I Can See Clearly Now
Year B - 2020-2021 • Sermon • Submitted
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I think of all the senses that we have losing my vision would be one of the hardest to deal with. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be blind and to never see the glories of this great creation that God has gifted us with.
When I was in Bible college there were several students who were blind from birth. It amazed me how they could travel across the campus by themselves without getting lost. Other was always people around that would lend a hand or warn them about upcoming obstacles but they had learned how to cope. Two of those students were phenomenal piano players. They could hear a song played once or twice and then be able to play it themselves. What an amazing gift that God gave them.
46 Jesus and his followers came into Jericho. As Jesus was leaving Jericho, together with his disciples and a sizable crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, Timaeus’ son, was sitting beside the road.
In our gospel reading today we learn of the encounter between Jesus and the man that Mark identifies as Bartimaus. Bartimaus wasn’t his proper name. The first three letters of the name Bar tells us that he was the son of. That would mean Timaus was his father’s name. So we aren’t given his proper name, we’re told that he is the son of Timaus.
We don’t know anything of his background other than that he was blind. We don’t know if he was blind from birth or went blind at some other point in his life. It’s probably safe to assume that he had picked out a spot along the road where he would sit and beg from those who passed by in order to make a living. There was no social safety net for the disabled in Jesus time. The only course of action that a disabled person had was to rely upon their family or the generosity of strangers as they begged.
In our day it seems like there are a lot of people that take advantage of the social safety net that is there to help those in need.
I read an article this week about an Army Veteran who had gotten over 1 million from the VA claiming he couldn’t move his legs. He had received money from the VA to purchase an adaptive vehicle. He bought a vehicle, but it was a BMW. There is videos that surfaced of him standing in front of a mirror at a gym. He is currently pending charges that could result in 30 years in prison.
I knew a guy once who had fallen at work and injured his knee. He filed a Workmen’s Comp claim which stated that he was no longer able to perform his normal job related duties. In his claim he stated that he was permanently disabled because of the accident at work. While he was waiting on the ruling for his permanent disability he put black plastic up over all the windows in his house and proceeded to remodel the interior of his home.
He was ultimately approved for his disability and is not worked since. It’s a shame when people take advantage of the system.
When I worked in Virginia there was one red light near where I had to turn to get on the Beltway around Washington DC. There was one guy that it seemed like he was always there. He had one of those cardboard signs that said will work for food. The first couple of times that I saw him I’d handyman a handful of change for a dollar or two. But I started to notice that weeks on end he was always there. There was actually a path born in the grass where he walked back and forth with his sign. I have no way of knowing if he would actually work for food but I’m guessing at the hundreds of cars that passed by there every day he made a significant living just walking back and forth holding up a sign.
Mark 10:46 (CEB)
a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, Timaeus’ son, was sitting beside the road.
You can almost imagine Bartimaus sitting alongside the road every day calling out to those who passed by asking for money. I can’t begin to imagine how that would feel to life being reduced to begging for a living. I’ve had people ask me for assistance from the church. The ones that are truly in need you can almost see the shame in their eyes because they don’t like to be in that position of having to ask.
This man was sitting along the road that ran between Jericho and Jerusalem. This was probably his regular spot. It was a highly traveled road. It probably started out as a normal day for him. However the day was gonna end in a manner that he had never dreamed of.
This man was sitting along the road that ran between Jericho and Jerusalem. It was about 27 miles between Jerusalem and Jericho. According to Google Maps it would take you about 53 minutes to travel between the two places. This was probably his regular spot. It was a highly traveled road. It probably started out as a normal day for him. However the day was gonna end in a manner that he had never dreamed of.
One thing that I forgot to point out to you about Bartimaus’ name is that in the Greek his name means “son of honor.” I wanted to point that out because here the son of honor sits in a dishonorable position of having to beg for a living alongside the road.
I just guessing here but I believe that this day started out like any day. Bartimaus had made it to his regular spot and as he hears people approaching he cries out for alms or for charity. I learned that the word for giving to the poor in the Hebrew language is the word Tzedakah. That word encompasses our idea of charity but it means more than just giving to a charity. It has at its root the “meaning righteousness, justice or fairness. In Judaism, giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act; it is simply an act of justice and righteousness, the performance of a duty, giving the poor their due.”[1]
So giving to someone in need was an act of justice or righteousness. I like that concept.
Bartimaus hears a big crowd coming along the road. Mark tells us that it was Jesus and the disciples and a large crowd. Jesus popularity had continued to grow and this event occurs just prior to his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus is at the height of his popularity so he attacks large crowds wherever he goes.
Mark 10:47 (CEB)
47 When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was there
Bartimaus hears the noise of this large crowd coming along. It must have seemed larger than normal so he apparently asks those around about the large crowd. He learns that it is Jesus who is coming along the road.
People didn’t have internet and Facebook back then but news travelled quickly. People throughout Judea knew who Jesus was. They had heard about the miracles that he had performed. Luke mentions in the account of Jesus raising the widow’s son from the dead that the news about Jesus spread. He wrote:
16 Awestruck, everyone praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.”
17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding region.
Based on Bartimaus’ response to learning it was Jesus who was heading along the road it is safe to assume that he had heard all the stories that were spreading about Jesus and how he had healed a great many people. When he learns that it is Jesus that is coming up the road Mark tells us that he begins crying out:
Mark 10:47 (CEB)
“Jesus, Son of David, show me mercy!”
Remember for a second that Mark tells us that this is a large crowd that is coming down the road. We don’t know how near town Bartimaus was but I would imagine that when others heard that Jesus was coming through that not only was there a large crowd travelling with Jesus but there was a large crowd along the road to watch.
Have you ever been in a large crowd? It’s hard to talk and hear the people around you because there is so many people talking. You have to speak loudly to get yourself heard. Bartimaus must have been being very loud because the people around him tried to quiet him down. Mark says there in verse 48:
48 Many scolded him, telling him to be quiet, but he shouted even louder, “Son of David, show me mercy!”
This was his chance and he was going to make himself heard. People were rebuking him, they were trying to shut him up, they were telling him to be quiet. Bartimaus wasn’t going to do as they told him and Mark says “he shouted even louder.” He wasn’t just talking loud, he was shouting. He was shouting:
Mark 10:48 (CEB)
Son of David, show me mercy!
I don’t believe for one second that he only cried that out once. He cried it out repeatedly “Son of David, show me mercy!” He wanted his voice to be heard and he wasn’t going to have people silence him. He kept shouting out “Son of David, show me mercy!”
Mark 10:49 (CEB)
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him forward.”
Jesus heard this one many out of a great crowd calling out to him. Maybe Jesus heard him because Bartimaus was loud and obnoxious in his shouting. Maybe it was because of what Bartimaus called Jesus. This is the first place in Mark’s Gospel that he uses the term “Son of David.” Jesus was headed to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. The people were expecting the Messiah who was from the lineage of David.
Jesus stops and tells those around him to call Bartimaus. The crowd went from trying to shut Bartimaus up to telling him the Jesus is calling him. In verse 49 Mark writes:
Mark 10:49 (CEB)
“Be encouraged! Get up! He’s calling you.”
What an awesome thing to hear “Be encouraged! Get up! He’s calling you.” I think that it is the greatest thing that we can tell someone. We can tell them that Jesus is calling them, Jesus is inviting them into a relationship with him. Isn’t that amazing?
The people told him to cheer up. Have you ever told someone to cheer up? The word cheer means:
a shout of praise or encouragement, a happy feeling or attitude[2]
He’d probable been told to cheer up before. It’s easy to tell someone who is discouraged or depressed to cheer up. However, those words are almost always meaningless to the person who is discouraged. We mean well when we say that. When Bartimaus had heard it in the past he knew that his situation was not going to change. As far as he was concerned he was going to be a blind beggar for the rest of his life. He had nothing greater to look forward to.
The crowd was telling him to be encouraged. Why? Because Jesus was calling him.
Bartimaus was being called by Jesus. Can you just imagine what was going through his mind at that moment? He was successful, he got Jesus’ attention. The people around told him to cheer up because now Jesus is calling him. Mark tells there in the last part of verse 50:
50 Throwing his coat to the side, he jumped up and came to Jesus.
Did you notice what he did? He did something that a blind person wouldn’t do. Mark says “Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped up and came to Jesus.” He tossed his cloak aside. A blind person wouldn’t normally do that because how would they ever find it again without the help of someone else. One commentator wrote:
A blind man, throwing his cloak aside into the darkness, does not expect to return from his encounter with Jesus blind or to return to his old life as a beggar[3]
I believe that Bartimaus believed that he was going to be healed and he would be able to see to find his cloak. I think he did believe that he wasn’t going back to his old life.
Mark says that he tosses his cloak aside, jumps to his feet and he came to Jesus. I can just imagine that he was trembling with anticipation. He had heard the stories that had been going around about Jesus. He had heard that Jesus had restored the sight of other blind people. He probably never imagined that he would be able to meet Jesus. One writer said:
he abandons his sitting position as a beggar by springing up and standing like a man. Posture always gives clues to self-esteem. Never again will Bartimaeus be looked down upon as the scum of the earth. As Job responded to God’s challenge, Bartimaeus stands ready to answer as a man.[4]
Here he is standing face to face with Jesus. Jesus asks him a seemingly simple question. Jesus asks him:
Mark 10:51 (CEB)
51 Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
One thing I noticed it’s the very same question that Jesus asked James and John back up in verse 36. James and John had approached Jesus and asked him to do whatever they asked. It’s a sermon for another day but I think it’s helpful to just briefly look at that. James and John wanted the privilege of sitting at Jesus side in heaven. Jesus asks them:
36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
James and John wanted to be rewarded by given a place of privilege in glory. Jesus asks Bartimaus the exact same question and his response to Jesus is not for a place of privilege, he asks for a practical solution to a real problem that he had. He responds to Jesus and he says:
Mark 10:51 (CEB)
The blind man said, “Teacher, I want to see.”
The difference between Bartimaeus’s answer and the disciples’ request is the difference between faith and ambition. Faith asks for needs; ambition begs for wants. Bartimaus needed his sight; James and John wanted the places of honor in the coming kingdom of God.[5]
Did you catch what I said? “Faith asks for needs; ambition begs for wants.” Bartimaus came to Jesus in faith with hope that Jesus could restore his sight. James and John wanted to be recognized and given a place of privilege.
Jesus doesn’t enter into a discussion with Bartimaus. He doesn’t tell him that he can’t do what is asked of him. He simply tells Bartimaus there in verse 52:
52 Jesus said, “Go, your faith has healed you.” At once he was able to see, and he began to follow Jesus on the way.
Mark says that immediately he received his sight. His healing was because of his faith that Jesus could heal him. Bartimaus was crying out “Jesus, Son of David have mercy on me” and Jesus heard and answered him. Mercy is to receive something that we don’t deserve.
When we come to Jesus we receive mercy, we receive from God what we don’t deserve. Do you recall the verse from last week from the letter to the Hebrews? It said:
16 Finally, let’s draw near to the throne of favor with confidence so that we can receive mercy and find grace when we need help.
We can receive mercy and find grace because of Jesus. This blindness that we read about is not only physical blindness but it is also spiritual blindness. Before we come in faith to Jesus we are blind spiritually, fumbling around in darkness.
Jesus has come to call us into a relationship with him. When he started his public ministry he read from the prophet Isaiah these words:
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed,
19 and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
A pastor friend of mine wrote:
We will never see ourselves until we see God. We will never know ourselves until we know God. We will never love ourselves until we know how deeply God loves us.[6]
What is it that you need to see today? What form of mercy do you need to receive from God? Jesus stands ready to hear from you.
[1] http://www.jewfaq.org/tzedakah.htm
[2] "Cheer." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
[3] Brower, Kent. Mark: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill, 2012. Print. New Beacon Bible Commentary.
[4] McKenna, David L., and Lloyd J. Ogilvie. Mark. Vol. 25. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1982. Print. The Preacher’s Commentary Series.
[5] McKenna, David L., and Lloyd J. Ogilvie. Mark. Vol. 25. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1982. Print. The Preacher’s Commentary Series.
[6] Pastor John Poling, Waynesburg First Church of the Nazarene