Go Your Way
You heard in my early, eagerness of worship when the microphone was still on and I could express myself louder than the rest of you. That you can probably tell, I have a cold and nasty cold and I want to let you know that I tested negative for covid yesterday. After finding out that you can put something very far up your nose.
I also share this with you with an understanding that this cold has brought a little bit of a fog to me. So hopefully, I won't drift off on too many tangents. This morning. We have a passage. That is layered with meaning, Scott multiple layers for our Delight. Not unlike a lasagna, if you will, with the multiple layers. And in the story, it's a farce of blind, man, Bartimaeus, and I, I can't help but everytime, I hear that in the back of my mind. I hear lineman's Do by the road, and he sounds much better with a cold.
Show me the way show me the truth. Show me the life.
Multiple layers in this passage. I'm going to read it from the gospel of Mark. Mark is of the four gospels Believe by Scholars to be the oldest of the four gospels that at least two other gospels borrow a fair amount of their material from Mark. So we're getting to one of the earliest if not the earliest source. And we're also dealing with the only one of the four gospels who actually names. The blind, man, as Bartimaeus. We are read at the 10th chapter beginning at the 46th. Verse. Let's pray. Oh, Lord. That you blast to us this morning, your word. May we be encouraged? May we be strengthened? May we be challenged? And then we also be comforted. We pray all this Jesus in your precious name. Amen.
Mark chapter 10, beginning at the 46th verse. And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd Bartimaeus, a blind beggar. The son of Timaeus was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth. He began to cry out and say Jesus, Son of David have mercy on me. And many rebuked him telling him to be silent, but he cried out all the more son of David have mercy on me. And Jesus stopped and said, call him. And they called the blind man saying him. Take heart. Get up. He is calling you. And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 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. 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. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Thank you, Lydia. When I Survey the Wondrous Cross is full of reflection. And it's a reflection upon the choice of God made and sending his son to die for us. Choices. Choices. When we consider the passage that we just read was Bartimaeus. We see a series of choices. He chose to call out to Jesus. Does a choice when the crowd tried to silence him that he cried out all the more? There's yet another Choice when they said get up, he's calling you. And then get another choice. When Jesus asked him, what do you want me to do for you?
And then perhaps the most profound choice of all in the end when Jesus says, go your way. What will be his way? Choices. We make choices every day. The chances are this morning. You've already made a series of choices. What you have for breakfast, whether you get up at all. If you have more than one car, which car are you going to take to church when you walked in the doors? Which seat would you take? You had choices choices that you've made already this morning. We make all sorts of choices as we go through life. We also have choices that we've already established and we called those patterns are habits or rituals. You might have gone through your mind in the list. I gave you a breakfast and car and where you'd sit and you might have already checked that off and said, well, we already know where that is. I always sit in the same place. We always take this car when we go to church, and I always have this for breakfast. We have our rituals, and our habits iPad, but they come from choices that we at one time made long ago. When I thought, I would go into being a history. Professor. I did research on Youth and their habits. And I found out that 5th Avenue, which is deeply involved in marketing that teenagers are deeply attacked by marketers over all sorts of Cosmetics because it turned out that the Cosmetic that a young girl will use is likely to eat. She'll likely use that same cosmetic for the next. Rest of your life, 90%. So you want to win that teenage heart because of those choices. We make early on those patterns that we establish. Will Bartimaeus is making choices and he's leading us through a series of choices that we too need to make. And it begins, the passage begins with him being in a choice that he's already made a habit, a pattern, a ritual. See there he is. We we already know five things about him five pieces of information we have before we even start. We know that he's blind, we know he's a man. We know that he's a beggar. We know he's a son of tomatoes. That's why he's called Bartimaeus. And we know he's sitting behind beside the road. Will that last piece the road and that third piece. Beggar tells us that he's in the pattern. He's at his location. He's ready to do the day and beg for help. He's blind, which leads to his need for help from others. And so he's in his pattern in his, have it at his place established ready to go. A choice has probably made long ago. Maybe you've noticed when you drive around town and you see the people in the corners with their cardboard sign, maybe you've gotten from miliar with the faces at who's at, what corner? Right? Bartimaeus has already made his choice. He's in his habit, but it's in his habit and in our habits, as well, that God often breaks in.
And in this case, a large crowd is leaving the city of Jericho, and there is a lot of commotion. And you would think being a blind man with now, having a whole bunch of people coming that the opportunities are manifold. I was pumping gas at the corner of the other day and observing the man who was out there with his sign and I was observing and I was realizing there's different times a day where the car traffic is greater. And I was watching his patterns, Ozzy Aston look for help for people. He was very established in his patterns when there's more people, there's more opportunity and so here he is in this pattern. Bartimaeus is ready to go. A large group is come, and now seems to be a good time. And yet, there is a problem. All the attention of this large group seems to be focused elsewhere.
And this is when he becomes aware as to where this focus is. This focus is on Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus of Nazareth. It's a Bartimaeus has a choice. He's going to try and take the little that. He can get from the that part of the crowd brushes by him, or whether he's going to make a choice. That is far greater, and he chooses a far greater choice.
When he calls out. The Jesus. Now, we'll get to what he says in a moment. But there's another layer here. Remember I mentioned that this passage has a series of layers almost like a lasagna many things upon, which we can feast. You see there's a choice here in the gospel writer Mark himself. Mark has observed and taken in all these different passages, all these different stories of Jesus and he is now a range them to present to us a gospel. A good news about Jesus Christ. He's taking the material and so organized it that he wants us to see some things. This passage doesn't just simply drop into the narrative and because in the church, we saw him pull out passages and never see them in their overall context. We lose something. But I want to remind us today of the layers that Mark is presenting us with Yes, I just ended with a preposition. Remember. I have a cold.
First.
He presents us. With a blind, man. This is not the first Blind Man. Mark has presented us with. He presented us with one in chapter 8, as well. We did not read that this morning, but I'll remind you. It's the one we're just near some mud over the person's eyes and does. What do you see? Any says, I see trees walking it, and we get the sense that Jesus is kind of learning how to do miracles. But really was being conveyed, is the sense that are people getting it. Are they understanding? And these two passages of the Blind Men in chapter 8 and chapter 10 serve as book ends in Mark's gospel as a time in which Jesus is journeying toward Jerusalem and it is a time in which we are being asked to reflect. Who do we think this Jesus is? Can we see it? Do we understand? So Mark is carefully crafted, at least two blind, man stories that he is aware of, and he's booked on them and it put them in and put everything in between. Kind of has a sandwich to ask us. Are we understanding? Can we see? Or are we blind as well? There's another layer that Mark is playing with, as well. He's playing with the whole image of a blind man because he knows among his fellow Jewish Believers. He knows perfectly well, that there are multiple scriptures in the prophets promising, that God will return with the one. He sends the anointed one, the Messiah, the Christ that that anointed one will come. And when that anointed one comes that the blind will be able to see It shows up in multiple passages as an example of what will happen when the anointed one comes that people will see and it's not just at the blind will see, but that we will see think about it. We talked about this all the while. I'm sorry. We talked about this all the while we talked about that, you know, will someday will fully understand. And I wish I just knew or I wish God would just tell me what he wants me to do. We're asking for a greater Vision. We're asking for a greater understanding. We're asking to be able to see, just tell me what you want me to do. It's a mark is using those passages from the Old Testament from the prophets and he's using that imagery of the blind being able to see and he's taking this blind man. Reality, that happened with the son of Timaeus Bartimaeus and he's using it to indicate to us. Are you able to see? Are you able to see who this Jesus is? It is a question. That in many ways we can say we made a choice long ago. And confess Jesus as Lord and Savior were a Christian. We made our habit, our pattern, our ritual. But is a question that really should be for us each day. Who is this? Jesus? And what does he mean to me? What does it mean when I call him Lord? Do I truly follow him in every way? What does it mean? When I say he saved me, do I truly give him all gratitude? Would like Jeff's my resources, all that I am. The question is put before us. When where would counter the blind man, Bartimaeus? Now, let's get back to what's happening with Bartimaeus, himself and move away from those two, different layers that Mark gave us. Let's now move to what Bartimaeus actually says. When he discovers this Jesus of Nazareth, and we'd better get this in quick cuz I can tell my voices wearing out.
He doesn't just say Jesus.
He doesn't say Jesus of Nazareth. That's what the narrator Identify some ass. He says. Son of David have mercy on me. Son of David, not to us, we read that. And we realize, okay, that's kind of a strange term. But okay, but to those who heard him say it, they knew exactly what he was saying. It is the only time that Mark uses this phrase, son of David and all of his gospel. It is the only time and he uses it. Because again, the question is out there. Who is this person? Who do we identify him ass? The son of David is a direct statement that refers to the promise that God had that brought God gave to his people, that he would send the anointed one, the Messiah, the Christ that the one that David's Throne would always be occupied. The David's Throne would have descendants. Forever. And so, the anointed one was expected to be the son of David. The David Strong would once again be occupied. So, when Bartimaeus says son of David, he's literally saying, you are the anointed one. You are the Messiah, you are the Christ. And now we have a better idea. Why? The crowds us
That's the polite way of saying they told to shut up.
Because they heard him a blind guy. That doesn't know what he's doing. Anyways, saying stupid stuff.
They just didn't want to be bothered by they want to stay around Jesus. But he in his blindness. Is identifying what the whole crowd cannot see?
Have you ever been a bunch? A whole bunch of people and no one can see what's about to happen, but you can
the job of a lifeguard, isn't it?
To see when no one else is really looking.
The blind man says, son of David. And then the next thing he says, is have mercy on me. The car tries to shut him up. He has yet another choice. Does he shut up? Does he shut down? Me, what resources does he have? He wants to keep this gig. He's got a good roadside place. He wants future people to help him out.
I know he puts all the chips in. And he yells out all the louder, son of David have mercy on me. And again, the powerful phrase have mercy on me. You actually know it. Usually, those of you in the choir. When you sing Kiri, a eleison. Lord, have mercy upon us. That a Lathan. Is that part of Mercy? Lord have mercy on me. Son of David have eleison on me. And you know, what's really fascinating. That's the Greek word. For the Hebrew word. That speaks to God's mercy. And God's steadfast love. You know, the phrase, it's in the Old Testament over and over again. If you were asked to write on a quiz, what is a principal phrase in the Old Testament? That all Hebrews knew, it would be the steadfast love of the Lord and doors. That's right. Steadfast love of the Lord and doors forever. What, what are the Kings has? All the people saying the band out in front, when they go out to work, the steadfast love of the Lord and Doris Roberts. What the Psalms are full of the steadfast, love of the Lord indoors forever. That is Mercy. It is the same word. It is really a song that the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible when they turn it into the Septuagint. Because so many people can no longer read Hebrew, but they could read Greek. And the lace on is the word for God steadfast love, which is God's word for Mercy. When you read Micah, what does the Lord require of you? But to do justice to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God, it is to do justice. It is to do Olay song. And walk humbly with your God.
Steadfast love Mercy. Otherwise known as Grace.
Grace. A free gift. We don't deserve could never earn or ever repay.
This is what Bartimaeus calls out for Son of David. The anointed one, the Christ. The Messiah have mercy on me, bring the promise that you promised that the steadfast love of the Lord will endure forever. Bring me your grace.
He made that choice to cry out just like our inner soul cries out when we're struggling in life is broken, and we just realize we can't do it ourselves when we just know. Nothing else will work. God. Please help. Is what he's doing? As the choice she's making. And this time, Jesus hears him. I called him. And we get another one of his choices because it's not what we know of him that he's blind, and he's a man that he's bigger that, he's the son of tomatoes and he's sitting by the roadside all that information. Just like they know information about you that, you were your occupation. What's your relationship to others? Whether you're good, or just a, it's his actions that Mark is lifting up to us and seeing that, this reality that happened fits. So well in the gospel narrative that he lays before us, as one of these multiple layers and Bartimaeus makes the choice to get up to throw off, his cloak to throw off that, which has been his protection is layers to throw off into run to Jesus. So often we need to throw off that, which we depend to be able to run to Jesus. And then Mark Mark, don't ever let someone tell you that these are just quickly thrown together and they didn't know what they're doing. These were bumbling idiots. That didn't know what they were writing. No, no, no, no, no, no Mark has yet another layer for us.
Just in case we're not quite catching on.
Jesus says to Bartimaeus. What would you have me do for you? And we're thinking, isn't it obvious, right?
He's not asking for his next meal.
Is that asking for just a scratch his back?
What would you have me? Do for you? And then Mark is just set us up because, you know what, the passage just before this one. The one that came immediately before nothing in between immediately before was of James, and John getting next to Jesus. And just says, what would you have me do for you? And they said we want to sit on your right hand and on your left.
The last time, Jesus asked, what would you have me do for you? His own disciples were concerned about their own power and Prestige, and where they will sit in the kingdom of God.
And they were asking for the glory seats.
What a difference? Mark turns that question on its head. What would you have me do for you? Only? Think about all the things we want juice at Prophet our lives and it turns differently. In which the blind man says, I want to see you again.
I want to see.
Don't we want to see? We want to see is God really sees this world. We want to see that person that annoys us on the road as Jesus. Really sees them. Oh, maybe we don't.
But how wonderful day to really see this world as God would have us, see it. I want to see again.
I want to see you in a way that it was before the fall. I'm going to see what it was like God. When you first created everything. I want to see the new Heaven and a new Earth. When the first Earth in the first time having are tossed away and the sea that is chaos is no more. I want to see.
The Jesus says your faith. Has made you well.
You're on the right path.
Your faith has made you. Well, and then the most profound change. The most profound Choice comes. We almost don't read it because we compartmentalize that we almost drift away cuz the story is concluded. He can see now. And so everything's happened to that. There's a miracle has been performed he can see so we're done, right? Remember, we're in the midst of a gospel and Mark has been setting us up with these multiple layers and he's ready to give it that last one.
He says go your way.
Go your way every other time. He said that people have gone their way. They've gone away. They've gone and done whatever they're going to do. They've been healed of the demon cleansed of the spirit. They can walk again. Go your way. But this time Mark has a setup.
Because I told you the passage that comes immediately before is of James and John wanting their special place.
I also told you though that this is a book and section four between two Blind Men and we're going to bout to move into another section. You with the next section is where I should go into Jerusalem. We're going to the cross the next session and the gospel Mark is the triumphal entry. What we do on Palm Sunday.
Is that marching in with the son of David Hosanna, have mercy on us? It is Marching In with that one who's come to save us the next section. There's no more time to fiddle around. There's no more time was a great miracle workers, a great teacher. The next section is, who is he? And are you ready to follow? And just says go your way and you know, what way he goes. He follows Jesus.
Yes, but how do I know that? Cuz Mark names.
Mike gamesim. Bartimaeus, the Son of the Mask. Chances are he was really known in the Inner Circle? Chances are he was very much notes. There's no other reason to name him. To give reference everybody running around, trying to find Bartimaeus know, people could refer back and say that his story. Now, what's our story?
Are we ready to make a choice to see as God would have a c. And are we ready? To truly follow him because following him means going to the cross. Is the complete opposite of what James and John were looking for? It's all about God's glory. And not our own.
Blind man. Stood by the road and he cries. Show me the way show me the truth. And show me the life. Amen, let's pray.