Who's Blind? - Mark 10:46-52 - October 11, 2020

These are the Sermon Notes for October 11th, 2020. We are meeting at the church with limited seating and specific procedures and protocols that need to be followed. Read our Returning to Worship plan here. You can still watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

 Mark 10:46-52 Who’s Blind?

Good morning! We are continuing our work through the Gospel of Mark, we’re in chapter ten, verses 46-52, page 847 in the pew Bibles.

Jesus has been making His way south from Galilee, through the region of Perea east of the Jordan River, and now He and His disciples, as well as a crowd of pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem for the Passover, have crossed the Jordan River and have come to Jericho.

You may have heard of Jericho before, it was the city, in the Old Testament, where Joshua and the Israelites marched around the city at God’s command and blew the trumpets and the walls came tumbling down.

The site of that battle, the ruins of that city, is about a mile away from the New Testament city of Jericho where Herod the Great had built his winter palace. It’s somewhere in between these two places that our story takes place this morning.

This is also Mark’s last recording of Jesus healing anyone. So let’s look at the text and we’ll pray.

46 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. 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 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 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.” 52 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.

Let’s pray.

At first glance, this account seems rather innocuous. Not that giving sight to the blind isn’t a big deal, but thinking of the strategic nature of the accounts included in Mark’s Gospel this account seems to be kind of random. “There’s a blind guy, Jesus heals him, nothing to see here, let’s move on.”

In truth, there were a lot of blind guys in this account, a whole throng of them. The blind guy in this story is actually the least blind guy there!

So here he sits, old blind Bartimaeus, by the side of the road begging. This was the only thing that someone in his condition could do. There were no government programs to help him, to keep him fed and give him a place to live. The spot where he sat was most likely the spot where he lived, dependent on the charity of people going in and out of the city.

By this time word of Jesus’ ministry had reached Jericho, there is no speculation in that, word of the Prophet from Nazareth had plenty of time to travel to that city. And now, Jesus of Nazareth Himself was on His way through town.

47 And when [Bartimaeus] heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Now, what is he saying by saying what he’s saying? There’s a number of things actually!

First, by calling Jesus, “Son of David,” not just, “Lord,” or, “Teacher,” or, “Hey you,” by calling Him, “Son of David,” Bartimaeus is rightly calling Jesus, “Messiah.”

Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem to fulfill the work of Messiah, and it was appropriate for Him at this time to accept that title from the people.

Bartameus cried out, Jesus, Messiah, have mercy on me!

Have mercy on me! 

Mercy and grace are often confused. Grace is giving someone what they don’t deserve, a gift. That is why we are saved by grace alone, we don’t deserve salvation, we don’t deserve forgiveness, but God, in His grace, offers it to us through faith in Jesus Christ.

Mercy, on the other hand, is not giving someone what they do deserve, it is compassion for the miserable, and that was what Bartimaeus was asking for, the compassion of the Christ.

Now the crowd here in this account, which included the disciples, clearly saw a ministry opportunity, a chance for Jesus to serve not be served just as He had just taught them, a chance for God to be glorified and a man to be restored to health, right? After all, they could see, right? They could see a great opportunity, right?

Unfortunately, no. 

Batimaeus heard that Jesus was on His way through and began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 

And the crowd in their infinite wisdom told him to shut it. 

“Don’t bother Jesus, He hasn’t got time for you. Don’t bother Jesus, you’re not the kind of person that He wants. Don’t bother Jesus, you aren’t in the right class, or social group, or political party. Quit your shouting!”

The truth is, it was not Bartimaeus who was blind, he was the only one who could see! 

He could see his need, he could see his own inability to fill his need, and he could see that Jesus was only the One who could fill his need, the only One who could actually deliver God’s mercy.

And as the crowd is moving through with Jesus, many of them actively trying to get Bartimaeus to zip it…

Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

“Hey shut up, don’t bother Jesus, you’re making too much of a fuss… what we mean to say is, just kidding, He’s calling you, here, let us help you up…”

So, verse 50, Ol’ Bart jumps up, throws off his coat and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

Does that question sound familiar? That is exactly the same question that Jesus asked James and John when they told Him they wanted Him to do for them whatever they asked. But instead of a request made  out of pride, Bartimaeus made a request out of misery, a request for mercy.

And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 

The word translated, “rabbi,” was actually transliterated from Aramaic, and it doesn’t just mean, “teacher,” as it is often used. In this instance, it is much more personal, it’s the word, “Rabbouni,” which means, my Master, my Lord.

This was Bartimaeus’ declaration of faith in Jesus Christ, the recognition of his great need, and his recognition that Jesus was the only One who could fill it, the only One who could apply God’s mercy and heal him.

52 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.

The blind man Batimaeus was the only one in that crowd who saw Jesus for who He really was, the Father’s dispenser of mercy, and by faith he was made whole. God’s grace was the cause of his healing, the man’s faith was merely the means of his healing.

Jesus healed this man and said, “Go your way.” He could have chosen any way that he wanted, he could have run back to town, he could have run to the synagogue or back to his home, but instead he chose to follow Jesus on His way.

In a lot of ways Bartimaeus is the picture of discipleship, he is a great example of being a Christian.

He recognized his need and his own inability to fill it. While for him, his need at that moment may have been physical blindness but for everybody else, that great need is spiritual blindness.

Spiritual blindness keeps people from seeing who Jesus is and who they are in relation to Him. It keeps people from seeing what their great need really is, they see the need for a bigger house, or bigger paycheck, a more comfortable life, better friends, whatever. But these are not great needs, these are merely comfortable furnishings in a burning house.

Bartimaeus saw his great need for what it was and his own inability to fill it, but he also saw Jesus for who He really is, the Messiah, the only One who can dispense the Father’s gracious mercy. 

By calling out to Jesus, even when everybody told him it was a bad idea, that Jesus wouldn’t answer him, that this religious fanaticism was a waste of time, to come to your senses, you are who you are, you can’t change that, none of this is real, by calling out to Jesus in the face of fear and doubt, Jesus heard him and answered him, he was healed physically, but even more important he was healed spiritually.

And when he could see clearly, he didn’t go back to life as usual, or back to a life that was now just improved a little bit because of a greater spiritual awareness. When he could see clearly he followed Jesus on the way.

Alistair Begg said, “You’ll never know Jesus as a reality until you see Him as a necessity.”

That’s what Bartimaeus saw, he saw Jesus as a necessity first, and then saw Him as a reality. The same can be true of us, when we see Jesus as a necessity, we will see Him as a reality.

And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed [Jesus] on the way.

Amen.

What Lies Ahead - Mark 10:35-45 - October 4, 2020

These are the Sermon Notes for October 4th, 2020. We are meeting at the church with limited seating and specific procedures and protocols that need to be followed. Read our Returning to Worship plan here. You can still watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

 Mark 10:35-45 What Lies Ahead

Good morning! We are back in the Gospel of Mark this morning, chapter 10, verses 35-45, page 846 in the pew Bibles.

I don’t know about you but I really don’t like it when passages of Scripture are written directly to me and about me. I’m not a fan.

Before we get into the Scripture I’d like to pray, that God would illumine our minds and enlighten our hearts with His Word.

Let’s pray.

35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Now, before we go off on James and John, I want to give a little bit of background on this event.

Matthew records in his Gospel, in Matthew 19:28-30,

28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Some of those words will sound familiar to you if you were here two weeks ago, about leaving homes and families for Jesus’ Name’s sake, and the first being last and the last being first.

But what is more important to notice is Jesus’ promise to the twelve disciples that they would sit on twelve thrones judging the tribes of Israel when He Himself sits on His own glorious throne.

So when we read of James and John approaching Jesus about sitting on His right and His left, it is not a totally random request, they are simply reminding Him of His promise to them and trying to work out the seating arrangements.

Pretty simple, I guess we can close in prayer.

Ok, so maybe it’s a little more complicated than that.

35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” [This is a red flag!] 36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”

James and John are looking forward to what lies ahead, and what do they see? Thrones.

Those thrones represent power, they represent authority, and they wanted that. Sitting on Jesus’ right and His left represented preeminence, the highest honor, placing themselves before all the others who would sit on those ten other, less important thrones. And it would also give them proximity, sitting the closest to Jesus, who wouldn’t want that?

It was because of their proud ambition that they made this request of Jesus, Matthew records that they actually got their mom to ask for them, just a detail that Mark left out.

James and John understood how the kingdoms of the world operated and they just wanted to make sure that they would be taken care of when Jesus’ kingdom became official. The problem was, that Jesus’ kingdom is not set up like that.

Looking ahead, James and John saw thrones, but what did Jesus see? The cross.

38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

Did James and John know what they were really asking? Of course not, but they certainly seemed to think that they did. They thought that Jesus was just rallying them to fight for Him but that wasn’t what He was asking them at all.

He wasn’t asking them to fight by His side, He asked them if they were able to drink the cup that He was to drink and be baptized with the baptism He was baptized with. What does that mean?

The cup represented the suffering and afflictions that were to come, the mocking, spitting, and flogging that He had predicted in our text last week. 

The baptism was a baptism of blood, Jesus would be completely immersed in the baptism of death by crucifixion only to be raised to life three days later.

He didn’t explain to James and John what it would mean for them to drink that same cup and be baptized with that same baptism, but they said they could do it anyway, and they did.

James and John were both persecuted, afflicted, and martyred. In fact, James was the first of the Twelve to be martyred and John would be the last. James was killed by the sword in Acts 12 and John was imprisoned on the Island of Patmos where he wrote the book of Revelation and died of old age in exile.

Even so, it was not Christ’s office to assign seats in the kingdom. Whether or not those seats were already reserved for those two we don’t know, all we know is that they were already prepared for someone by the Father. 

So, James and John saw thrones ahead of them, Jesus saw the cross ahead of Him, and what did the other ten disciples see ahead of them? James and John.

41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John.

Given what we know about this band already, do you really think that they got mad because James and John had been so presumptuous to ask Jesus for the seats of highest honor? I don’t, I think they were mad because they didn’t think of it first!

The disciples preferred the Roman example of how to set up a kingdom, people were put in places of authority and power and they ruled over the other people. Simple right?

Like almost every account in Mark’s Gospel Jesus has to undo the humanistic thinking of the disciples, the thinking that says, “me first, I’m the most important thing there is. Power and influence are all about bettering myself and my cause.”

42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The disciples thought that ruling was the highest honor, that those thrones were what would make them important in the kingdom. But Jesus distinguishes the difference between the thinking of the world and the thinking that would, or should, prevail in His church, in His kingdom.

It is selfless service not selfish ambition that is the mark of Christ’s followers and His kingdom, it is service to others that is the highest honor and Jesus Himself gave us the supreme example of it.

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Paul wrote in Philippians chapter 2, verses 4-11:

4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus veiled His glory, willingly came to earth as God’s servant to serve others and give His own life as a ransom for many. He willingly paid the price that would release us from God’s judgment for our sin.

His example shows the difference between wicked ambition and humble service, the difference between the world’s way and the way of Christ. We must choose Christ’s way. 

May that be the way that lies ahead.

Amen.

The Suffering Servant - Mark 10:32-34 - September 27, 2020

These are the Sermon Notes for September 27, 2020. We are now meeting at the church with limited seating and specific procedures and protocols that need to be followed. Read our Returning to Worship plan here. You can still watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

 Mark 10:32-34 The Suffering Servant

Good morning! We are going to look at Mark 10:32-34 this morning, page 846 in the pew Bibles. A big chunk, I know, but a significant chunk.

Often times, I admit, I come to sermon preparation with a desire to find a hook, some common theme that ties ideas together or comes at old ideas from new directions. I came to our text for this morning with the same idea in mind, but I didn’t find any. In this case we may just have to settle for the wonderful and miraculous truth that we can simply take the Scripture at face value.

Let’s pray.

Mark 10:32-34, 

32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

Jesus and His disciples, along with a crowd of people, had begun the journey up to Jerusalem. Everywhere in Scripture that you read of anyone going to Jerusalem, it is always up. Up to Jerusalem. Old Testament, New Testament, same thing, always up to Jerusalem.

While it’s true that Jerusalem is on a hill, it is not uphill from everywhere, in fact, it’s only 1,000 feet in elevation higher than the mountain my house is on, hardly the highest peak around. 

Going up to Jerusalem is not a matter of elevation but a matter of estimation. The city of Jerusalem is God’s holy city, the center of religious activity in the world, and should be esteemed as such. It’s where the Temple stood, where the Ark of the Covenant was, and where Jesus was crucified and rose again. I have been there and it was a moving and powerful experience. 

32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.

Jesus, our leader and champion, was leading this group to Jerusalem. Some were amazed and some were afraid, why was that?

First we must consider who this crowd was. First, obviously we have the disciples, Christ’s chosen twelve, who were amazed at Jesus. And second, we have everybody else, who were afraid. This part of the crowd included those who had been following Jesus and listening to His teaching from Galilee and Perea. They were also joined by people who were on their way to Jerusalem for the Passover.

First, I want to address why this crowd was afraid. I’m certain that there was a feeling of foreboding, a feeling of impending doom hanging over this crowd, mostly because they had witnessed the opposition from the Scribes and the Pharisees and now they were heading to the Scribe and Pharisee capitol of the world! Why not just stay put? Why not just stay in the wilderness where it was safe? Why not start a new capitol of all things religious? These are all questions that the disciples have asked over the last few chapters, aren’t they?

The crowd was afraid because Jesus was headed into the belly of the beast and they were afraid of what might happen to Him there.

But Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen to Him there, and that is what He shared with the disciples privately to strengthen them.

Why didn’t He share this with the whole crowd? Perhaps it was to keep the crowd from spreading the word of His death before it happened, perhaps it was to keep the crowd from trying to prevent it, perhaps it was to ensure that things continued to develop at the pace set by the Father.

In any case, the disciples were not yet prepared for what was coming. Jesus had predicted His death twice before in Mark’s Gospel, in 8:31, and, 9:30-31, but He had never been this specific. So He gathered them in solitude to strengthen them.

And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

How did Jesus know what would happen in Jerusalem? First, because He is God and knows the beginning and the end, but also because He knew His Bible.

Isaiah 50:6-7

6 I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. 7 But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.

Psalm 22:1-18

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 

6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” 9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts. 10 On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God. 

11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. 12 Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; 13 they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; 15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— 17 I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; 18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

Isaiah 53

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Some of the people that were in this crowd were on their way up to Jerusalem for the Passover, but Jesus was going up to Jerusalem to serve as the Passover Lamb.

In the first Passover a lamb was slaughtered and the blood was painted on the doorposts of the houses of the Hebrews and the Angel of Death literally passed over their houses. Now the blood of Christ, the Lamb who was slain, by God’s grace, is applied to the doorposts of the hearts of all who put their faith in Him so God’s judgment will pass over us.

Some of you may be like those in the crowd, on their way up to Jerusalem out of religious duty. Coming to church is part of your religious obligation and is in line with your feelings of moral obligation but you don’t truly understand what it is that Jesus is doing.

Some of you may be like the disciples, trying to follow Jesus even though He isn’t really fitting your expectations, and you may be confused even confounded by what he is doing or not doing.

Maybe you don’t fit with either, maybe you have no idea who Jesus really is or why you are even here.

But all of us, by the grace of God, have the opportunity to be who Jesus wants us to be, those who trust in Him completely.

“See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

Will be, not may be, not might be, will be. Jesus knew what was coming, and knew that it was for the good of the kingdom of God and for all of mankind, including you and me.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

And they WILL mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he WILL rise.

And He did, praise God, so that all who would come to Jesus in faith would be forgiven of their sins and adopted into His family. And now He sits at the right hand of God interceding for all those who put their trust in Him.

Amen.