The Supplier of Sight: Mark 10:46-52

Introduce

Mark begins telling us of Jesus’ long journey to Jerusalem in the middle of chapter eight. It starts with Jesus’ healing of a blind man (Mark 8:22-26). It is fitting that Jesus’ long journey to Jerusalem ends with the healing of another blindman. Between these two healings:

Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ (Mark 8:27-30). Bartimaeus of our story, though he is without physical sight, seems to recognize Jesus as the Christ too.

Moreover, Jesus foretells of his death and resurrection three times (Mark 8:31-34; 9:30-32; 10:32-34).

The disciples fail to understand each time and Jesus corrects them by defining the nature of discipleship (Mark 8:34-9:29; Mark 9:33-10:31; Mark 10:35-45).

True discipleship is marked by faith, humility, holiness, and service. True disciples trust in and and live like “the Son of Man [who] came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

Our text this morning answers two questions:

Who saves?

How should we respond to the one who saves?

To flesh out the answers of these questions allow me to begin by retelling and explaining the story.

Retell

To begin, see sight suppressed (46-47).

Jesus and those following Him came and stayed for a time in Jericho. As Jesus and a very large crowd went out from the city, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus sat along roadside. If you read Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s accounts of this story you will likely notice some differences, some that at first appear to be contradictions. Unbelievers will likely point to these as as examples of the Bible’s unreliability. Let us face them and see if there are resolutions to be found.

Matthew reports two blind beggars. While Luke and Mark only report one. Mark alone supplies the name of one. This discrepancy is resolved by understanding that the Gospels have different emphases and give different perspectives on the same events. Each Gospel gives an accurate account of events. No Gospel gives an exhaustive account. Luke and Mark report one as representing the two because the one they mention was the most prominent or loudest. They do not say that their was only one blind beggar, thus no real contradiction is here. From now on though, I will, as Mark does, speak of only one blind man, Bartimaeus, knowing there was a second.

Another difficulty arrises as to when and where this event took place. Matthew and Mark agree that it was when Jesus and the crowed were leaving Jericho. Luke implies that it was when they were entering.

There were two Jerichos in Jesus day: one the still inhabited ruins of the Jericho conquered by Joshua and the other a rebuilt town about a mile south. It is possible that this event takes place between the two. Another possible resolution, as John Calvin suggests, is that Bartimaeus first called to Jesus as he entered, but Jesus didn’t heal him until He left. I find the latter of the two more compelling. Either way, though, there is no necessary and unresolvable contradiction here.

All of that said, we have a man whose sight is suppressed. He is a beggar. He depends upon the mercies of others who by and large look down upon him.

While he sat begging, he heard the commotion of the crowd. He asked who it was. He was informed it was Jesus of Nazareth. At this point, He begins to cry out. Look at verse 47. He cried: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The man identified Jesus as the promised royal Messiah, the ever-reigning seed of David.

Would Jesus give this man mercy? The crowd most certainly did not. They tried to silence Him. His sight is suppressed not only be physical blindness but also the spiritual blindness of the crowd. Apparently they did not hear or did not care that the Son of David, though the promised King, was tenderhearted and gentle shepherd. He was quick to extend mercy and grace to all who come to Him.

You have seen sight suppressed.

Next, see sight sought (48).

Look at verse 48: “And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’” Yes, the crowd tried to silence him, but He had faith not in the crowd but the blessed Son of David. Bartimaeus would yell for Jesu till he was hoarse. He believed that if the Lord Jesus heard He would save Him. He was crying out to the Lord Jesus and nothing would stop him. In other words, this man sought sight. Would Jesus answer His cry for mercy?

You have seen sight suppressed and sought

To conclude, see sight supplied (49-52).

Jesus must have heard the man’s cries because He “stopped and said, ‘Call him.” The crowd that attempted to silence the man now summoned him to come to the one whom He sought. Look at the end of verse 50: the crowd said to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” The man need not panic. Indeed, he can stop crying out. The Savior was calling to him. It was time to stop crying and start coming. The man sprang up like a child on Christmas morning. He threw off his cloak and came to Jesus.

Look at verse 51: “And Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ And the blind man said to him, ‘Rabbi, let me recover my sight.’” Though Bartimaeus could not physically see the Lord, he could see and hear Him spiritually. He requested sight. Jesus answers in the next verse.

Look: “And Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.” Jesus identifies explicitly what we could infer implicitly throughout the story. This man had true faith. He believed on, trusted in, and recieved Christ for salvation. Such faith is a gift of grace. It is an empty hand with nothing to give in return for the blessings that it receives. It does not in and of itself save. It must take hold of the one who saves, namely Jesus. Bartimaeus had faith in the Savior. Thus, He experienced salvation. Put differently, the one who sough sight has it supplied to him by the Savior. Do you have faith?

True faith as our story shows is living and accompanied by the fruit of good works. The man recieved sight and followed the Lord Jesus. Bartimaeus goes from blind beggar to seeing and obedient disciple of the Lord Jesus. For some time he clawed about the world and begged to get by. Now He sees with his eyes the One who he saw in his soul. In gratitude, he follows the One who saved him by grace through faith. Faith alone recieved salvation, but that faith which recieved salvation bore the fruit of grateful obedience.

Transition

You have seen sight suppressed, sought, and supplied. Now lets answer the questions I posed at the beginning:

Who saves?

How should we respond to the one who saves?

The answer to the first question is Jesus saves. This is the big idea. Bartimaeus could not save himself. The crowd could not and would not save him. Jesus alone was both able and willing to save him. He did just that. He still is the only one willing and able to save people who cannot save themselves. There are three answers to the second question that we will spend the remainder of our time considering.

Apply

1. Jesus saves, so trust totally

Bartimaeus had total trust. He understood that the one to whom He cried could and would save him from his present calamity. Similarly, you must trust in Jesus totally.

Unbeliever, you have nothing to give God that He needs. You owe Him everything. He made you. He takes care of you. But you are a sinner. You violate His commands daily. You walk blindly through life knowing that God exist and knowing that He is worthy of worship. You know that suffering and death is a curse. You desire heaven. You desire that which was lost. Where can you go? On whom will you rely for salvation? In whom will you trust? Trust in Jesus and Jesus alone.

He is the promised ever-reigning seed of David. He is God the Son who became man. He came. He lived in perfect righteousness. He died willingly for the sins of His people. He rose victoriously, overcoming sin, death, and Satan and showing that His sacrifice satisfied the justice of God in payment for sin. He ascended to God’s right hand where He presently reigns over all. He sent His Spirit to dwell within and empower His people to further His kingdom. He will return to finish what He started, whipping out His enemies and rescuing His people.

Are you among His people? Bartimaeus was. How do you come to be a part of His people? You must respond to Him as Bartimaeus did with total trust, or as Jesus says with faith. You must believe on, trust in, and receive Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.

Believer, you have trusted in Jesus. Keep doing it. Keep looking to Him for hope, joy, and strength. Endure trial knowing on whom you have believed! There is nothing that can strip you from His omnipotent grip, not life, death, sin, or Satan. God has cured you of your spiritual blindness and gifted you with total trust in His Son, the only Savior, Jesus Christ.

Jesus saves, so trust totally.

Is this not what Bartimaeus did. He cried out. He requested mercy. People tried to silence him, but he continued to cry out to the One He knew could and would grant him such mercy. His cries were not in vain.

Vista Baptist Church, we must be a people of prayer. Prayer is a gift and privilege. We have direct access to God through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Prayer, especially corporate prayer, is one of the ordinary means of grace God promises to bless. Do we have needs as a church? Yes. Do we need mercy and grace? Yes. Do we need growth in holiness and purity? Yes. Do we need revival? Yes. Are there needs in our congregation? Yes. Are there lost people in our community? Yes. Are there struggling churches throughout the world? Yes. What should we do? We should pray!

Paul requested that the church Thessalonica pray for his work in Corinth. They prayed and God answered with an outpouring of His Spirit, the salvation of sinners, and the formation of a church in a very pagan city. Let us be a church devoted prayer. The men and women pray every Sunday morning at 9:30 before Sunday School. The adults gather for a weekly prayer meeting every Wednesday at 7:00 PM. We pray during Sunday School. We pray during Sunday morning and evening services. If you call yourself a Christian and a member of this church, I encourage you to be a part of as many of these gatherings as possible and give yourself with your brothers and sisters to corporate prayer.

Spouses, pray for your spouse.

Parents, pray for your children.

Church member, pray for your church family.

Christian, utilize the prayer gram that is in your bulletin.

Jesus saves, so trust totally and pray persistently.

3. Jesus saves, so follow faithfully

Bartimaeus recieved salvation by faith alone, but his faith was not alone. It was accompanied by the fruit of devoted discipleship. He followed the Lord Jesus. Such fruit includes gratitude resulting in repentance from and mortification of sin, the pursuit of holiness, the love of the brethren, and participation in the great commission.

Bartimaeus no longer lived as a blind beggar. Christian, you are no longer to live like a blind sinner. Where the Holy Spirit is there will be holiness and every Christian has been indwelt by the Holy Spirit. You must examine your life. You must identify sin and by faith destroy it. You must mortify sin each and every day. You should live a life of continual repentance, confessing your sins to God and trusting in the Lord Jesus. You mustn’t even give sin an inch. The days are evil and time must be redeemed. You must join a local church. You must be active in that local church. You must pray for the lost and when given opportunity share the gospel with them.

Christian, Jesus demands your whole life and not merely two to three hours of the week. If you have professed faith in Jesus, then you belong to Him. Your work belongs to Him. Your marriage belongs to Him. Your parenting belongs to Him. Every moment belongs to Him.

Christian, do you hate sin? Do you pursue righteousness? Do you love the brethren? If not, then you are a counterfeit Christian, a liar, and a hypocrite. You are a Judas Iscariot, a Pharisee, and a son of the Devil. You must come to Christ now. Trust in Him for forgiveness of sin and eternal life.

Church, we must also follow Jesus corporately. We must regulate our church government, ministries, and worship by the Scriptures. We must do what Jesus has commanded together. Such things include submission to one another, coming under the ordinary means of grace, regular assembly, church discipline, and making disciples of the nations.

Conclude

At the beginning I posed two questions:

Who saves?

How should you respond to the one who saves?

The answer should have been clear when you saw sight suppressed, sought, and supplied.

In case you missed the answers, they were clearly stated and applied: Jesus saves, so trust totally, pray persistently, and follow faithfully.

I will end with a few questions, a charge, and a prayer.

The questions:

Do you believe that Jesus alone saves sinners?

Have you trusted in Him?

Are you following after Him?

The charge: Trust in and follow Jesus who alone saves sinners from sin, death, and judgment.

The prayer: May God grant you such saving faith and assist you to follow faithfully in the footsteps of “the Son of man [who] came not to be served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).