division;

(Slide) What was the blind man doing when Jesus approached (v.35)? - blindness was very common in that day due to different illnesses that there were no cure. So the blind would have to resort to begging to make a living This man was not born blind and we see that in (v.41)

Luke 18:41 NASB95

41 “What do you want Me to do for you?” And he said, “Lord, I want to regain my sight!”

Remember this is a section still dealing with prayer, and faith so the may is displaying his faith in his crying out to Jesus.

(Slide) What did the blind man do in (v.36)? - he inquired, he asked questions, he sought to find out. - Isn’t that what we do, don’t we inquire, seek, ask questions so we can find out?

Luke 18:37–38 NASB95

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!”

(Slide) What was the answer to the inquiry look at (v.37)? - they told him i twas Jesus of Nazareth

(Slide) Now, important to notice what the man does, what the may says in (v.38).

(Slide) He cried out

(Slide) He called him by messianic title

(Slide) He made his faithful request.

The world (crowd) had something else in mind than this blind beggar (v.39)

Luke 18:39–40 NASB95

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 questioned him,

(Slide) What do you see in the beggar in (v.39)? - he did not listen to the crowd (the world) and cried out again for mercy

LK18:39-

(Slide) What do you see in the beggar in (v.39)? - he did not listen to the crowd (the world) and cried out again for mercy

(Slide) By crying out for mercy, what is the man admitting?

by addressing him as Son of David, he knew who Jesus was

By asking for

by crying out for mercy, he knew that Jesus could grant him mercy

(Slide) What stopped Jesus in his tracks (v.40)? What did Jesus say? - His persistence? His faith? - Commanded them to bring him, and then Jesus questioned Bartimaeus

Luke 18:41–42 NASB95

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, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.”

LK18:41-42

(Slide) Look at the interaction between them in (vv.41-42)

(Slide) What did Jesus ask? - What do you want from me?

(Slide) What did the man respond? - to regain, or have sight restored

(Slide) What did Jesus say and why? - receive your sight, because of your faith.

Luke 18:43 NASB95

43 Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.

So here we have the blind man, or two men, who went from darkness to light, from begging to following, from crying out to praising. And the praising impacted others and they praised too!

Do you see the journey here in this passage? A journey of faith that started out with somehow the man heard about Jesus and had faith and that faith brought him to Jesus. Je.sus responds to active obedient faith.

Now in looking back at chapter 18 we have a contrast of rich young ruler who was really poor and a beggar who was rich. Beggars and not ashamed to admit their need, just as we should not be ashamed to admit our needs in prayer, persistent, consistent prayer in faith. The rich young ruler lied about himself and bragged on his character, did not believe in Jesus and walked away spiritually poor. Bartimaeus believed and follow Jesus. This is proof of Lk1:53

Luke 1:53 NASB95

53 “He has filled the hungry with good things; And sent away the rich empty-handed.

We need to put our faith, keep our faith in Jesus regardless of what others think, say or do. The widow was not discouraged by the indifferent judge and his attitude. The Publican was not persuaded or detoured by the Pharisee’s hypocritical attitude. The parents brought the children regardless of what the disciples selfish attitude. And the blind came to Jesus in lieu of a crowd trying to tell them to shut up!

Jesus always responds to faith and rewards those who have it and display it.

Hebrews 11:6 NASB95

6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

(Slide) Other things to notice here in chapter 18

(Slide) He listened to the crowds and answered their questions

(Slide) He healed the sick

(Slide) He argued with the Pharisee’s

(Slide) Showed mercy to the society’s forgotten or underclass

A loving God hears the prayers of the faithful and answers them

Self righteousness avails nothing for the kingdom

Humble prayer is answered and rewarded because of faith

Childlike trust and faith are required if you want to enter the kingdom of God

Inheriting the kingdom you must depend wholly on Holy God

Don’t let possessions keep you from the kingdom

Faith expressed in faithful calling brings healing

Faith responds to God in glory, honor and praise.

some of this is from commentary by Trent Butler on N.T. Commentary (last section)