Jesus Shows Love to the Hurting

Jesus Shows Love to the Hurting Mark 10:46-52

Tunnel Vision

Open your bibles to Mark 10:46-52 as we get a glimpse of Jesus from this gospel.

We are moving our way through the book leading up to the resurrection on Easter morning.

As we do, we are discovering that Mark pictures Jesus as the Messiah, but not as a conquering king rather as a suffering servant.

Have you ever experienced “Tunnel Vision?”

It’s defined as constriction of the visual field resulting in loss of peripheral vision.

In other words, you are so focused on what you are doing or what’s in front of you that you don’t see anything else.

When I was in seminary, worked as a security officer, we were taught about tunnel vision and how you can focus on one intruder or bad actor and miss another off to your side.

Example of man threatening on hotel drive, cops pull up, draw down on him and arrest him.

Tunneled out when cop pulled up.

Today’s story is the final event before the Passion Week.

In fact Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem for His triumphal entry.

This is the last healing miracle Mark recorded.

It concludes his special section on discipleship (Mark 8:31–10:52) and is an excellent illustration of its meaning (cf. 10:52b).

It also signifies that the disciples, despite their misunderstandings (cf. 8:32–33; 9:32; 10:35–41), would have clear sight (i.e., understanding) as Jesus opened their eyes to the full implications of His messiahship.

The story of this blind beggar who ironically sees Jesus more clearly than those with two good eyes climaxes Mark’s teaching on faith and discipleship.

Chap. 10 is full of references to discipleship, but none of the disciples demonstrates the faith, insight, and discipleship of Bartimaeus.

This, the final healing miracle in the Gospel, reaffirms Jesus’ messianic status

Mark 10:46–52 CSB

46 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. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many warned him to keep quiet, but he was crying out all the more, “Have mercy on me, Son of David!” 49 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.” 50 He threw off his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. 51 Then Jesus answered him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Rabboni,” the blind man said to him, “I want to see.” 52 Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has saved you.” Immediately he could see and began to follow Jesus on the road.

People All Around Us Are Hurting Verses 46-48

Jesus arrived at Jericho.

There were two Jericho’s in Jesus’ day.

One was the ancient city and the new on built by Herod as a winter palace.

The trip to Jerusalem from Jericho was about 15 miles (6-7 hour walk) and 3,500 feet of elevation gain.

The road from Jericho to Jerusalem was a dangerous one due to robbers (Good Samaritan story) so people often travel in groups.

This day there was a large crowd who like Jesus was on their way to Jerusalem for the Passover.

It would have been the ideal place for a begging.

Imagine Jesus on His way to give His life as a ransom for the sins of the world.

I wonder what He was thinking about?

The cross, His last words to His disciples, or accomplishing the Father’s will.

It would seem that if anyone would have tunnel vision, it would be Jesus as this point.

And yet, he must stop and help someone who is hurting, soming needing a little—no, a lot— of love.

The Crowd Was Insensitive Verses 46,48

As we have seen in our nation over the last year, “Mob mentality” or “herd behavior” is a tendency to act together in unison, sometimes in morally reprehesible and unimaginable ways.

Property destruction

Violence against others

Gang beatings or rape

Insurrection

Look at the poor blind beggar named Bartimaeus, he was a victim of the mob mentality.

His name means “son of honor.”

However, he was the recipient of anything but respect from the crowd that was attracted to Jesus.

He was pushed to the fringe, marginalized and out of sight.

As he cries out for mercy, the crowd does not see him or hear him.

He sits by the road begging daily in order to survive.

Some may give him a token amount, but most do not.

Much like those pan-handling around here.

It is evident that Bartimaeus has heard about Jesus of Nazareth and that his relentless crying of “Son of David, have mercy upon me” reflects a conviction, formed on the basis of what he had heard, that Jesus could restore his sight.

The blind man could not see, but he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was at the head of the approaching crowd.

In order to be heard above the crowd, he shamelessly began to cry out for Jesus’ attention.

He had undoubtedly heard that Jesus had healed many (including blind people, 8:22–25 for example), and he took hope that Jesus would have mercy on him and heal his eyes.

The crowd hears him and tells him to be quiet.

That just makes him more determined and continues to cry out even louder.

The crowd saw or heard him and were insensitive to him.

In their minds he didn’t matter.

He was just a taker and not a contributer.

They just didn’t care.

But Jesus did.

There is One Who Needs Our Help Verses 47-48

In the midst of the noise, dust, shuffling sounds, Bartimaeus was able to get the attention of the one person who could help - Jesus.

He was calling Jesus by a clear messianic title.

A title not used often in Mark who preferred to us the “Son of Man” designation.

Bartimaeus was expressing faith in the one he know could help him—the expected Messiah.

Therefore, he begged for mercy.

He knows he’s blind and needs help.

He can’t give himself sight.

If fact many considered blindness to be a curse of God for sin.

It’s also important to note that no where in the Old Testament was there ever a healing of blindness

Many believed that making the blind see was one of the signs of the Messiah

And Bartimaeus believed Jesus was the Messiah.

Like Jesus, Christians should avoid getting so caught up with the masses that we miss the one.

Pray for one at a time.

Evangelize one at a time.

Feed one at a time.

Clothe one at a time.

Disciple one at a time.

Adopt one at a time.

Love one at a time.

There is always one who needs our help.

Do you see that one?

Do you hear that one?

We Should Never Be Too Busy To Help Verses 49-51

Now remember that Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem, on His way to die.

He is determined to fulfill His destiny.

His mind must be racing with sorrow for what awaits Him.

He had more important things on His mind.

But He stops.

He’s about to give His life for the sins of the world.

But He stops in His tracks as He hears this blind beggar calling His name.

He wants to minister to just one more person.

Jesus taught His disciples the art of stopping.

Hear the Cries of the Hurting Verse 49

The crowd wanted to silence the blind man, but Jesus stops to help.

Just like when the disciples wanted to stop the children from coming to Him, he met the children.

With compassion He said, “Call him.”

The crowd responded in obedience to the Son of David.

They call the blind man and told him to “take heart” and “get up”

Jesus had heard his cry and He will stop and meet this man at the point of his greatest need.

Listen to the Cries of the Hurting Verses 50-51

Jesus does more that stop, He hears the cry.

How many times do you hear someone talking and when they are finished have no idea what they said.

You heart, but didn’t listen.

We need to listen way more that we do.

Jesus then asked Bartimaeus a straightforward question, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (10: 51).

This is the same question He has just asked James and John in verse 36.

They asked for the best seats in the kingdom.

Bartimaeus, in radical and stark contrast, has a much more simple and humble request: “I want to see!”

As one commentator put it so well: “The Sons of Thunder asked for extraordinary glory, Bartimaeus asked only for ordinary health”

“What do you want me to do for you?” is the most important question God ever asks us, and the one to which we most frequently give the wrong answer.

We ask for all the wrong things in life.

We can think of many examples, but Mark provides two notable ones.

Herod asks his dancing step-daughter essentially the same question, “Ask me for anything you want” (6:22).

Her answer: “The head of John the Baptist.”

Pilate asks the crowd the same question (15:9, 12).

Their answer: “Barabbas” and “Crucify him!”

Our answer to this question will reveal whether we want death or life, whether we want to be healed from our blindness or selfishly want to use God to do our bidding and fulfill our own desires.

Jesus heard his request, which is actually a prayer to God!

And He heard his prayer like He hears ours.

He answered his prayer like He does for ours.

As Jesus did with the woman with the hemorrhage, he pronounced that Bartimaeus’s faith had healed him.

The word seso, meaning “healed,” carries the connotation of “saved.”

Another commentator notes, “Mark probably intended a double meaning. The man was healed physically and saved spiritually. The latter is implied by the fact that he began to follow Jesus.”

Bartimaeus’ Response Should Be Our Response Verse 52

Mark mentioned no healing touch or word of Jesus.

The stress is not so much on the miracle, but on the faith that led to it.

When Jesus refers to the man’s faith, He is not saying the man has earned anything.

It was grace through the divine healing hand that healed the man.

Faith is the human hand that reaches out and receives that grace.

The object of our faith is crucial.

Exhortations to “keep the faith!” or “just have faith” are nonsensical statements.

Bartimaeus did not have empty faith.

No, Bartimaeus directed his faith to the only One who could heal, the only One who could save!

Remember the word for “healed” also meant “saved”.

There is a physical and a spiritual dimension here.

There is no doubt that Bartimaeus would be healed, but would it be physically only or spiritually?

It was both.

The restoring of sight led to discipleship, for Bartimaeus then followed Jesus.

The man had been made physically well (with restored sight) and spiritually well (with the assumed acceptance of salvation because of his faith).

He followed Jesus on the way; that is, he remained with the crowd that followed Jesus to Jerusalem.

It could also mean that he followed Jesus as a disciple.

Bartimaeus is now a disciple, a follower of King Jesus.

Where He goes, Bartimaeus will go.

What He asks, Bartimaeus will do.

Gospel gratitude will inspire us to follow, at any and all cost, the One who has so freely dispensed His grace.

I see! I’ve been saved!

I will joyfully follow King Jesus wherever He leads.

Some early church traditions say Bartimaeus would follow Jesus all the way to His passion and later become a major figure in the church at Jerusalem.

Personally, that is an easy thing for me to imagine!

How Do We Apply What We Have Learned?

First, we must look for those hurting around us and not shut them out.

We all have neighbors, friends, and families and someone we know is hurting.

They don’t know who to call out too, but we do.

Hear them, see them, and lead them to the one who can heal the hurt.

It’s easy for us to see the homeless, the dirty, the jobless, the poor and ignore them, but even them we need to help.

Jesus loves everyone!

As we come out the pandemic, how can we as a church hear and listen to those people?

Pray about that.

Second, in coming to Jesus, we need Bartimaeus’s boldness.

We must overcome our reticence and doubts and take the step to call on him.

Bartimaeus had not seen Jesus’ miracles, but he responded in faith to what he had heard.

We have heard Jesus described in the Gospels.

May we be like those of whom Peter wrote, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him.”

It’s time to come to him with all your hurts, bad habits, and hangups!

Pray