Blind Bartimaeus

Blind Bartimaeus Luke 18:35-43

Big Idea: Christ is the promised son of David who shows mercy to those who respond to him.

Introduction : lost story – is your life lacking direction?

Good morning

I’m thankful to be standing here in front of you this morning

I drove up here myself, and this area isn’t that familiar to me as I live in Sydney

I have a bit of a reputation for being geographically embarrassed

This probably goes back to my time in the army when I got lost in the jungle

My platoon of 30 men and I were doing training exercises up in Queensland

We were walking through the jungle at 3am

the jungle was thick with trees and covered with vines

On top of all this it was pitch black

Not just dark, it was so black that you couldn’t see you hand in front of your face

So to navigate through this thick foliage we had to walk in single file

The scout at the front had night vision equipment so they could pick out the easiest route

each person had a piece of luminous tape attached to the back of their hat.

We just followed the bobbing tape in front of us

I found myself in the unenviable role as tail end Charlie, the last person

Due to my present sleep state of half consciousness I tripped and fell over

It wasn’t a simple matter of getting straight up onto my feet

Because my equipment was so heavy it took me a little while to reestablish myself

When I looked up, to my dismay I couldn’t see the bouncing dot anymore

There was nothing but blackness

Without the security of seeing someone else I started to panic

I rushed forward trying to catch up but I just kept getting tangled in vines and slapped in the face by branches.

I didn’t have a torch or a radio to assist me

I couldn’t see my map or my surroundings; I had nothing tangible to help get me out of this mess.

Every thing I tried was futile, I wanted to find my way but I just couldn’t do it.

I was scared, I was frustrated, and I was lost.

I have no doubt that there are some people here who can associate themselves with my situation on a greater scale.

You may be someone who is not lost in the jungle but lost in life

You maybe someone who is having trouble finding direction and meaning in life

Are you someone who is frustrated because you feel like your stuck in a rut or maybe going around in circles?

Maybe like one of those little hamsters running and running but not getting anywhere?

In my situation they are the feelings I had.

But as a sat, in the darkness pondering my fate something came along that saved me

As time passed the sun slowly came up over the horizon.

Its light pierced through the foliage which allowed me to see

I could use my map and compass, orientate myself with landmarks and made my way back to my platoon.

It was only when I could see, could I find direction.

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if someone came along in our lives that enabled us to journey through life seeing clearly?

This morning we are going to look at the story of a man called Bartimaeus.

As we interact with his life we will discover that he found someone who could do this very thing. Lets discover together how Bartimaeus found meaning and direction through a relationship with God.

Lets turn to Luke chapter 18, starting at the sentence numbered 35

Read: Luke 18:35-38

“As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by he asked what was happening. They told him “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by”. He called out “Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me!”.

Explain: Bartimaeus recognized who Jesus really was

Well Jesus is walking towards Jerusalem with a sense of determination because his life mission is about to be fulfilled.

It was to get to Jerusalem where he was going to be captured, beaten and whipped to within an inch of his life, and nailed to a wooden cross with nails as thick as my thumb.

It is not a life mission that many would want is it?

But on his way Jesus passes a blind beggar sitting by the side of the road.

We don’t know that much of his background but I would be pretty confident that it wasn’t his first day on the job begging.

He had probably grown up relying on the generosity of others to survive.

He would have been someone who felt like his life was directionless.