Keys of Courageous Faith:
Follow
Mark 10:32-52
Introduction
Today we conclude our series on Keys of Courageous Faith. We are following the development of the faith of the disciples. Like us, sometimes they demonstrate great faith. Sometimes they fail. Always they follow Jesus. Courage calls us to follow Jesus.
Mark 10:23a “And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.”
Swindoll: “Like all good Jewish men, He had attended the three required festivals each year since at least His twelfth birthday…This time He would walk into Jerusalem only to walk out bearing a cross on His back. Death waited for Him there, and he knew it.” He is determined to go to Jerusalem. This is a somber walk to his death. His followers are trying to come to grips with it. It’s the passover. Thousands of people would be on this road up to Jerusalem. Jericho sits about 18 miles northwest of Jerusalem- a newly rebuilt city - a winter palace for Herod - the City of Roses - where the wealth and strength of Rome is on display. The road from Jericho to Jerusalem passed through desolate mountainous country and was notoriously unsafe, but much travelled.
There are three passion narratives in Mark - three times that Jesus tells his disciples what to expect - each one with more detail. This is his third explanation for them. (Vs. 32b-34 ESV)
And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”
This is a highly emotional text - the courage and determination of Jesus - the fear and amazement of the disciples. Jesus is well known at this time, and as they travel a highly populated route toward Jerusalem through a key city, people would see him and know who he was. A crowd would follow him, knowing that the miracle worker was passing through their area once again. There are three segments in this text, and each one points us to following Jesus. In the first segment, James and John respond to the message Jesus just gave them.
1. Follow Jesus to the Cross (Mark 10:35-40)
Mark 10:35-40 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
“James and John want to turn Jesus’ messianic journey to Jerusalem into a march to glory - a glory in which they will sit on either side of him when he reigns as king.” - Wright
This was a complete failure to hear Jesus and take him at his word. Despite the inappropriateness of their question, Jesus does not rebuke James and John, but affirms the suffering to come. Vs 38 “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” This question calls for a negative reply! Jesus affirmed that they would follow him to the cross. James was the first to be martyred by King Herod. John was tortured and banished to Patmos.
Anytime we begin to think that the call to Christianity is a call to glory, riches, fame, or ease, we have missed the message of the cross. No doubt there are blessings to being a Christian - Promise, Hope, Eternal life, Grace, and a Peace that passes understanding. However, ease and trouble-free living in a world that is running in the opposite direction is never promised. We are following Jesus to the cross as well - and some will turn away when it gets hard. Courageous faith continues onward, knowing that in the end, King Jesus reigns forever!
2. Follow Jesus into Service (Mark 10:41-45)
Mark 10:41-45 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The other disciples are upset with James and John - seems like they were cutting in line! One can only imagine the cruel loneliness with which Jesus faced this journey to Jerusalem. Jesus interrupts: he did not come to give them thrones. The Gentiles (Roman authority) lord it over people; tyrants. In the Jesus Kingdom - the first will be a slave to all.
Jesus is the model of service (45). He came to serve, to give, to offer up his life. This is the model for our Christian walk - to be servants - people who have compassion and care for all who need our help. Jesus is about to demonstrate that for us as he hears a voice calling his name.
3. Follow Jesus With Faith (Mark 10:46-52)
Mark 10:46-52 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 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.
On that Jericho road, crowds following, beggars would be lining the path hoping to get donations from pilgrims headed to Passover in Jerusalem. Jericho was about eighteen miles northwest of Jerusalem. One of those could hear an increase in the noise and maybe the name of Jesus. He began to cry out! Mark 10:46-52
The crowd tried to hush him - they didn’t want a begger getting in the way of the Jesus journey. Jesus, however, stopped to listen to the blind beggar. What a picture of the heart of Jesus - on a death march, with the weight of the sin of the world upon him, he stops to talk to a beggar. What do you want me to do for you? If anyone else had asked, money or food or clothes. Same question he asked James and John. They wanted glory.
Myerscough: “…he will never before have asked anyone to restore his sight - and that tells us something intensely important about his perception of the Lord. This Son of David has the capacity to do for him what others could not.”
This is the last healing miracle in the book of Mark.
In Bartimaus we recognize…
-He is painfully aware of his condition - unable to support himself, regarded as cursed, told to be quiet, unworthy of Jesus’ attention. “Have mercy on me.”
-He is alert to the identity of Jesus - Son of David - a Messianic title. This is the only place in Mark that he is called this by another person.
-His amazing persistence - rejecting the crowd and shouting for Jesus.
This is what we all need to receive the healing of Jesus - to be aware of our condition as sinners, alert to the only One who can save us, and to never stop calling out to Him!
The first thing Blind Bartemaeus saw was the face of Jesus! Can you imagine the joy? Clarence McCartney (via. Hughes) “And for you and me, too, that will be the greatest of all sights. When … we awaken in the everlasting morning, that will be the sight that will stir us and hold us.”
The formerly blind beggar jumped up and followed Jesus on the road. He likely saw the trials and crucifixion of Jesus - perhaps he saw the risen Christ as well. Supposition is that since Mark goes into great detail about Bartemaeus (This is the only person who was healed who was named), that he became an influential part of the early church.
Conclusion
In this series called Keys of Courageous Faith we have journeyed with the disciples as they grew in faith feeding 5,000 with a few loaves and fishes, calming a storm, watching Jesus walk on water, Seeing the transfiguration, his interaction with a rich young ruler. 2. Now today, as we see them facing news of the end of Jesus’ life
and the relentless march to death in Jerusalem - will they be able to see as well as the blind Bartemaeus?
Will We? Will we follow Jesus to the cross, into service, and with faith? Ultimately John, son of Zebedee, understood Jesus’ intention. 1 John 3:16 “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”
Jesus was passing through Jericho, never to come that way again. If Bartimaeus had not responded, he would never have had another chance. Jesus of Nazareth is passing by us today. Be like Bartemaeus and be healed and follow Him! What do you want him to do for you?
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Discussion Questions
1. How do you feel about the request of James and John to sit at Jesus’ right and left in his glory? What does it mean to sit at Jesus' right and left hand (Mark 10:37)?
2. How might someone express a similar attitude to Jesus today?
3. How does Jesus challenge and clarify their request (Mark 10:38-40)?
4. What does he mean by his "cup" and his “baptism"?
5. Why do you think the other disciples were so indignant (Mark 10:41)? What does this show about unity and humility among the followers of Christ?
6. How does Jesus stand the world's concept of greatness on its head—both in his teaching and example (Mark 10:42-45)? What opportunities for greatness do you have at home, at work or in your church?
7. Contrast the attitude "many" had toward Bartimaeus with Jesus' attitude (Mark 10:46-52). What do you see as the great lesson for us today from the healing of Bartimaeus?
8. What did the disciples learn (or either should have learned) in this text about having a courageous faith?
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Resources
Barclay, William. The Daily Study Bible Series, Rev. Ed. The Gospel of Mark. Westminster, 1975.
Hughes, Kent. Preaching the Word: Mark, Vol. 2. Crossway, 1989.
Lane, William L. NICNT: The Gospel of Mark. Eerdmans, 1974.
Myerscough, Richard. The Deepest Question.
https://thewaitingcountry.substack.com/p/the-deepest-question
Sindoll, Charles R. Swindoll’s Living Insights: Mark. Tyndale, 2016.
Williamson, Lamar Jr. Interpretation: Mark. John Knox, 1983.
Wright, N. T. Mark for Everyone (20th Anniversary Ed.), John Knox, 2023.
