RABBI, I WANT TO SEE
Mark 10:46-52
Key Verse 51
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
Introduction
Last week, we learned how to be a servant like our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus became a servant of all as well as a slave of all. It’s still hard for us to become a slave of all because we have our own will and right. In our society we are familiar with a remark, “it is not fair”. But Jesus teaches us how to be a nameless servant for God’s glory. May the Lord help us to grow in Jesus’ image so that we may recover our original image He had created. Today we are privileged to learn of how to ask Jesus with a clear desire to see like a blind man. May the Lord help us to have one word through this passage and overcome anxiety, fear, or doubt due to coronavirus pandemic. Somehow we may fix our eyes on Jesus!
Read verses 46-48. Where had Jesus been with His disciples and a crowd? (46a) What did Bartimaeus ask of Jesus? (46b, 47) What can we learn from his attitude? (48)
1-1, Read verses 46-48.
Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
1-2, Where had Jesus been with His disciples and a crowd? (46a)
Background)
From the time when Jesus had revealed his transfigured image to his top disciples, Jesus had been making his way from Galilee to Judea.
Finally, Jesus decisively set out for Jerusalem (10:32). Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, where he would be mocked and beaten and killed.
And, Jesus promised his disciples; three days later he would rise. Jesus’ disciples were astonished by Jesus’ decision to go to Jerusalem.
The crowd that followed him was afraid. But Jesus pressed on to obey God’s will for him to die on the cross for the sin of the world.
However Jesus’ disciples did not know his struggle to carry his cross. Their hope was that by following Jesus they might find for their reward and glory.
Therefore, Jesus taught them what true greatness is. On the way to Jerusalem, he took every opportunity to show his disciples God’s will for their lives.
Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man,
Jesus had visited the city of Jericho, which is located 20 miles from Jerusalem. The crowd of people increased as He moved toward Jerusalem.
Like the disciples, this crowd of people saw Jesus as a great man and a shepherd for his people.
They followed him, hoping that something wonderful might happen in their lives during the upcoming Passover Festival in Jerusalem.
Then when Jesus and the crowd were leaving the city of Jericho, one man was sitting along the roadside begging.
1-3, What did Bartimaeus ask of Jesus? (46b, 47)
Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
He was a blind beggar. His name was Bartimaeus, which means the son of Timaeus. It seems that he didn’t even have a first name, just a son of who.
Probably, he was there every day, asking for other’s help just to survive until the next day. He was a blind beggar. He had no hope that his life would be better.
In fact, he could be sure that it would never get better, only worse. No one needed him for anything. No one gave him any credit or recognition.
He was a man of no respect. As a blind man, he lived in constant fear of what he couldn’t see. It was so hard for him to trust anyone.
Spiritually speaking, Bartimaeus was a man of no hope and a man of fear. He was just a blind beggar. So the crowd gave him no attention at all.
Perhaps at first, he was trying to get someone’s attention so that they might give him some money.
When someone finally stopped to talk to him for a moment, he asked why there were so many people on the road.
One person told him that it was because of Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee. He could have kept his focus on getting a few dollars from the crowd.
But the name of Jesus sparked something in his heart. He must have heard about the things Jesus had been doing in Galilee.
He decided to put his faith in Jesus. He knew that Jesus is better than the crowd. By faith, he turned away from the crowd, and turned his efforts to Jesus.
he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Bartimaeus didn’t know Jesus personally. But he heard about Jesus with his open ears. He believed that Jesus was not just any man based on what Jesus did.
He had to be the Son of David and the fulfillment of God’s plan to save his people. So he cried out to Jesus, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”
Bartimaeus simply believed that Jesus was sent by the merciful God to rescue his suffering people. He believed that Jesus came bringing God’s mercy.
1-4, What can we learn from his attitude? (48)
48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
When Bartimaeus cried out for Jesus to show him mercy, the crowd should have seen his pitiful situation. They should have asked Jesus to have mercy on him.
But Many people in the crowd rebuked him for speaking up. They told him to be quiet. Perhaps, they might think that his shouting embarrassed them.
The crowd treated him rudely and without any mercy at all. Jesus came to this world as a servant and a shepherd for the lost.
The crowd of people was mostly made up of able-bodied people. They were following Jesus to make their lives a little better.
They thought they were following Jesus, but in fact, they were following their own selfish desires for a better life in this world.
As a result, although they were “following” Jesus, they could care less about why Jesus had come to this world.
He also believed that Jesus was not like other men. Jesus had not come for himself but to save his people.
So Bartimaeus did not keep quiet. He shouted all the more. “Son of David, have mercy on me!” he had understood the basic truth about Jesus.
Jesus was not just another man. Jesus was the Son of David, the Messiah who had come to save his people.
He believed with all of his heart that Jesus could help him. With the power of faith, he kept shouting over the rebukes of the crowd.
Bartimaeus was a blind man. But he had discovered the truth that the seeing crowd had failed to see. The crowd was very limited in light of what they saw.
Jesus was indeed the Son of David and the Savior of the world. Our hope cannot be to get something from Jesus.
Our hope must be in his mercy that flows from the love and faithfulness of God himself. May God help us not to be like the crowd that sought favors from Jesus!
May God help us in our weakness and need to cry out for Jesus’ mercy, so that we may also show his mercy to others!
Read verses 49-50. What did Jesus do when He heard the blind man? (49) How did he respond? (50) What does this show about him?
2-1, Read verses 49-50.
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
2-2, What did Jesus do when He heard the blind man? (49)
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”
Jesus heard the blind man’s cries. Jesus might have expected that someone from among the people who followed him would help the man come to him.
Jesus was moved by the man’s faith not to give up, but kept crying out for God’s mercy. Jesus didn’t call out to the blind man himself.
Probably, he encouraged the very people who had rebuked the blind man to humble themselves and go back to the blind man and invite him to Jesus.
2-3, How did he respond? (50)
50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
2-4, What does this show about him?
Bartimaeus threw his cloak aside, jumped to his feet and ran to Jesus. His cloak might be the one and only asset that he owned. But he threw it aside.
He jumped to his feet. His desire was to see Jesus as a matter of life and death. He could not delay nor miss it. He was determined to see Jesus.
Read verses 51-52. What did Jesus ask the blind man? (51a) What was the man’s reply? (51b) What did Jesus say? (52a) What happened to him? (52b)
3-1, Read verses 51-52.
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
3-2, What did Jesus ask the blind man? (51a)
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.
Jesus’ question to Bartimaeus was the very same question he had asked to James and John when they asked to sit at his right and his left in his kingdom.
Jesus is ready to serve those who have faith to ask for God’s mercy. Jesus embraced this man and his faith as if he were Jesus’ top disciple.
There is no favoritism in God. Jesus looks at our faith. He came to serve us, not because we are deserving of his service, but in order to bless our faith.
Jesus came to bless our faith, because it is by faith that we are saved, and it is by faith that we can live as children of God. This is the love of God.
But only those who ask for God’s mercy by faith can accept the love of God. Otherwise, we will remain clueless and empty-handed, like the crowd.
Blind Bartimaeus could have asked for money or lots of food or anything else that might make him a little happier. But he was different.
3-3, What was the man’s reply? (51b)
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
He believed that Jesus had come in the name of God to bring the mercies from heaven and to set people free from the bondage of sin and Satan.
He asked Jesus for sight. “Rabbi, I want to see.” It meant he asked Jesus for the chance to live a productive life and a life of blessing.
He asked Jesus to display the power of God in his life. He asked Jesus for his mercy, so that he might show God’s mercy to others through his changed life.
May God help us to learn from the blind man, Bartimaeus, to ask Jesus for healing that leads to making our lives a source of mercy and healing for others!
3-4, What did Jesus say? (52a)
52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.”
3-5, What happened to him? (52b)
Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Jesus accepted Bartimaeus’ faith, and accepted his desire to see as his prayer to be his disciple.
The man was healed at that very moment, and he became one of Jesus’ disciples, following him to Jerusalem.
Conclusion
Today we learned that Jesus is not looking for crowd-like-faith from us. Jesus is looking for the faith of Bartimaeus. He was blind. But by faith he saw that Jesus is the Son of David and the Savior of the world. With this faith, he put his trust in God’s mercy. With this faith, he wanted to be healed, so that he might display God’s mercy to the world. May God help us to have the same faith and desire of Bartimaeus to know God’s mercy so that we can show his mercy to young people in our times. Especially in this perilous time due to coronavirus, we may come to Jesus like him in terms of personal prayer and cry out for His mercy. Then we are not victimized by the fear of the virus, but resume peace and joy by looking at our Savior and become a source of blessing for many.
One word; I want to see!
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