I Once Was Blind

I Once Was Blind . . . Journey to Easter #3 Luke 18:35-43 March 22, 2020 Hello everyone. Perhaps today you can identify in some way with Mr. Drummond in the Skit Guys video we just saw. It’s likely that you are facing some type of challenging situation in your life right now. Perhaps, like Mr. Drummond, you or a loved one is facing a serious battle with cancer or some other illness. 1.) Whether or not this is the case, we are all facing the realities of the Covid-19 pandemic. Fear is pressing in on many around the world and on us as we face the physical and financial uncertainty that lies ahead. Our message today is one of hope. It comes from Luke Chapter 18. It reminds us that Jesus is the Son of God and invites us to come to him in faith and trust with everything in our lives. Today, we resume our sermon series entitled 2.) Journey to Easter and Beyond. We’re exploring encounters Jesus had with different individuals in the last months of his life on his way to Jerusalem and the cross. In fact, in the verses just prior to this passage, we learn that Jesus told his disciples what the future held. In v. 31-34 we read that Jesus told his disciples that the events that were soon to transpire had been prophesied centuries earlier by the OT prophets. He would be handed over to the Gentiles, mocked, mistreated, spat upon, scourged, and killed. Three days later he would rise from the dead. V. 34 tells us that the disciples didn’t comprehend what he was telling them. 3.) Our story today takes place just outside of Jericho, on the plain west of the Jordan River about 14 miles NE of Jerusalem. As Jesus passed through Jericho, 4.) a blind beggar was sitting on the side of the road. We know from the corresponding story in Mark’s gospel that the beggar’s name was Bartimaeus. In Bible times, someone with an infirmity like blindness was totally dependent upon family to meet one’s needs. There was no social net or governmental aid. If you didn’t have family, then begging was the only way to stay alive. 5.) This day started out like any other day for Bartimaeus, calling out for alms from anyone who might have pity upon his condition. But a huge crowd was coming down the road. He could hear their loud voices and could feel the vibrations in the ground under their feet. In v. 36, we read that Bartimaeus began to ask those around him what was happening. They told him Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. What started out as an ordinary day was about to turn into a life-changing encounter. Did you know that Jesus is still in the process of passing by people? In fact, Jesus is passing by you and me today. Like it was for Bartimaeus, how you respond to Jesus can change your life. How did Bartimaeus respond? 6.) The Bible tells us in v. 38 that he called out loudly, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The phrase Son of David indicates something very important. This was a Messianic term. God had made a promise to David that one of his descendants would sit on his throne and would rule not only Israel, but the nations. Using the term Son of David indicates that Bartimaeus believed that Jesus was no ordinary man, that he was God’s promised Messiah. None of the gospel writers tell us how Bartimaeus had learned about Jesus, but Jesus had ministered to people throughout Israel for over 2 years at this point and word of his miracles had spread like wildfire. What happened next? In v. 39 we see that those in the front of the crowd sternly rebuked Bartimaeus for disturbing Jesus and making a scene. Who did he think he was as a blind invalid, as an inconsequential nobody, to think that he would garner the attention of Jesus. Some of you listening today are also facing thoughts of insignificance, feelings that Jesus isn’t aware of you and your needs. Thoughts that say Jesus is callous and uncaring about the challenging circumstances you find yourself in. How did Bartimaeus respond? Did he sit down and give up. No. In v. 39, we see that Bartimaeus was determined to get Jesus’ attention. He was a desperate man. He knew that this might be his only chance to encounter Jesus. So he called out more loudly and with great urgency, “Son of David, Have mercy on me!” Notice what happens next. 7.) In v. 40, we read that Jesus stopped. Out of the din of noise and voices, Jesus hears Bartimaeus’ voice. His heart is filled with compassion and he stops. Are you aware that as Jesus’ passes by you today, that if you will cry out to him, he will stop. Jesus cared about Bartimaeus, and Jesus cares about you. He is compassionate about whatever situation you are facing today. 8.) In v. 40, we read that Jesus calls for Bartimaeus to be brought to him (remember he’s blind and needs help to navigate the surroundings) and he asks Bartimaeus a question. 9.) He says, “what do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asks you the same question, today. “What do you want me to do for you?” Perhaps you feel spiritually empty, separated from God because of your sin, unsure that you will spend eternity with God in his presence. Perhaps you are filled with uncertainty and fear over the current Covid-19 crisis. Perhaps you are depressed or even suicidal with no hope in your heart. Perhaps, like Bartimaeus you have some infirmity or you are physically ill. Jesus asks you, as he asked Bartimaeus, what do you want me to do for you? Bartimaeus doesn’t miss a beat. He says, “Lord,” I want to see.” Don’t miss the word, “Lord,” here. Bartimaeus is doing more than just being polite and saying, sir. He is acknowledging Christ’s Lordship. He is expressing his faith that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah and that he is worthy of Bartimaeus’ submission and obedience. How does Jesus’ respond? 10.) In v. 42 we read that Jesus says, “Receive your sight, your faith has saved you.” Jesus sees that Bartimaeus has come to him in faith. He grants Bartimaeus his request and he tells him that his faith has saved him. The word save is the Greek word sozo. It is used interchangeably throughout the NT for both salvation and physical healing. Bartimaeus’ faith saves him spiritually as he acknowledges Jesus’ identity and submits himself to Christ’ rule as his Lord. His faith has also opened the door for his physical need to be met. Jesus is passing by you today. What do you want him to do for you? If you’ve never acknowledged him as your Lord, as the Son of God sent to die on the cross for your sins and to rise again three days later to give you eternal life, then you are spiritually blind and spiritually dead. Your greatest need today is to come to Jesus in faith as he is passing by and to call out to Him, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” If you do, Jesus will forgive you of your sin and give you eternal life. What do you want Jesus to do for you? Perhaps today you are in need of peace. Perhaps you are filled with fear and trepidation over the current Covid-19 crisis. Are you willing to call out to Jesus today and give him your fear and anxiety? As you release control to him, he will flood your heart with his peace, the peace that passes all human understanding. What if your need is a physical need? Does Jesus still heal people today? Absolutely. He heals us in different ways. He heals through medicine and doctors, and he also heals supernaturally by his Spirit, often through the ministry of the church who calls out to him in prayer on behalf of those who are sick. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. He is the Great Physician. Jesus commanded his disciples to preach the gospel and heal the sick. He still calls his followers to engage in the ministry of spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical healing to those who experiencing brokenness. You say, but Kent, I know of people who prayed with great faith for healing and didn’t experience it. Don’t we risk the possibility of God looking bad if healing isn’t manifested? God hasn’t called us to worry about whether he looks good or bad. He has called us to walk in obedience and faith. The reality is that Jesus commanded his disciples to proclaim and to demonstrate the kingdom of God. Wholeness and healing are a part of God’s Kingdom. We live in a dual reality right now. Until Jesus return in glory, we live in a state of spiritual tension. Jesus told us the Kingdom of God has come. It’s here. It’s operative in this world. The healing of Bartimaeus and many others whom Jesus and his disciples ministered to provides evidence that God’s kingdom has arrived. Kingdom power is active in our world today and is accessed by faith. But the Kingdom of God won’t be consummated until Jesus comes back to earth, again. Until that event, we live in a time of tension where sickness and death are still present realities in our world, alongside the Kingdom of God. What is the result of Bartimaeus’ request? 11.) In v. 43, we see that he instantly receives his sight. His physical sight is restored. And what does he do? He begins following Jesus. 12.) The faith that Bartimaeus’ demonstrated wasn’t just a faith that Jesus could restore his physical sight. It was a faith that Jesus is the Son of God and deserved his total submission and obedience. Jesus is not a Santa Claus figure who exists only to fill our wants and desires. He is God. As such, he deserves our complete allegiance and submission. What is the response of Bartimaeus’ heart as he follows Jesus? In v. 43 we read that he glorified God. And not only Bartimaeus. After the people witnessed this miracle, they, too, praised God. A response of faith to Jesus always leads to praise. For when we respond to Jesus in faith, we fulfill our purpose of glorifying God and enjoying him, now and forever. 13.) Bartimaeus didn’t miss the opportunity that God was setting before him. When Jesus passed by, he responded in expectation and faith. Jesus had compassion on him and restored both his physical and his spiritual sight. Jesus is passing by you today. Will you choose to respond in faith like Bartimaeus? Or will you be like most of the crowd that day who enjoyed all the hubbub and the spectacle, but wouldn’t submit to him as Lord? Will you acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God sent to earth to die on the Cross to pay the penalty for your sins, for all the wrong things you’ve ever done and to rise again three days later? Like Bartimaeus, will you acknowledge Jesus as your Lord and Master? If you will, Jesus will transform your life. Jesus is passing by you today. He says, what do you want me to do for you? Will you tell him of your need for his peace as you face the health, financial, and emotional challenges in this present crisis. Will you ask him to remove your fears and anxieties and allow him to fill you with his peace? Jesus is passing by you today. Are you facing a health need of some kind? Will you bring it to Jesus and boldly ask for healing and wholeness, and then trust him with the results, no matter what? You can trust him. He loves you. For those who aren’t sick, will you allow Jesus to use you as an instrument of his healing to others through your prayers of faith and expressions of care? He wants to use you, just as he used his Son and his disciples to minister healing and wholeness to others. 14.) The healing of Bartimaeus reminds us that Jesus is, indeed, the Son of David, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. Faith is always the appropriate approach to him who died and rose again so that we might have everlasting life. Let us enthusiastically follow Bartimaeus’ example of faith, submission, and praise. (Prayer) I hope that in the middle of all the uncertainty and fear around us right now, that you’re clinging tightly to Jesus. I want to remind you of 15.) God’s promise, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you. Because of this we can confidently say, The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid.” The Lord is with you and he will see you and me through this crisis. One of the ways we can weather this storm is by standing firm on the Word of God. For centuries, God’s people have overcome difficult and challenging times by holding fast to God’s Word. 16.) As we Journey To+ Easter, I hope you are choosing to read God’s Word each day and to allow the truth to renew your mind. I encourage you to join us reading God’s Word this week. A Journey to Easter daily reading plan is available on the church website at hawkwood.ca. The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance on you and give you peace, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.