An Encounter with Jesus
Gary Minnick
Midland SDA Church
December 31, 2022
Mark 10:46-52, Matt 20:29-34, Luke 18:35- 43.
On Saturday, December 10th this month, it was caught on camera that a store employee in Minnesota took the shoes off her feet to a stranger in need. The manager said he returned from lunch and his employee was helping people out in her socks. Security footage shows it started when a stranger began digging through the trash. The stranger then strapped boxes on his feet to use as makeshift shoes, but the employee acted quickly. She said, “I see his feet and I just automatically took my shoes off.” And it wasn’t just any shoes. It was her favorite pair of purple retro Air Jordans.
What goes through our minds when we see or encounter a person asking for help? Do we see the person who needs help as a valued child of God? Or do we think perhaps that we might be scammed and so we pass by? There are many people who have needs and are looking for someone who will care and do what they can to help them. Let me tell you about a beggar in the bible. It's found in Mark 10:46.
One eventful morning a ragged street person left his small dwelling and slowly made his way to the roadside. He had repeated this same act almost every day of his adult life, maybe even as a child. His life work was to sit there beside the hot dusty road and beg for coins. He would sit there. He couldn't work easily because he was disabled. What was his problem? He could not see.
Mark 10:46 says: Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and His disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. He was sitting on the Jericho Road. Jesus was just about to leave Jericho. The parallel passage in Luke 18:35 says Jesus was approaching Jericho. This in Mark says He was leaving; Luke says He was approaching Jericho. There were actually two Jericho’s. Remember that? They were two miles apart from each other. He was in one and was about to approach the other. The Old Testament Jericho was 2 miles north of the New Testament Jericho which was the Capital and winter resort for Herod the Great. Zacchaeus, was a chief tax collector of this warm area. So, both Mark and Luke are correct! You can absolutely trust the Bible!
Bartimaeus and his friend came to this spot every day and just barely got enough coins to find something to eat. They were just eking out a living and it was difficult to work for a living because they were both totally blind. There were two of them according to Matthew 20:30. Bartimaeus faced some difficulty for sure. We will look at 5 that he faced.
1. He was blind. That would be a difficulty, wouldn't it.? If you can't see anything, the world is black and dark, and you have a problem. I can try to imagine being blind. Now, I'm not going to ask everybody to close their eyes, but I know from my own hearing loss that it isn’t fun to lose one of the five senses. Some who have experienced a side effect from Covid have lost the sense of taste for a while, and explain that it isn’t pleasant either.
2. A second difficulty was that his environment was bad. He lived in a bad place. How do we know that? Remember that Joshua cursed Jericho after its walls fell. This accursed place was Bartimaeus's home. Maybe he lived in a small dwelling, of the Old Testament Jericho. I don't know. But please notice that Jesus goes to the accursed place. Jesus goes to places you would not expect Him to go. And He comes there to help. Wherever you are Jesus will come by.
3. What was another difficulty? His heredity was bad. How do we know that? Look at the verse. Mark 10:46 calls him Bartimaeus. Bar means "son." He was the son of Timaeus. What does Timaeus mean? Timaeus means, "unclean” He was the son of an unclean man.
4. He was poor. All the beggars in Palestine were poor.
5. The fifth difficulty was that he was totally dependent on other people. It is not fun to feel helpless! Your freedoms are limited as you have to depend on others to be available and willing to help you. Your choices would not be very many, would they?
So, Bartimeaus had a lot of strikes against him.
But I want to tell you that
* Jesus can overcome your obstacles.
* Jesus can master your needs.
* Jesus can use our troubles to become a great blessing.
* Jesus Christ can do all things!
When I started working at Eaton Corporation in Saginaw, something that I noticed was that there was a visually impaired person working each day. Because of another person’s error, a large quantity of two different types of car engine lifters had accidentally mixed together. This gentleman could feel the difference between the parts with his hands and was able to sort them and help the company. When we see a difficulty, God sees potential and hope.
If you are down and out and the future looks dark, don't focus on your adversities. Focus on Jesus! Focus on His promises. Focus on what resources He provides for you. Bartimaeus had some resources. I will be outlining 7 resources as we travel through our message.
* Resource #1- He had an exceptional ability to hear. Mark 10: 47 says that Bartimaeus ears picked up the sound of something. It is known that when one of the five senses is gone the other senses try to make up for it. Have you ever noticed that? And that's a resource. His keen ears picked up the sound of the treading of many feet and he thought there was a big crowd coming. "Oh, I'd better get ready. Perhaps I will be given some coins to help with my needs
* Resource # 2- He can speak! You can see how he used his voice to eagerly ask what the great noise is all about. Bystanders tell Him that Jesus of Nazareth is about to pass by and He's followed by a large crowd. Normally when he heard a crowd coming, he might have focused on asking for money. But he sensed something he had been waiting for all of his life. He sensed that Jesus was nearby! He cried out to Jesus. He used his voice.
Let me ask you a Question: Would Jesus have stopped and given Bartimeaus 20/20 vision if he would not have asked? I doubt it. The reason we don't always have our needs met today is because we don't ask! I am fully convinced of that.
We need to ask the Lord in prayer and God wants His children to ask Him for His resources. Luke 11:9 “And I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be open to you.” If you ask God in faith, expecting and it's in harmony with His will, you're going to receive. Never be timid with Jesus!
* Resource number 3 He had FAITH!
Where do we see this? Look at verse 47. He asked in faith! What did he call Jesus? "Son of David." Bartimeaus was a believer. He believed that Jesus was the true Messiah. He had faith enough to know that Jesus could heal him.
* Resource # 4 He had persistence!
Look at what the crowd does to him. The crowd tried to quiet him. I mean, they're on their way to Jerusalem where they are going to try to anoint Jesus as a king that day. They don't have time for this distraction and interruption. That would delay the Prophet on His way to the throne. If they could quiet him, that would save Jesus from having to deal with an interruption. Some Jews in the crowd hated to hear Jesus being called the Son of David, they didn't like that. And so, they tried to stop him.
The crowd saw that man, sitting by the side of the road as unimportant. Do you sometimes judge others unfairly without a heart of love? What do you see when you look at other people, maybe in the shopping mall or just walking around. What do you see? Do you see with compassion? Do you see potential? Yes! That's what Jesus saw. We should not be judging people by how they look or how they talk. Jesus looks at the heart and sees things we may not see.
The crowd didn't see it. And how does God look at His people? He looks on the heart. God sees great potential in each one of us. And you ought to see great potential in every one of your children. Believe in your kids. They've got to have somebody believe in them.
The rebukes of the crowd only made blind Bartimaeus more persistent. We owe more than we realize to our opposition! Blind Bartimaeus would not have been healed and saved had he listened to the crowd. Beware of peer pressure and public opinion. They will lead you away from Jesus.
Mark 10:49- Jesus stopped... Now, imagine the creator of the universe stopping for a beggar. Stopping for the least of the least. That's what Jesus does. The least is the most with Jesus. I will tell you that God always stops to answer the sincere cries of his suffering creation. He always has time for you. His schedule is never too busy.
Verse 49- Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So, who called him? Who was it? THEY called the blind man. Who is "they?" Some of the crowd. They called sightless Bartimeaus to get up and come. Do you see how Christ depended on people here? See how He used people to bring this man to Himself! The man couldn't get to Jesus because he couldn't find his way through the crowd. The crowd was blocking the way but then they led him to Christ. Jesus still chooses people to lead other people to Himself.
Perhaps you hear God calling you to help lead someone to Jesus.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Maybe this afternoon, maybe tomorrow, maybe this coming week, we're supposed to bring somebody to Jesus. There is great joy in that. Pray that He will show you who it is.
Do you suppose Jesus would ever pass that way again? I looked in the Bible to see if Jesus ever walked that way again. I couldn't find any other time he passed that way. Maybe this was the only time He ever passed by that particular spot there in His whole ministry. If that is true, this was the first and last opportunity that blind Bartimaeus would ever have in his whole life. You've got to make a decision while you can. Don't put it off to tomorrow. Respond when the Holy Spirit is calling to you, while there is yet time.
* The fifth resource Bartimaeus had was that he could walk!
He wasn't crippled. Some in the crowd said: "Get on your feet! He's calling your name!" He was willing to stand up and be counted. He came blindly to Jesus. He walked by faith because he couldn't see where he was going. He trusted.
* Resource #6 He was a risk taker!
Now where do we get that? Look at Mark 10:50. Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. What did he do before he jumped to his feet? "He threw his cloak aside." He just threw it aside and headed for Jesus. When Jesus spoke to him, he could hear where that voice was and he headed that way. He threw away his outer garment that was used for protection from the weather. Do you see what is going on here? If Jesus would not have healed him, could he have ever found that coat again, maybe, but that wasn’t his priority at that time. He was taking a risk. He tossed it aside. He was burning a bridge. On not turn e of the biggest barriers to success is fear.
We sometimes we don’t want to do something because it might turn out. We don't want to take a risk. But with God’s help we can be more of a a risk taker.
You have to want victory. You have to want salvation bad enough to be willing to give up everything and cast aside everything that's holding you down, and go without any hinderance to Jesus. Bartimaeus was a risk taker. That coat symbolized everything he owned. He surrendered everything he had and came to Jesus. And that's the only way that anybody can ever come to Jesus, is to give up everything.
Removing his cloak enabled Jesus to get through to him and touch him. Until we are truthful and take off our mask we cannot be helped or healed. You can never see the light while hiding behind a covering. You've got to be truthful with Jesus. You've got to come out into the open to be healed. You've got to open yourself up to Jesus. And that's what he did.
12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the [a]author and [b]finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
It has to be laid aside, throw off everything that hinders us and fix our eyes on Jesus Christ. And that's what he did.
The seventh resource Bartimeaus had was Jesus!
This is the greatest resource of all. He had Jesus. Jesus was right there. And you may say, "Well, if Jesus was just thirty feet away from me what a blessing that would be." Jesus is close to you. Jesus is as close to you as He was to Bartimeaus.
Mark 10:51 Jesus said "What do you want me to do for you?" Why did Jesus ask this question? He was blind. Why did Jesus have to ask that for? Because Jesus wanted him, He wants us to personally ask for our needs to be met. John 16:24 ..."Ask, and you shall receive!"... The blind man said: "Rabbi, I Want to see." He could have asked for money or land or anything. He had the Creator of the world standing right there, the One Who owned it all.
Friends, when you are in the presence of Jesus ask for something of eternal value.
I think we need to stop praying for new possessions and start praying for a new heart. We need …to stop praying for carnal temporal things and start praying for eternal things.
Notice how willing Jesus was to heal the man. He doesn't hesitate. See how rich in mercy our Savior is. Look at how strong and quick Jesus was to this poor man in need. Jesus ever lives to show compassion and love to us. Jesus is caring.
In the great story of blind Bartimaeus, the thing that really touches my heart is the caring, unselfish, tender nature of our wonderful Savior. When we are fallen, when we're down, Jesus comes by and if we will cry out to Him, he will instantly come to help us.
Jesus can't be near someone in need and not do something to help that person. That’s His nature. Jesus cannot be in the presence of someone crying out to Him and not do anything.
Let's be like Jesus. Your mission statement in life ought to be being helpful to others in their needs. James 1:27 (KJV). Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this: To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
That's what Jesus was all about. That's what we need to be all about.
Blind Bartimeaus was led to Jesus. Jesus touched him! Where did He touch him? You don’t get that from Mark, but you get that from in the parallel versions. He touches him right on the eyes. Have you ever let somebody touch your eye? That's where He touched him. He was touched by the Creator and he was healed. Permanent blindness is hard to cure. Yet Jesus did cure this man, instantly and totally. And not just physically. He gave hope and joy and a change of heart.
Jesus is the Light of the world. Only Jesus can give spiritual eyesight.
The gift of eternity and salvation can come by none other than Jesus. That blind man represented all of lost humanity struggling for the true light. Jesus was Bartimeaus only hope. And Jesus is the only hope for the world.
Jesus did not say: My Power hath saved you, He said: "Thy Faith hath saved thee" Mark 10:52. Jesus emphasized faith! We live in a strange age. I've always been amazed by what people will believe and what they will not believe. While standing in the line at the grocery store you may notice some strange stories in the tabloids at the register. Sometimes people believe in nonsense, but refuse the clear evidence of Jesus.
Today, where am I in this story of the blind Bartimaeus? I am the blind man! We are the beggar. That's who we are. That's where we fit in this story. Without Jesus we are in deep spiritual darkness. We are all blind. Isaiah 59:10 Like the blind we all grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes We all need Jesus, and to come to the Light of the world. And we will be changed when we come to Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:52 (KJV) At the coming of Jesus Christ in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. That's when this takes place. I want to be saved. I want to be changed. I want to be what my Savior wants me to be.
What was Bartimeaus greatest need? To see the light! He begged for light. Jesus is LIGHT! He knew how to beg. He utilized his talent to find Jesus. When we as sinners approach Jesus with great desire, and beg and plead for mercy, we will find it and our blind eyes will be renewed that we might see Jesus as our Light, as THE LIGHT of the world. What was the first thing he saw? The face of Jesus!
What ever happened to Blind Bartimaeus? Mark 10:52 "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. From that day he followed the Light. Jesus said, "Go!" And the man came. He followed Jesus. he became a disciple of Jesus Christ. He became a follower of Jesus. He probably became a great leader in the church. I don't know what happened. It says he followed Jesus, and the way I read it, he followed and kept following Jesus.
The beggar became a follower. The healed followed the healer. And that can happen to you. You can be healed. You can receive spiritual strength. You can whatever problem you have, Jesus is the answer. Friend, if you keep following Jesus, He will lead you along that road that will take you to heaven. Jesus will not lead you astray.
One day a blind teenage girl had an operation. The day came when she was able to take the bandages off her eyes and for the first time in her life she could see. The first person she saw was her daddy. For the first time his constant tenderness and care seemed real to her. His every look and motion were watched by those eyes with the keenest delight. If he caressed her or even looked upon her kindly, tears of gladness came to her eyes.
Someday we will get to see the kind face of Jesus. When Bartimaeus’ eyes opened, what was the first thing he saw? He saw Christ. And when we really are changed, we're going to see Jesus in a new light.
I have just a short story and then an appeal.
Back in 1986 I heard of a woman by the name of Rose Crawford who had been blind for 50 years. She had a special surgery in Ontario. As the doctor lifted off the bandages she said: "I Just Can't Believe It!" She wept for joy when for the first time in her life she saw a dazzling and beautiful world of form and color. The irony of the story is that the technique had been perfected 20 years earlier and she had lived on for 20 more years before someone finally told her that she could have the surgery and be able to see in just a few days.
Let’s join up with Jesus now. Let’s spend precious years with Him now. He longs to heal and restore us spiritually, and in every way. I pray that you don’t wait to be healed. That I don’t wait to be healed. I pray that we come to Him and that we make that decision today.