Seeing While Blind

Seeing While Blind

“Seeing While Blind”
(Mark 10:46-52)
Series: Encounters with Christ (Blind Bartimaeus)

Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD

Henderson’s First Baptist Church, Henderson

Take your Bibles and join me this morning in Mark’s Gospel chapter 10 (page 682; YouVersion).

We’re in a special series of messages entitled, “Encounters With Christ,” and we’ve been noting how a personal encounter with Jesus changes everything. We’ve seen that in recent weeks by looking at these different persons in the New Testament who got to know Christ “up close and personal,” people like Zacchaeus, Doubting Thomas, the Rich Young Ruler, last week—Matthew the Tax Collector.

This morning, we’re going to read about a man known simply as “Blind Bartimaeus.”

Please stand in honor of the Word of God.

46 Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.
47 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!”
48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.
Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”
50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.
51 So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”
52 Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

Pray.

Introduction:

So a few weeks back I was really struggling with my vision. I’ve been a bit nearsighted since I was a teenager and have worn contacts for a long time, but a few weeks back I was really having trouble seeing things up close. It happens, so they say, when you get old. Since I hit the big “5-0” last June, I’ve been feeling it!

I ran a relay race yesterday in Illinois with Jacob Clutts, our new Student Minister. 8-person team. I was the oldest. The youngest runner was 20. I kept looking at that guy thinking, “I really am 30 years older than that guy. He could be my son.” Another guy was 23 and he was like doing this massage on another guy’s neck. I went over to him and said, “Hey, I need some of that. I’m running the next leg.” And he smiles and says, “That’s what I like about old people, they’re not afraid to ask for stuff!” And then he quickly said, “old-er people!” I’m like, “Whatever. Just ‘own it,’ Todd.”

But I was really struggling with seeing things up close. I could hardly read the Bible on my iPad that particular morning I was preaching and later, after the third service, I was counseling with one of our young ladies outside and I said, “Let’s go back in the sanctuary and talk a bit and pray.” And I reached for one of the church Bibles and was trying to locate a passage I knew was in Philippians and I could not read the print. I’m playing trombone with it, but no help. Fortunately I knew enough of the verses to paraphrase it and told her she could look it up later.

I was really beginning to feel like Bartimaeus. I could relate to his cry, “Lord, that I may see!”

By God’s grace we’re able to go to an optometrist—and I did right away—that week! I got my multi-focal prescription tweaked and was able to see up close again. All day I was like, “Praise God, I can see again! I can read again!” What a blessing to be able to go to an eye-doctor to correct our vision.

Our passage reminds us of the blessing of being able to go to the spiritual eye-doctor, the Good Physician, our Lord Jesus Christ, who corrects both physical and spiritual vision. I want to talk about that this morning.

Let’s go through these seven verses—verses 46 through 52—and go through them verse-by-verse and then I want to share some application principles that surface from our study. Before I do that, let me share with you this descriptive outline of the passage.

I. Consider His Condition (46)

46 Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.

He is blind.
He is poor.
He is an outcast…misfit island…marginalized…lonely…

The Beatles saying about “All the Lonely People?” All the lonely people, like:

Eleanor Rigby
picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been
lives in a dream
waits at the window, wearing a face that she keeps in a jar by the door
who is it for?

Or, lonely people like:

Father McKenzie
writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
no one comes near
look at him working, darning his socks in the night when there’s nobody there
what does he care?

All the lonely people
where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
where do they all belong?

There have been times I could relate to Father McKenzie, writing the words of a sermon no one will hear. Maybe some of you can relate to Eleanor Rigby, picking up rice in the church where a wedding has been, but it’s not your wedding.

Inwardly we each yearn for validation. We want people to like us. We want people to come to us, to listen to us. We want people to think we’re really important. We want to be surrounded with meaningful relationships.

Jesus really is a friend of sinners. He meets us in our loneliness…

II. Consider His Confession (47-51)

47 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!”

He hears…implies he is asking or overhears someone else say it is Jesus
Here is Bartimaeus now, crying out!

48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

And everyone’s telling him to be quiet!

49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”

Jesus makes time for those who cry out

50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.
51 So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”

This is a cry for physical healing…his physical eyesight was what was wrong—not his spiritual eyesight. The way Bartimaeus addresses Jesus indicates that there was nothing at all wrong with his spiritual eyesight.

Bartimaeus refers to Jesus as, “Rabboni,” which is a personal way of saying, “My teacher, My Master,” and even more importantly is the continual plea, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

That is a confession. Bartimaeus does not address Jesus as merely, Jesus of Nazareth, but “Jesus, Son of David,” that is, “Jesus, the promised Messiah, Jesus, the One who would come from the lineage of King David, Jesus my Savior and Lord.”

Though blind physically, he sees well spiritually.

What a confession!

So Bartimaeus asks for healing, physical healing. “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”

And verse 52:

52 Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

Healed!
Healed of his condition. His condition, his confession, and then thirdly:

III. Consider His Consecration (52)

The chapter ends with Bartimaeus’ indicating a full surrender of his life to the Lord Jesus Christ. The last few words of verse 52, the last few words of the chapter read, “And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.”

Wholly consecrated, wholly devoted and dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ.

What a wonderful picture of true discipleship, true following of the Lord Jesus!

Paul said in Romans 8:14, “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they,” and they only, “are the sons of God.”

**Principles to Ponder

1) You Can be Blind, but See (Blind Physically; See Spiritually)

Bartimaeus was blind physically, but he could see spiritually. He was blind of body, but not of soul.

Now you think about that for a moment. He had not seen any of the Lord’s miracles. He had not seen, had not witnessed, a single one. He had never once seen the Lord touch lepers and heal them. He had never seen Jesus heal or cure any person of any illness. He had not seen the Lord Jesus raise the dead by merely speaking a word. He had not seen any of this—yet he believed.

We need not see some great sign, some great supernatural working of God before we believe in Christ.

We live and walk by faith, and not by sight. We believe the Gospel. The power of the glorious Gospel. We “see,” through the eyes of faith—believing in what Jesus has done for us in both His life and His death…

I number of years ago I read about this strange fish of a family called the Anableps. You can Google this later if it interests you. But it’s this strange species of fish found in Central America and parts of South America. It’s a kind of fish that has two sets of eyes. It’s actually one set, but eyes divide the water line, enabling to see two ways: above water and under water.

We all see two ways. Physically and spiritually. So this takes us to the second principle. We have noted that “You can be Blind, but See,” which is to be Blind Physically; but See Spiritually. Well, the opposite is true as well, number two:

2) You can See, but be Blind (See Physically, Blind Spiritually)

This principle is similar to last week’s…you can be sick and think you are well…remember what Jesus said to Matthew the Tax Collector? He said, “I did not come for those who are sick and thin they are well; I have come for those who want to be well because they know they are sick.

Well, similarly, you can see, but really be blind. In fact, someone said, “There is no one so blind as one who refuses to see!”
Refuses to see what? Refuses to see that we are no different spiritually from what Bartimaeus was physically.

Remember his condition? Blind, poor, outcast.

What was true of Bartimaeus’ physical condition is true of every man’s spiritual condition—every man, every woman, every young person.

We are each of us blind, poor, and outcast because of our sin.

Do you believe this? You must believe you are sick before you can be made well. You must acknowledge spiritual blindness, before you can see.

Spiritual blindness…literary context, two healings 8:22-26 and this passage bookend Jesus’ teaching about his coming death and resurrection, the “passion passages,” which is interesting because the disciples never really quite grasped what Jesus was talking about there. They were “blinded” from seeing this truth.

Sometimes we don’t see the truth because we don’t want to see the truth…we don’t like what we see.

It’s much like a part of our body we don’t like to see in the mirror. When I am shaving in front of the mirror I wear a t-shirt! I close my eyes until my t-shirt is on. Why? Because I don’t like to see the truth!

We want to shield our eyes from things we don’t like to see.

Ask yourself, “Is the reason I cannot see spiritually because—deep down—I don’t like what I see? I don’t want to believe the Gospel? I don’t want to believe the Bible? I don’t want to surrender?

You Can be Blind, but See (Blind Physically; See Spiritually)
You can See, but be Blind (See Physically, Blind Spiritually)

Thirdly:

3) If You Can See, You Must Help Others to See (So Everyone Sees Spiritually)

Again, the marginalized, the outcasts, the misfits…

Jesus willing to be interrupted; how about your schedule? Are you willing to be interrupted by the blind, someone asking you a question may be like a blind man bumping his cane into you;

Jesus is never too busy for you, for anyone, even though He would soon face tremendous suffering, others first; He had just taught this in verses 42-45.
He had said that true greatness is defined by serving others. He had said, “Whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.” Putting others first, helping the blind see.

This past week I read in the new a story that read, “Ten Killer Apps You Shouldn’t Live Without.”

It was the last one that really got my attention:

10. Help give sight to the blind

Just for a moment I want you to close your eyes and imagine that you are blind. Now, let’s complete a few basic tasks, like separating medications, using the right button on a microwave oven or knowing which side of the street to catch the bus. Think of all the questions you might have because you can’t see.
There’s a new non-profit app out that allows sighted people to “lend their eyes” to those with visual impairments through video chat.  Simply put, it’s remarkable.

The Be My Eyes (Apple; Free) app was developed by a visually impaired man in Denmark. It connects blind people to sighted volunteers through video chat. The volunteer can answer questions because they can see the blind person’s surroundings using their phone’s camera.

The other day, I connected with a young man who wanted to know the expiration date of the milk in his refrigerator. He positioned his phone’s camera to the top shelf. Looking at the image of the milk carton on my phone, I said, “I wouldn’t drink that if I were you.” He laughed, thanked me and that was the end of our call. If you want to do something fun and help another person out, download the app.http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2015/04/11/10-killer-apps-shouldnt-live-without.html

You Can be Blind, but See (Blind Physically; See Spiritually)
You can See, but be Blind (See Physically, Blind Spiritually)
If You Can See, You Must Help Others to See (So Everyone Sees Spiritually)

Help others see the Way the Truth and the Life—your family, your sons and daughters, moms and dads, neighbors, the unreached across our commonwealth, country, continents…

2 Corinthians 4:4, “whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”

When Jesus began His ministry He quoted Isaiah and said:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,[a]
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
ing amazing grace, once was blind (Luke 4:18)

Sing Amazing Grace:

Amazing Grace
How Sweet the Sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now am found
was blind but now I see!

Stand for prayer.
“Lord Jesus Christ, I admit that I am weaker and more sinful than I ever before believed, but, through you, I am more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I thank you for paying my debt, bearing my punishment and offering forgiveness. I turn from my sin and receive you as Savior.”

**************

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