Jesus Is Here! -- What Should We Do?
The Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared December 9, 2022)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 20:29. Here Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem to die on the cross for our sins, and He had reached Jericho, only 15 miles from Jerusalem. As the Lord headed north out of Jericho, He miraculously healed two men who were blind.
*One of the healings is also reported in Mark 10 and Luke 18, but only Matthew tells us that there were two blind men healed that day. Mark and Luke both tell us that these pitiful men were sitting by the roadside begging. And Mark 10:46 tells us one of their names: It was Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus.
*Let me also mention that Matthew's Gospel and Mark 10:46 tell us that this happened as Jesus was leaving Jericho. But Luke 18:35 tells us that it happened as Jesus was coming near to Jericho. On the surface, this looks like a contradiction, but A. T. Robertson tells us that there were two towns called Jericho. And "it is probable that Mark and Matthew referred to the old Jericho, the ruins of which have been discovered, while Luke was talking about the new Roman Jericho." This makes good sense to me because our city of West Monroe is just across the river from Monroe. (1)
*And I point this out to say that there are some things in the Bible that we won't understand, but we can always trust in God's Word! As Psalm 119:89 says, "Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven." Praise the Lord!
*The miracles in our Scripture today show us what we should do when we realize that Jesus is here. Please think about that as we read Matthew 20:29-34.
MESSAGE:
*I am very grateful for the parents and grandparents who faithfully bring their children to church. I am also grateful for all of the people who give their time to help our children know Jesus.
*King Duncan told the story of a little girl like that. This preschooler was blessed to have a family who brought her to church. One day she was sitting in her mother's lap as they looked at a magazine together. Then they came across a picture of Jesus, and her mother asked, "Do you know who that is?" "Yes," the little girl answered matter-of-factly, "He goes to our church." (2)
*That little girl was surely right about that! Jesus Christ does go to our church. In fact, Jesus is here right now, just as He promised in Matthew 18:20. There Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."
*Jesus is with us by the Holy Spirit of God, and here's how it happened: After the Lord died on the cross, rose again from the dead, went back home to Heaven, and was glorified, He asked His Heavenly Father to send the Holy Spirit in a brand new way. And that's exactly what God the Father did on the day of Pentecost.
*John Phillips explained that the Holy Spirit came to do something He had never done before. He came to baptize believers into the Church, the spiritual Body of Christ. He also came to live in everyone who receives Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. (3)
*Jesus is here right now by the Holy Spirit of God, and on the night before He died for us, the Lord went into detail about how this would happen. For example, in John 16:5-11 Jesus explained how the Holy Spirit would work in the world. There Jesus told His disciples:
5. "But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'
6. But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
7. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (or Comforter) will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
8. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9. of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10. of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and you see Me no more;
11. of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."
*Earlier that same night, the Lord explained how the Holy Spirit would live in everyone who believes in Jesus. In John 14:15-23 our Savior said:
15. "If you love Me, keep My commandments.
16. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper (or Comforter), that He may abide with you forever,
17. even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
18. I will not leave you (as comfortless) orphans; I will come to you.
19. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.
20. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
21. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.''
22. Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?''
23. Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."
*Christians: By His Holy Spirit, God the Father and our Risen Savior are not only here with us, they are living in us! Jesus is here! -- So what should we do?
1. FIRST: WE SHOULD CRY OUT TO THE LORD.
*We see this truth in vs. 29-30, where God's Word says:
29. Now as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.
30. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!''
*These men were in a terrible situation. Simon Rundell explained that "today, people with serious vision problems can live full, happy and productive lives. But back then, it was very different: No sight, no work, -- no work, no food. So these two blind men sat by the roadside hoping that someone would pity them and fill their bowls with food, or maybe give them a few coins to purchase the things everyone needs.
*Because they were blind, these men were less than human to many people. They were objects to be pitied, or cursed, or ignored. They were desperately trapped on the side of the Jericho Road, as the world passed them by." (4)
*The world had little or nothing to offer to these blind men. And it can be hard for us to relate to them, but surely, we know about troubles, too. Some of us may feel the same way they felt that day: Like the world is passing us by. We can feel left out in life, trapped in our jobs, trapped by problems or habits, unable to break free, unable to change things.
*These men were in a terrible situation, but they did the best thing we can ever do. In vs. 30-31 they cried out to Jesus, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!" Then in vs. 33 they said, "Lord, we want our eyes to be opened!" Their prayers were passionate, simple, and sincere. That's the way God wants us to pray.
2. JESUS IS HERE! SO WE SHOULD CRY OUT TO THE LORD, AND WE SHOULD COME TO THE LORD.
*Notice in vs. 32 that "Jesus stood still and called them" to come to Him. Mark 10:49-50 says this about blind Bartimaeus: "Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, 'Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.' And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus." Just like He called these two blind men to Him, Jesus calls us to come to Him. Don't let anything keep you away.
[1] DON'T LET YOUR PAST KEEP YOU AWAY FROM JESUS.
*These two blind men weren't important people. They didn't have good jobs or good resumes. They weren't the kind of people everybody wanted to be around. They were just blind beggars, but they didn't let that keep them from Jesus!
*Sometimes people do let their past keep them from Jesus. I have heard some people say, "I've been too bad." "It's too late for me." "How could God love me?" But God doesn't love us because we are good. God loves us because He is good! God doesn't love us because we are good. God loves us, because He is love!
*Jesus Christ loves you. You are special to Him. He loves you so much that He died for you. He is willing to forgive and forget the past. The Lord confirmed this great truth for us in Hebrews 10:16-17 where the Holy Spirit says, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,'' then He adds, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.'' Praise the Lord!
[2] DON'T LET YOUR PAST KEEP YOU FROM JESUS. AND DON'T LET YOUR PAIN KEEP YOU FROM JESUS.
*No doubt these two blind men went through a lot of physical pain from falls and other accidents. They also suffered traumatic emotional pain. We can sense it in their desperate cries: "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!'' They must have experienced the pain of rejection. Where were their families and friends? They also knew the pain of uncertainty: "What's going to happen to us? Does anybody care for us? Will anybody reach out to help us?"
*They also must have also wondered: "Why has this happened to me Lord?" These blind men had more pain than most people. But they did not let their pain keep them from Jesus Christ, and neither should we.
[3] DON'T LET YOUR PAIN KEEP YOU FROM JESUS. AND DON'T LET OTHER PEOPLE KEEP YOU FROM JESUS.
*It's shocking that people tried to keep these pitiful beggars away from Jesus, but that is exactly what happened in vs. 31: "The multitude warned them that they should be quiet."
*Who were these people trying to keep Bartimaeus and the other blind man from Jesus? Many of them were pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem for Passover. This eight-day feast is still held every year to remember how God delivered the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Exodus 12 gives the details of how blood from a sacrificial lamb was spread on the doorposts of every home to protect all the firstborn inside from certain death. After that devastating plague on Egypt, Pharaoh let God's people go.
*Jesus came into the world about 1,400 years later, and the historian Josephus reported that in those years the population of Jerusalem swelled to more than two million, as Jews from near and far came for Passover.
*William Barclay explained that "The main road to Jerusalem ran right through Jericho. When a well-known Rabbi or teacher was on such a journey, he was surrounded by a crowd of people. They were his disciples and learners, who listened to him teach while he walked. Also, those unable to attend the Passover would line the streets to cheer the Passover pilgrims on their way, so the streets of Jericho were lined with people.
*Our two blind beggars sat near the northern gate, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they started an uproar to get Jesus' attention. But the beggars' shouts offended the people nearby, and they tried to shut them up. But no one was going to take away their chance to miraculously escape their terrible darkness." (5)
*The sad fact is that religious people were trying to keep Bartimaeus from Jesus. And this is a warning for us to be careful about how we live. We don't want to do anything to keep other people from Jesus. But could other people keep you from getting to Jesus today? Some might try to. They might laugh at you or make fun of you. They might invite you to do something else with them, anything to keep you from worshiping the Lord.
*On top of that, sometimes people in church can hurt us. Maybe they don't even mean to hurt us. But when someone is rude, or unkind, or uncaring, the devil tries to use that to pull us away from the Lord's Church. That's why Hebrews 10:24-25 makes this plea to all Christians: "Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."
*That happened to some of my best friends back home in Macon, Georgia. They were wonderful people, Christians who were very good to me and my family. But many years ago, something very bad happened in their church. I don't know what it was, but they were badly mistreated. Their hearts were broken, and they seldom went back. Sadly, they let other people keep them from worshiping and serving Jesus Christ. Don't ever let that happen to you. Don't let anything keep you from coming to Jesus!
*But why were these blind men so determined to get to Jesus? ONE REASON WHY WAS BECAUSE THEY KNEW THEY HAD A PROBLEM.
*That was easy for Bartimaeus and the other blind man to grasp. They were blind. They were forced to live day and night in total darkness. But many more people are spiritually blind. That's much worse, because they are blind and don't know it. They have no idea that the wages of sin is eternal death, no idea that they are accountable to God, and that Judgment Day is coming. They are in the darkest darkness, and don't know it.
*Imagine being in the darkest cave with no light at all. That's the kind of world Bartimaeus and the other blind man lived in. It is also the kind of spiritual world people are in, when they don't know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They don't have the Light of life that only Jesus can give.
*WHY DID THESE BLIND MEN GO TO JESUS? -- BECAUSE THEY KNEW THEY HAD A PROBLEM, AND BECAUSE THEY KNEW THAT JESUS HAD THE ANSWER!
*In vs. 31 they kept crying out to Jesus: "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!'' They knew that Jesus was the Lord, the Son of David, the promised Messiah, and coming King. This was toward the very end of Jesus' earthly ministry, so they had heard about Jesus' mercy and His miracles.
*They knew a lot about Jesus, but today we know a lot more about the Lord. We know because just about a week later, Jesus died on the cross for our sins. And then three days later He rose again from the dead! That's why we can come to Jesus Christ today. He's alive, and He is right here with us.
3. JESUS IS HERE! SO WE SHOULD COME TO THE LORD, AND WE SHOULD COUNT ON THE LORD.
*Verse 34 tells us that "Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight." Those two men were counting on both the Lord's compassion and His infinite power to help them. They were trusting in Jesus, and the Lord blessed their faith.
*In Mark 10:52 Jesus told Bartimaeus, "'Go your way; your faith has made you well.'' And immediately he received his sight. . ." "Your faith has made you well." Your faith has made you "whole" the KJV says. This word "well" or "whole" is "sozo" in the original language. And it's the same word the Bible uses for people being saved. "Sozo" is also the same original word in Luke 18:42 where Jesus told Bartimaeus, "Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.''
*"Sozo" is the word in Matthew 1:21, when the angel told Joseph about Mary's miraculous pregnancy: "She will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will SAVE His people from their sins.''
*"Sozo" is the same word in Luke 19:10, where Jesus said: "The Son of Man has come to seek and to SAVE that which was lost.'' "Sozo" is also the same word the jailer used in Acts 16:30, when he asked life's most important question: "What must I do to be SAVED?'' And "sozo" is the same word Paul and Silas used in Acts 16:31, when they gave the jailer this reply: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be SAVED, you and your household.'' Both of these blind beggars weren't just physically healed. They were saved, because they believed in Jesus.
*Both of these blind men counted on the Lord, and we can too! We can count on Jesus to forgive our sins. We can count on Jesus to give us a home in heaven. We can count on Him to help us live for Him. And we can count on Jesus to help us with every problem we will ever face. We can count on Jesus, and we must count on Jesus.
*Pastor Mark Roberts explained it this way: "Throughout our lives we rely on all sorts of things. We begin life fully dependent on our parents. Along the way we trust teachers, doctors, lawyers, pilots, engineers, spouses, presidents, police officers, friends, pastors, and of course, ourselves.
*Yet one day we truly realize that all of those are also fallible, and like us, they will also perish. So, while their good for us may be real, it is very temporary. We can't save ourselves. We can't make eternal life happen. We can't defeat death. We can't earn our way into Heaven, so we put our lives into the Hands of God, believing that God's Hands are not only healing, but wounded.
*The hands of Jesus Christ, pierced on the cross, are the very hands of God. Into these hands we can trust ourselves completely, knowing that they will always be there to catch us, both in life and in death." (6)
4. JESUS IS HERE! SO WE SHOULD COUNT ON THE LORD, AND WE SHOULD CONTINUE WITH THE LORD.
*Keep following Jesus Christ! Again, vs. 34 tells us that "Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him."
*I really like what Mark 10:52 tells us about Bartimaeus: "Then Jesus said to him, 'Go your way; your faith has made you well.' And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road." Jesus told Bartimaeus, "Go your way," and it's as if Bartimaeus replied, "Lord, my way now is Your way! I will follow You!"
*Luke 18:43 tells us that Bartimaeus followed Jesus "glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God." That's the way we need to follow. Follow Jesus in a way that gives glory to God. Follow Jesus in a way that moves other people to praise the Lord. Follow Jesus, and keep following Jesus.
*The original word for "follow" is the same in all 3 verses. It's found 92 times in the New Testament. It's the same word used in Luke 9:23, where Jesus spoke to all of His followers and said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and FOLLOW Me." It's the same word Jesus used in John 8:12, when the Lord said: "I am the light of the world. He who FOLLOWS Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.''
*And it's the same word Jesus used in John 10:2-5 when He said:
2. "But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep FOLLOW Him, for they know his voice.
5. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.''
*Then in John 10:27 Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they FOLLOW Me." The idea is that we follow Jesus and keep on following Jesus. Don't stop! Don't quit!
*Christians: We are on the road of life with Jesus. He is moving in our world today, and He wants us to move with Him. Move forward in love, faith, and compassion for others. That's why Jesus says: "Follow Me!" And we can be inspired by the great heroes who did.
*William Borden was a man like that. In 1904, he graduated from high school as a millionaire, because William was heir to the Borden dairy fortune. For one of his graduation presents, William's parents gave him a 10-month trip around the world. But traveling through Asia, the Middle East, and Europe gave him a burden for the world's hurting people.
*William wrote home and said, "I'm going to give my life to prepare for the mission field." And he wrote two words in the back of his Bible: NO RESERVES.
*After he graduated from Yale, William turned down some high-paying job offers, and he added two more words in his Bible: NO RETREATS.
*Then, when he finished seminary at Princeton, William sailed for China to work with the Muslims there. But he stopped first in Egypt for some preparation. There William was stricken with spinal meningitis, and died within a month.
*Now, William's life may seem like a waste in the eyes of the world. But when his friends leafed through William's Bible they found two more words: NO REGRETS. Since then, countless other Christians have been inspired by William Borden's devotion to our Lord: NO RESERVES. NO RETREATS. NO REGRETS. (7)
CONCLUSION:
*May God give us that kind of devotion to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you have never trusted in Jesus, don't wait. Call on the Lord to save you right now, as we go to God in prayer. And keep following Jesus Christ!
(1) WORD PICTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT by Archibald Thomas (A. T.) Robertson - Published in 1930-1933; public domain - Matthew 20:29 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(2) "Finding Our Way Back Home - Habit #4: Values" - 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 - "The Eight Habits Of Highly Effective Families" by King Duncan - Copyright 1997 by Seven Worlds Corporation - 310 Simmons Road Knoxville, TN 37922 423-966-6511
(3) Adapted from EXPLORING THE GOSPELS: JOHN by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "Section 1. The Talk in the Upper Room" - John 13:1-14:31
(4) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "Your Faith Has Saved You" by Simon Rundell - Mark 10:46-52
(5) BARCLAY'S DAILY BIBLE STUDY SERIES - NEW TESTAMENT by William Barclay - Revised Edition - Copyright 1975 - First published by the Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, PA - "A Miracle By the Wayside" - Mark 10:46-52 - https://bibleportal.com/commentary/section/william-barclay/a-miracle-by-the-wayside-mark-1046-52
(6) Mark Roberts quote - Source: Online Easter Message by Donald Sensing - Luke 24 1 12 - 04/11/2004
(7) Sources:
-"No Reserves. No Retreats. No Regrets." - William Borden's life - Quotations taken from BORDEN OF YALE 09, by Geraldine Guinness Taylor, Philadelphia: China Inland Mission, 1927 - Portions based on material in "Daily Bread," December 31, 1988, and "The Yale Standard," Fall 1970 edition - https://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/regret.htm
-THE TREASURE PRINCIPLE by Randy Alcorn, 2001, p.37 - Source: "In Other Words" - October 2008 - #2 - produced by Dr. Raymond McHenry - www.iows.net
