Seeing, Seeking, & Saving (Part 1)

Alternate title: Zacch & Bart’s Excellent Adventure (Part 1)

Intro: In recent weeks we have seen that as Jesus turned south and headed for Jerusalem one final time, he walked in wisdom, love, and light as an example for us.

We considered how God takes the initiative in seeking, and rejoices over even one sinner who repents, as revealed in Luke 15’s three-fold “Lost & Found” parable.

Then last week we saw how Jesus was purposeful in preparing his followers as he headed to the cross. He told them ahead of time what would happen—both the good and the bad—so that they might believe. We asked ourselves, “What has Jesus told us?” Are we listening?

Today we continue this journey to the passion of Christ with a pair of encounters in Jericho.

This passage is an interesting play on blindness and sight. Who is blind and who can see in each story? When preaching through Luke in Beaverton, we called this “The Blind Man & the Bad Man” but perhaps these descriptions should be put upon the crowd instead. Let’s take a look at Zac & Bart’s Excellent Adventure!

I) Blind Bartimaeus Sees Jesus (Luke 18:35-43; Mark 10:46-52)

Here is Luke’s account of this encounter, with additional details from Mark’s account in bracketed italics:

As he drew near to Jericho, 

         a blind man [Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus]

                   was sitting by the roadside begging. 

        And hearing a crowd going by,

            he inquired what this meant.

They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 

     And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 

And those who were in front rebuked him,

     telling him to be silent.

     But he cried out all the more,

                                             “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 

And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him.

[And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

And they called the blind man, saying to him, 

                               “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.”

And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.] 

And when he came near, he asked him, 

                        “What do you want me to do for you?” 

               He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.”

And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; 

                                                     your faith has made you well.” 

[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]      glorifying God.

And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

What do we see Bart doing?

• He inquired what this meant.  He didn’t just ask one person but literally “he kept asking for himself.” As the crowd went out to usher in the honored visitor, the blind man, Bartimaeus (as Mark preserves his name), heard a crowd and inquired as to the reason for the commotion. He was told that “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” This would be Jesus’ last visit to Jericho; an opportunity not to be missed.
• He begged for mercy. Bartimaeus jumped at the chance, surely having heard of the miracles of healing a deliverance Jesus regularly performed. Hearing that it was Jesus passing by he cried out for mercy. His cry for mercy seemed to be the standard beggar’s plea, though maybe a bit louder. But he was asking more than money, as we will see.
• He cried out all the more.  It would have been culturally inappropriate for beggars to cry out to important guests of the town on their arrival. The leaders of the community would have discouraged him from begging in order to put a better face on Jericho for Jesus’ visit. We do the same thing today when cities prepare for international events like the Olympics—for example, orphanages for blind girls were removed in China, tenants evicted in East London, and residential slums are currently being demolished in Rio de Janeiro for this year’s games. Bartimaeus, could not be discouraged and was shouting for mercy despite being told to shut up!

Why would Bart do this? Why would he risk the on-going patronage of the residents of Jericho? The difference is the One to whom he called—Jesus, “the Son of David” which is a title loaded with meaning. This plea seems to suggest that Bartimaeus realized that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies. The blind man ironically saw what few others did. The blind saw and the seeing were blind.

• He cast off his cloak and sprang up. Bart wasted no time in responding to the call of Christ. Have you ever thought about the meaning behind a blind man throwing away his cloak? How was he going to find it again? He probably realized that he wouldn’t need it again…or that he would be able to see to find it. In this response to Christ, Bart is an example to us all. We may ask for mercy, but when it is offered do we spring up in faith, or do we wait until tomorrow?[1]
• He passed the test of faith. Jesus asked Bart a question that really was a test of faith. The request for “mercy” might have been a simple beggar’s request for money to sustain him in his current situation…or it could have been a request for something more. Jesus gave Bart an opportunity to choose the adventure of faith or to settle for less. If Jesus was to heal him then he would not be able to beg anymore. With little education or work experience, such a change might be terrifying, but Bart chose the path of faith. We can see that he believed that: 

1. Jesus had the power of God to heal. He most likely had heard many stories about Jesus’ miracles of healing. What is amazing is that somehow he had not been able to get to Jesus before this time. He didn't settle for the short-term safety of begging for money but asked for his eyes to be healed.
2. Jesus would show compassion to the poor. Certainly, this was a cultural expectation where giving to the poor was seen as doing the work of God. Yet at the same time, it is an acknowledgment that he himself is a beggar and in need. Bart knew he was poor. Beyond that, if we take Hebrews 11:6 into account, we can see a faith that is pleasing to God in that Bart believes God exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
3. Jesus was the Son of David, and he calls him “Lord.” As I mentioned earlier, Bart had a clue as to the true identity of Jesus as the Messiah, and healing was in the hands of the Coming King! I am reminded of Tolkien’s scene in the LOTR trilogy, where Aragorn, the true king, is able to heal those wounded by the enemy’s evil. Aragorn heals his followers in secret as Tolkien’s inspiration, Jesus, had done.

Bartimaeus’ request was to recover his sight, and in Greek the word used is “anablepō”, which literally means “to look up” (ana = up; blepō = to see) and is used for the “recovery of sight.“ Jesus grants his request and heals him. I regularly post sunset and cloud photos on Instagram with the hashtag #keeplookingup, as a reminder that we like Bartimaeus are blind without the touch of God. We need eyes of faith to see God at work around us and trust him with our lives.

What should we consider as a result?

• How desperate am I for Jesus to work in my life? This would have been Bartimaeus’ last chance as Jesus was headed to Jerusalem—he was not going to miss out on this opportunity for grace. It seems like we are often much less aware of our desperate condition and thus less committed to seeking the Lord.

• How badly do I want to be changed? (e.g., how I see the world, myself, and God.) Do I really want to “look up” and give God glory for everything?

• Am I willing to accept responsibility by living into that gift? Bartimaeus could beg no longer but cast aside the cloak of the old blind beggar to follow in faith and gratitude. Are we willing to leave our old way of living behind for the excellent adventure of the life of faith? How do we testify to Jesus’ gracious work on our behalf?

v.52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; 

                                                    your faith has made you well.” [sozo]

        And immediately                            he recovered his sight

                and followed him on the way.

Jesus declares that Bart has been “saved” for the word translated “well” is the Greek “sozo,” the holistic word for healing/deliverance from danger/spiritual salvation. Here is the punch line… in the restoration of his sight Bart was commissioned to, “Go your way...” no demands were made on him. He didn’t have to work off the price of his healing. So what is the way that he “goes”? He followed Jesus on the way! What he saw with his heart he now saw with his eyes and followed with his feet! Bart immediately followed Jesus and glorified God—he looked up!

R. Kent Hughes wrote, “Scholars say Mark’s Gospel preserves Bartimaeus’ name (10:46) because he became a stalwart in the Jerusalem church. He followed Jesus, witnessing the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday, the horror of the Crucifixion, and the joy of the Resurrection. Talk about getting an eyeful.” (Hughes, Luke, Vol. 2, 218)

O Lord, this week may we testify to your healing, liberating, sustaining work on our behalf! May we be “forgetting what is behind and straining forward to what is ahead in the upward calling of God”! You are faithful and true! You are loving and kind! You are powerful and yet gentle in your dealings with us! Son of David, Son of man, thank you for your mercy that has made us sons of Abraham…and even more, children of God! Amen.

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[1] The Egyptian Pharaoh during the ten plagues in Exodus was asked by Moses when he should pray for the frogs that were covering everything to be removed. Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow.” (Ex. 8:10) Can you imagine spending one more night with the frogs?