The King of Mercy
Text: Mark 10:46-52
Core Idea: Jesus desires to call us to Himself and offer us mercy. Then as Bartimaeus did, may we joyfully throw aside everything we have and join Jesus on this road of discipleship as we daily ask Him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
INTRODUCTION
Good afternoon, Lighthouse. It is good to see all of you here. Today is a special day because we get to worship with our children and youth. We are so thankful to have you here. One thing I want all of us to remember is that children and youth are never out of place in our congregational worship – in fact, we are always better together. But of course, this still doesn’t make things easy for many different reasons – people may be distracted, parents may be stressed, our youth and children may find this “boring.” But I firmly believe that it is good for us to be together because this is a God-given opportunity to disciple and be discipled – and this has a huge implication for all of us. This means that we as adults must continue to grow and mature in our faith because we can’t impart what we don’t possess, but this time together should also remind our children and youth that they are an important part of what God is doing here – we are shaping one another. Then may all of us learn to enjoy worshiping together knowing that this ultimately glorifies God.
Well, we are exploring the life of Jesus through the Gospel of Mark. Last week, Jesus predicted His impending death for the third and last time and shared that He came not to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for us. Today, we’ll see Jesus just outside of Jerusalem in a city called Jericho performing His last healing miracle recorded in Mark’s Gospel. So, with that in mind, let’s turn our Bibles to Mark 10:46-52. And I’m going to invite Remy to the front – and he will read the passage for us.
46 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!” 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. 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.
Thank you, Remy, for reading the passage for us. I hope you enjoyed the video as well. What stood out to me was when they said, “Everything Jesus did was about loving people.” And this stood out to me because that’s exactly what we’ll see in our passage today. I want to point out three things:
· THE CRY FOR JESUS
· THE CALL OF JESUS
· THE CURE FROM JESUS
1) THE CRY FOR JESUS
Let’s take a look at verse 46. Jericho was situated around 30km northeast of Jerusalem which meant that the moment of Jesus’ death was drawing near. As He predicted, He would be mocked, spat on, flogged, and ultimately crucified for us. No doubt, Jesus must have been distressed yet determined – preparing to endure through the greatest pain and suffering on behalf of those He dearly loved.
Now, on their way out of the city, we’re introduced to Bartimaeus who was sitting by the roadside. Mark tells us that he was a blind beggar, which means that he was used to being dependent on the generosity of others – no wonder he was sitting beside a well-traveled road that led to Jerusalem. The day began just like any other day – he was just hoping that someone would be moved by his suffering, that someone would have pity on him and make it possible for him to survive another day. But as he sat there, he heard the sound of an unusually large crowd approaching – “it’s true that many traveled this road but not like this, not all at once.” So, he shouted out, “What’s going on here? Can somebody tell me what’s happening?” And some people around him explained, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” Verse 47, “When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’” We can only imagine how desperately he was shouting – all we know is that it was loud enough to irritate the crowd. Verse 48. It wasn’t just one or two, but many spoke up and rebuked him. They didn’t appreciate the interruption – and they essentially said, “Who do you think you are? Jesus has no time for people like you. You’re a nobody. You need to know your place. You need to stay in your place. Jesus has more important things to take care of. Stop bothering Him. Don’t waste His time.” Now, if you were Bartimaeus, what would you have done? Honestly, I would’ve kept my mouth shut – scared, discouraged, embarrassed, and frustrated. Take a look at what he did: “But he shouted all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me.” It’s like their rebuke only strengthened and intensified his cry. This was all he could’ve done which means that nothing, no one was going to silence him. He just knew that Jesus was somewhere in that crowd and that’s all he needed to know to muster up the courage to cry again. Then you can’t help but ask, “Why? Why was he so desperate for Jesus even at the risk of arousing more anger from the people?” Well, the answer is in the way he called Jesus. Let me explain.
Mark tells us that Bartimaeus called Jesus the Son of David. God made a promise to king David that He will one day send someone who will “establish the throne of His kingdom forever” (2 Sam. 7:12-13). Then in using this title, Bartimaeus wasn’t just being respectful, he was acknowledging that Jesus was the Messiah – the Anointed One, the Savior King that the Israelites have been waiting for. James Edwards said, “What Bartimaeus lacks in eyesight he makes up for in insight.” By the grace of God, Bartimaeus was spiritually perceptive. So, when he heard reports about the authoritative words and the miraculous works of Jesus Christ – stories of the lepers being cleansed, the deaf having their hearing restored, the lame walking, and the blind being made to see again – he was able to see that Jesus was the One the Israelites have been waiting for. He undoubtedly believed that Jesus was the only hope for his life – no wonder he was desperately asking for mercy. Then his cry was an acknowledgment of his need, unworthiness, and helplessness. His cry was a confession of his confidence in Jesus as the promised Messiah. It was the cry of confidence in the willingness and power of Jesus to help him.
Then let me ask you, “Are you aware of your need today? Do you know that it’s utterly impossible for you to save yourself? Do you see how broken, hopeless, helpless you are – that nothing of this world can fill the void, the emptiness, in your heart?” If so, you are exactly in the right position to receive His mercy because we won’t cry out until we realize our need. John Flavel said, “Christ is not sweet until sin is made bitter to us.” The reality is that there are a lot of people who don’t think that they need God’s mercy because they don’t see their sins, they don’t see their needs. My prayer is that the Spirit of God will open your eyes to see this truth clearly – that you and I are in desperate need of a rescue.
Now, I want to make one thing clear before we move on because this could sound like God just wants us to feel bad about ourselves all the time. It sounds like He won’t care about us until we feel miserable about ourselves. But this is not what this is about. To help us with this, let me share what Dane Ortlund wrote: “[Despair] is a vital element of healthy spirituality. The pattern of the Christian life is not a straight line up to resurrection existence but a curve down into death and thereby up into resurrection existence – like a ‘J’ shape. In other words, Christian growth is growth in sensing just how impoverished and powerless we are in our own strength – that is, just how hollow and futile our efforts to grow spiritually are on our own steam. One warning is that we need to experience this pit of despair, but we are not meant to dwell in it. Healthy despair is an intersection, not a highway – a gateway, not a pathway. We must go there. But we dare not stay there. The Bible teaches that each experience of despair is to melt us afresh into deeper fellowship with Jesus.” Think of it this way: we take a painkiller and go to sleep when we think we have a headache, but we undergo chemotherapy when we know we have a tumor. The severity of our condition dictates the depth and seriousness of the medicine we need to take. Then if you just view your sin as a bothersome headache more than lethal cancer, there won’t be this hunger to grow in holiness. You won’t see the need to do anything about it – there won’t be this desperation. But if you do, the way you approach this will radically change. The point is that we must come face-to-face with who we really are in our broken and sinful state. I’m not suggesting you downplay the glorious image of God that we all bear. I’m simply suggesting that you feel your sinfulness. Reflect on this reality because we won’t grow in our faith unless we are honest about our own spiritual bankruptcy. But don’t dwell there. Cry out to Jesus. Come to Jesus today for He is the treasure that we’ve been looking for.
2) THE CALL OF JESUS
Take a look at how Jesus responded – verse 49, “Jesus stopped.” When everyone thought that Jesus was too busy for this blind beggar, no matter how important this journey was for Him, even though His mind and heart were fixated on going to Jerusalem, even though He must have been overwhelmed by the mission He needed to accomplish on the cross, this cry for mercy stopped Him dead in His tracks. And Jesus called him to Himself.
Mark’s story is moving toward its climax as Jesus marches toward Jerusalem. All of history has been moving toward this moment when Jesus would offer Himself up as a sacrifice for our sin. What Jesus was about to do would completely change the course of history – it will impact the lives of everyone. And yet even in this critical moment, Mark intentionally points out that Jesus stopped to focus on one individual – He interacted with Bartimaeus. Isn’t this incredible? Think about this – Jesus never healed someone in an impersonal way. During His earthly ministry, He never said, “I don’t know who’s around me, but whoever is sick and if you’re in my vicinity, be healed!” – and all of a sudden everyone who was sick gets healed. No, Jesus always healed through personal interaction. He’s always stopping, always engaging, always interacting. This is good news for us because we are all Bartimaeus – we have nothing to offer, we are unremarkable, we are broken, hopeless, and destined for death due to our sins. And yet Jesus will stop to focus on us personally. He will graciously, generously pour out His mercy to us.
And this is what all conversion looks like. All conversion is a miracle, a divine intervention – but more importantly, it’s personal interaction. Then if you’re a Christian, this passage is here to remind you of the time when you were sitting by the roadside, blinded by your sin, but by the mercy of God, Jesus Christ heard your cry for mercy, stopped, and gave you a sight to see. So, think back to that moment when you first believed – I pray that it will move you, inspire you, humble you to respond in genuine praise and thanksgiving. He stopped for you. Now, what’s even more amazing is that His mercy doesn’t end there – it moves into our lives every single day. No matter how urgent the situation may be, Jesus will always stop for you in your journey with Him. He’s not annoyed by your prayers; your needs are not an interruption but a concern to His own heart. He cares about everything that you’re thinking about – every single thing that you’re wrestling with. He cares about what you’re going through in your marriage or singleness, in your parenting, He cares about the way you may be unjustly treated at school or work, He cares about the worries of your heart, and He definitely cares about the shame and guilt you may experience over your sin. And He wants to help you: give you the wisdom to navigate, give you the strength to persevere, give you the grace to remain faithful. Brothers and sisters, you have His attention. He’s not distant from you; He is near you. He wants to encourage you, challenge you, comfort you, guide you, provide for you, cry and celebrate with you because of His unending, unconditional love for you. I pray that we would never lose the wonder of His mercy.
Now, if you’re not a Christian, first of all, we’re so thankful that you came here today. But more importantly, I want you to know that it’s not an accident that you’re here. In His grace and wisdom, God orchestrated all things in your life so that you could hear this truth today because some of you may feel like Bartimaeus today – not physically blind, but feeling this despair in your heart, being crushed by the weight of your guilt and shame. Friends, Jesus has stopped for you too, and He is calling you to Himself right now. He wants to show mercy. He wants to help. He wants to rescue you. Then give your life to Jesus. Tell Him how much you need Him. May He minister to you powerfully and personally today. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to come to me after – I would love to continue the conversation.
Just one application before we move to our last point. We just learned that Jesus stops for us when no one else will. Then as followers of Jesus Christ, we should stop for others when no one else will. Look with me to verse 49. When Jesus called Bartimaeus, He didn’t directly speak to him though He could have. Who delivered the call of invitation? The very crowd that told Bartimaeus to be quiet. I believe that Jesus did this because He was helping the crowd to change their perception of this blind beggar. Jesus wanted them to know that Bartimaeus was worthy of not only His time but their time. And as a result, they had the privilege of calling and leading Bartimaeus to Jesus. This is what we are called to do – we ought to lead the spiritually blind to Jesus so that they may receive healing, hope, and life, so that they may finally see. This means that we must at times stop what we’re doing to look around even when our lives are busy and filled with urgent things. I know, this is not easy. This will be inconvenient. This may be costly – it may cost us money, time, and energy. This could feel like an interruption to your life. But we’re called to share that love with others because we have been first loved by the Lord. Then brothers and sisters, what is God asking you to lose in order to care for someone today? Are you willing to sacrifice for their sake, for Christ’s sake or will you see those with need simply as an interruption to your life? This is a high calling. But I pray that we would be a community that has the courage to stop for others, that will learn to love and care sacrificially knowing that we are the recipients of His incredible mercy and grace.
3) THE CURE FROM JESUS
Verse 50. Interestingly, Mark didn’t just say, “Bartimaeus came to Jesus.” No, he emphasized how he came to Jesus – he was intentionally detailed about this. First, Mark tells us that Bartimaeus threw his cloak aside. This is significant because his cloak was all he had. And yet when he threw the cloak aside, it showed that just like the Twelve who left everything to follow Jesus, Bartimaeus too was throwing away everything he had in order to come to Jesus. Second, he jumped to his feet – indicating that there was immediate, joyful abandonment for Jesus.
Now, when Bartimaeus came, Jesus asked in verse 51, “What do you want me to do for you?” This question should sound very familiar if you were here last week because it’s the exact same question Jesus asked James and John. The brothers made this ambitious request for status and power – to sit at Jesus’ right and left hand in glory. But Bartimaeus had a very different request – he immediately responded, “Rabbi, I want to see.” James and John wanted to be seen; Bartimaeus wanted to see. Verse 52. Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has healed you.” And immediately he received his sight. What was that moment like for Bartimaeus? His sight wasn’t gradually restored – no, it was immediately restored, which means that the first thing he probably saw was the face of the One who opened his eyes. He saw the face of Jesus. Can you imagine the joy he must have felt? He must have celebrated – praising Jesus for what He has done for him. Maybe the crowd joined in too. Now, you would think Bartimaeus would go out and see the world for himself – after all, that’s what Jesus said to him, “Go.” But Mark tells us that he “followed Jesus along the road.” Bartimaeus began this day in a miserable condition – resigned to believe that his condition would never change. He sat there that day suffering in the shadow of death. Now, get this: at the beginning of the day, he was a blind beggar by the roadside but by the end of the day, he was able to see – and he was now following Jesus along the road. Do you see that? Jesus transformed Bartimaeus from a beggar sitting beside the road to a disciple following Him on the road to Jerusalem. Jesus didn’t just heal Bartimaeus, but He also brought salvation to him – his life had been turned upside down.
This is important because Mark is showing us an example of true discipleship. And this is ironic because it wasn’t demonstrated by the Twelve (those who were closest to Jesus but were blinded by their own selfish ambition), it wasn’t demonstrated by the rich young man (the one who aimed to be good but was blinded by his great wealth), and it wasn’t even demonstrated by the Pharisees (those who were religious, who genuinely wanted to please God with their performance but were blinded by their pride) – instead, it was demonstrated by this blind man who cried out for mercy and followed Jesus. Bartimaeus modeled what true discipleship is in three ways: (1) he saw Jesus rightly (Son of David – believing that Jesus can and will help), (2) he saw himself rightly (totally dependent and in need of help), (3) he responded rightly (he left all that he had – his cloak – and joyfully followed Jesus along the road). This is important because it reminds us that Christianity is not meant to be a spectator sport. We are meant to participate. Perhaps the reason so many Christians are bored with their faith is because they’re sitting on the sidelines. They’re not exercising their faith. They’re content along the road watching others. If this is you, I want to invite you to hear the Spirit say to you, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” If you know others who have been sitting by the roadside, we need to encourage and challenge them, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Brothers and sisters, we must be on the road with Jesus. Sure, it will be a path of suffering. But it’s the only road that will lead us to glory. Then don’t ever take your eyes off of Jesus as we faithfully follow His steps.
Let me share this as we end. Remember that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. Now, despite the weight of the cross, with the shadow of the cross looming ever larger before Him as Jerusalem came into view, He still heard and responded to the cries of those who were in need – and as a result, the chains of loneliness and rejection, the shackles of sickness and suffering, the imprisonment of death and despair, the enslavement of sin started falling off of people. This was a foreshadowing of what’s to come – what His death will accomplish. Now, as Jesus hung upon that cross, in those final moments, in the moment of His greatest need, did you know that He cried out? “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46). But unlike the cry of Bartimaeus, His cry was ignored, rejected, forsaken. Why? Because He was giving His life as a ransom for us. Because He was taking our sin upon Himself as He received the fullness of God’s righteous wrath. Brothers and sisters, His cry was silenced in order that we could be heard. Because He was forgotten, we are remembered. Because He was rejected, we are accepted. Because He received death, we receive life. Do you believe that He has done this for you? Do you believe that God is with you no matter who you are, where you are? Today, Jesus offers Himself to you. Don’t resist it. Don’t ignore it.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, Jesus desires to call us to Himself and offer us mercy. Then as Bartimaeus did, may we joyfully throw aside everything we have and join Jesus on this road of discipleship as we now daily ask Him, “What do you want me to do for you, Lord?”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Share examples of when you cried out for mercy and Jesus stopped and ministered to you with mercy and grace. What might prevent one from crying out to the Lord?
2) How can we grow in courage and heart to stop and help those who may be in need when no one else does? What makes this difficult for you? Is there anyone you can help with today?
3) Bartimaeus went from a beggar beside the road to a disciple on the road. What kind of things keeps Christians on the sidelines? What will it look like for you to be off the side of the road to be on the road with Jesus?