Introduction

In Mark 8:22-26, Jesus performed an unusual miracle. A blind man asked him to restore his sight.

Jesus gives it a try, but it doesn’t go as expected and while the man can see, he doesn’t see clearly.

Jesus touches him a second time, and the man is finally healed.

Of course, Jesus wasn’t having an off day, he was setting up an object lesson about the nature of our transformation.

In the story that followed, Jesus asked the disciples who people thought he was.

The disciples said, the word on the street was that Jesus was the reincarnation of John the Baptist, or maybe one of the Old Testament prophets.

When Jesus asks the disciples what they think, Peter, showing great insight, says that Jesus is the Messiah.

Jesus confirms Peter’s assessment.

But immediately after he sorts out the question of his identity, Jesus starts to talk about the true meaning of that identity.

He hasn’t come to raise a Rome-smashing army. He has come to suffer and serve, by giving his life and rising again.

The disciples just can’t accept this vision of the Messiah because it fails to live up to their expectations.

In fact, Peter takes Jesus aside and rebukes him for what he thinks is crazy talk.

Jesus responds by rebuking Peter and giving what might be the clearest statement on the paradox of the gospel.Mark 8:34–35NIV

34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.

So This story of a blind man begins a major section in Mark’s gospel outlining what it means to be a disciple on the way of the cross.

We’re supposed to realize that the call to discipleship is something they had only seen fuzzily (like the blind man)

Jesus was trying to show them what their true calling was.

But on the cusp of the disciples’ arrival in Jerusalem, the disciples still don’t get it.

In this context, we read another story about Jesus healing a blind man

Jesus is patiently working to show his disciples the truth, they aren’t ready to accept.Mark 10:46–52NIV

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.1. Dishonoured and BlindedBartimaeus’ Predicament

Jesus has been heading from Caesarea Philippi toward Jerusalem.

Jericho is the last stop along the way. It’s a day’s journey (about 30 km to Jerusalem)

We’re told that as he departs he sees a blind man “by the roadside.”

The wording here in Greek is exactly the same as in the parable of the seed and the sower ( referring to the seed scattered along the path)

The seed sown along the path was immediately snatched away by the evil one. So the implication here seems to be that this man’s predicament is the work of the evil one.

Now, usually the people Jesus heals aren’t named. But here we’re told the person Jesus healed is named Bartimaeus.

Bartimaeus’ is maybe one of the most ironically named people in the Bible. His name means son of Honour

People assumed that a blind man was blind because he was cursed by God.

The fact that he was a beggar also meant that people saw him as a person without honour, much as people view panhandlers as good-for-nothings in our culture.

So this man who is supposed to be a son of honour, has been dishonoured by the work of Satan.Dishonoured in Our Culture

There are many people in our own time who are like Bartimaeus: People deserving of honour, who are treated with dishonour

The idea that all people have inherent dignity is a Judeo-Christian idea.

In the Roman world, for example, people believed that it was it was an expression of the natural order for the strong to dominate the weak.

The Jewish idea that all people are made in God’s image, and the Christian idea that God, in Christ, identifies with the poor and powerless reshaped our culture’s ideals

But while we talk a good game about universal human dignity, in reality, our actions often tell a different tale

It’s easy to justify indifference to the plight of the poor because we tell ourselves, they’re getting what they deserve

Certainly, there are many poor people who make foolish decisions. Yet, before we write them off we should consider

We have probably made unwise decisions in our lives before – yet God has had mercy on us

Often those who make bad decisions do so because this world has trained them to do so

People who are traumatized may abuse substances because they can’t the mental health help they need

People who make poor financial decisions may not have been raised to teach themselves delayed gratification

People struggling with mental illnesses face obstacles created by the brokenness of their minds. Holding them personally responsible for their illness is like blaming a person for multiple sclerosis.

So some people’s lives are undeniably a mess. Some of those people need to be challenged. For others, our condemnation does nothing but amplify their shame, compounding the problem

So when we view the failings of others, let’s do so with humility and compassion

God desires all people to have dignity, but the work of Satan undermines that dignity, and teaches us to dehumanize the weakest and most vulnerable

How should we respond to the hurting around us? Like Jesus!

While the crowd tells the man to shut up, Jesus stops and calls for the man, dignifying him by treating him like a human being

So when we encounter those who our society tells us are unworthy, the appropriate response is to dignify them rather than demean them like the crowd

That might mean talking to a panhandler. Neither ignoring them, not stealthily dropping a few coins in a cup, but interacting with them in a way that validates their humanness.

It might mean taking time to offer neighbourly friendship even to people whose life decisions you don’t agree with.

Jesus’ love sought us out, while we were undeserving. So we should be willing to do that for others.

So Bartimaeus’ life has been stripped of its dignity by the work of Satan. But their is hope for him, and it comes through trusting Jesus.2. Honoured and Trusting Just Trusting

What might it have been like for Bartimaeus in that moment?

The place he’s sitting would be a busy road for religious pilgrims travelling from Galilee to Jerusalem for the passover feast.

Somehow the crowd surrounding Jesus signalled something was up.

He asks someone, “What’s going on?” and someone tells him, “It’s Jesus of Nazareth”

The first test for Bartimaeus is that he calls out for Jesus to have mercy. This shows trust

Trust that Jesus will acknowledge someone in his position

Trust that Jesus can do something for him

His faith is further tested when the crowd tries to silence him

The crowd might be silencing him because they don’t believe someone like him is worthy of Jesus’ attention

Or they might be trying to silence him because calling Jesus “Son of David,” and overtly Messianic title, in such a public place, might cause the authorities to get very nervous

In either case, Bartimaeus has to decide whether he will allow himself to be silenced, or whether he trusts in Jesus enough to push past the opposition he faces.

Bartimaeus also shows faith in casting aside his cloak

Mark doesn’t include frivolous details in his narrative (writing was laborious and expensive, so ancient authors were encouraged to write sparingly)

So including the detail about Bartimaeus casting aside his cloak is making an intentional statement. What is it?

In the story we looked at last week, Jesus asked the rich man to give up everything to follow him.

Here Bartimaeus is giving up what is likely his one possession

Also, during the day, he would have spread it out to collect alms.

By leaving his cloak, Bartimaeus is signally his trust that this encounter with Jesus will change everything – that he can leave that old life behind him.

Bartimaeus could hedge his bets, but he doesn’t. He knows that if he can only get Jesus’ attention, then everything will be different.Incomplete Theology

Now, the title, Bartimaeus uses to address Jesus—Son of David—hints at some incomplete theology.

On one hand, it is true, the Jesus is the David’s descendant that God had promised David would reign forever.

But on the other, the term has been so loaded down with expectational baggage, that Jesus seems reluctant to use it

The term ‘Son of David’ has been coopted by Jewish nationalists who anticipate the Messiah will be a military leader who comes to save the people from Roman occupation

In Mark 12:25-37, we see Jesus pushing back on the idea that the Messiah is the Son of David (How can he be both David’s son and David’s Lord?)

So Bartimaeus probably has expectations that Jesus is a king, on his way to Jerusalem to claim the throne from the Romans. But Jesus accepts his faith, even though it is accompanied by defective theology.

This reminds us that God doesn’t save us on account of our theology – having the right beliefs isn’t what saves someone

Rather it is trusting in the mercy of God that brings salvation.

Bartimaeus comes to God as best as he understands him, and God responds by saving him.

The church has often framed faith as belief in correct doctrines. But this isn’t what saving faith is all about

Most of us would fail a systematic theology exam. And, the only person who has ever possessed perfect theology is Jesus himself.

So if God wants to save anyone, it has to be people who don’t have all their doctrinal ducks in a row

But Saving Faith is about trust: Do we trust God’s mercy that we will act in accordance with it?

Bartimaeus trusts enough that he’s willing to endure the scorn of the people to come to Jesus, and he lays aside his cloak

Similarly, do we trust Jesus enough that when he calls us to a new kind of life, we set aside our worries and follow him?

What? You want me to forgive my enemies? You want me to be generous? You want me to humbly serve instead of making much of myself? I’m not so sure, but I’ll give it a try

That trust is worth far more to Jesus than being able to rightly articulate doctrines of the Christian Faith.3. The Road from Dishonour to Honour

Bartimaeus comes to Jesus and Jesus asks him a question. “What do you want me to do for you?”

In the previous story, Jesus asked James and John the exact same question. They wanted Jesus to give them positions of authority in his kingdom, showing they had missed the plot.

Bartimaeus has a very different response: He wants to see.

Bartimaeus’ blindness is physical, but also spiritual. Calling Jesus the Son of David, suggests he doesn’t quite understand who Jesus is.

So Bartimaeus doesn’t just need physical healing, he also needs spiritual insight to ‘see’ correctly.

Jesus tells him he’s healed by his faith, and Bartimaeus joins Jesus along the road (literally, on the way).

Jesus has been ‘on the way’ (the literal translation of the underlying Greek) to Jerusalem for the last two chapters.

On the way doesn’t mean he’s just walking to Jerusalem. It means he’s denied himself, and has picked up his cross.

We’re meant to conclude that Bartimaeus understands the journey to Jerusalem is about Jesus’ calling to suffer, and he follows along the way with his eyes opened.

The first blind man story in this section, showed how the disciples failed to understand the call of the disciple. The last blind man story shows how we are meant to respond to that call.

Bartimaeus is a symbol of who we are and who we are called to be

We are all people who have been created for honour, but have been dishonoured by the work of the evil one in our lives

Just as Jesus restores the honour Bartimaeus was supposed to have, so he desires to restore us to the place of honour for which God created us

We were meant to be his children, and trusting Jesus reconciles us with the Father so that we can be his children again.

Bartimaeus trusts that Jesus can save him so should we

Just as Jesus accepts Bartimaeus while he still has whacky ideas, so we can trust that God will accept us even when our ideas about him aren’t all right.

Bartimaeus desires to see, so should we

For most of us, that doesn’t mean recovering our physical sight, but in gaining true insight into who Jesus is, and what being a disciple entails

Sometimes we don’t want to see. We’re comfortable with a distorted vision of Jesus who makes no claims in our lives, but to follow the example of Bartimaeus, we want to see Jesus for who he is so we can follow him more faithfully

Bartimaeus joins Jesus on the way to the cross

So should we. We accept dishonour in the world’s eyes, so that we can receive honour from God

The world honours the one who seems great in their eyes, but God honours the one who is humble and serves just as Jesus did.

Ultimately, true honour comes from God, not people.

Some of us have been honoured by the world

Others of us have been dishonoured by the world

But God desires for us to have true honour

True honour means going the way of the way of the cross, because we believe that the cross is only a stop on our journey that leads to resurrection and glory

So like Bartimaeus, with eyes wide open, let’s follow our Lord in humility and service trusting that Jesus’ way is the path to true honour.