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.
I mean you just had to look at the guy, no sight, no job, no money, no dignity, what a sorry situation to be in.
But Bartimaeus had 1 thing going for him.
Despite his blindness, Bartimaeus saw what others had not.
The crowd referred to Jesus as ‘Jesus of Nazareth” Bartimaeus refers to his true identity by saying ‘Son of David’.
The background to this story is that Bartimaeus, along with all the other people had been waiting for a new king to emerge.
This new king had been first spoken about hundreds of hears before.
As Australians when we think of a King we imagine a man out of touch with the people who just goes on hunting trips and invitation only dinners.
But this king was completely different.
This promised king would be a descendant of King David, one of Israel’s greatest kings, who would show God’s mercy and bring freedom to the people.
State: Bartimaeus recognized that Jesus was this anticipated King who would bring God’s mercy from heaven
Illustrate: Story of being mistaken for someone famous
We shouldn’t be too hard on the crowd, identity is a very easy thing to get mixed up.
I’ve had a similar situation happen to myself
Story
The thing that I realized is that sometimes people are like sheep. We just go alone with the crowd. These people were believing a sales assistant they had never met. They didn’t even take the time to find out if I really was Simon.
Have you done the same thing to Jesus?
Apply:
Have you just believed what others have said about him and not made up your own mind?
Who do you think is king?
For many Australians the supreme authority in their lives is themselves. We do what we want to do. We serve ourselves.
But lets just stop and think for a minute
if Bartimaeus is right and Jesus is king, How should we respond to him?
Should we not come to him and say, Jesus I acknowledge that you are the one who deserves to be first in my life?
Lets see how Bartimaeus responds sentence 39
Read: 39-41a
“ Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet , but he shouted all the more, “Son of David have mercy on me!”. Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
Question:
Can you hear the desperation in his voice?
“son of David have mercy on me”
State: Bartimaeus was desperately seeking the Mercy of Jesus
Explain:
He knew that he had an opportunity to get out of his situation
He wasn’t going to let anything or anyone stop him
The crowd, they were all around him, he couldn’t see them but he could hear the venom in their voices as they rebuked him by telling him to stay quiet.
Bartimaeus ignored them and shouted again “son of David have mercy on me!”
He was someone who needed to have compassion and kindness shown to him.
And what does Jesus do?
He stops.
The crowd wasn’t expecting Jesus to stop and talk with a beggar.
Its great to be shown mercy when we least expect it isn’t it?
I found this out when I was shown mercy form the police.
Illustrate: Story of being shown mercy by cops
I had purchased a new car.
I had just picked it up from the car yard and was driving home.
I was cruising along, going the speed limit and I looked down.
I saw a button that said ‘sports mode’
My inquisitive nature got the better of me so I pressed the button
The car took off!
I have to assure you that I am normally a very safe and sensible driver, I’m not a car hoon, but on this one occasion I was shocked by the power of my car.
Just as I was recovering from the shock, and I realized ‘hey I had better slow down here’ I looked up and saw a cop with a radar
Do you know that feeling when you have done something wrong?
I was busted
He pulled me over and we exchanged pleasantries
He then asked why I was going so fast
So I told him the truth
I must have had an honest face cause he believed me!
He showed me mercy and let me off with a reduced fine
Apply: All of us need to seek God’s Mercy
I received mercy and saved a few dollars, which was good at the time, but it hasn’t that much of an impact on my life
But imagine having the opportunity to receive mercy and have your life transformed!
This is what God offers us!
Can I say that we need it, because all of us at some stage have lived our lives with us in charge. We are God, and we do what we want.
We are offside with God. God is distant, we have no relationship with him.
It’s a very dangerous place to be if we are out of relationship with God.
To live our life our way means we miss out on the peace, direction and hope in this life and we will be separated from God in the next.
Gods mercy is what is needed to restore the relationship.
We need to come to God and say, God I’m sorry for living my own way, I choose to have you as God of my life.
Can I tell you what a great thing it is to be in relationship with God.
Is God’s mercy something you need to ask him for?
If so, Bartimaeus shows us exactly what to do.
Read: 41b – 43
“Lord I want to see” he replied. Jesus said to him, receive your sight; your faith has healed you. Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
Bartimaeus’ life has been changed!
State: He experiences the mercy and freedom he sought through faith in Jesus
Explain: Physical and Spiritual healing is recieved
Bartimaeus is instantaneously healed.
Like that (click)
The word healed has two dimensions in the original language, they are both relevant here.
The first speaks of physical healing, the 2nd speaks of spiritual healing
Bartimaeus has both his sight and his relationship with God restored.
How did Bartimaeus receive God’s mercy?
a) asked Jesus to heal him
b) he believed that Jesus could do it
c) committed himself to following him
did you notice how the crowd changed?
Where as before they had been horrible to Bartimaeus, now they were rejoicing with him.
Why do you think this is?
I think Its because they had their eyes opened to seeing the true identity of Jesus as well.
This healing shows that Jesus is not just an average man.
How many people do you know that can speak to someone who is blind and heal them?
This was something tangible that Jesus gave to prove his identity
but this was just a glimpse of what was to come.
What Bartimaeus didn’t know, but you and I do, is that after he finished there, Jesus went and fulfilled his mission of dieing on the cross and being raised to life again.
This was the ultimate miracle that confirmed the identity of Jesus.
This resurrection was witnessed by hundreds of people
What Jesus death and resurrection showed was how merciful God is
Because we do the wrong thing there is a penalty to pay
God is completely just, he couldn’t look the other way like the traffic cop did to me
Someone had to be punished, to pay the price for the wrong we have done
That’s what Jesus did on the cross he paid the price for us
God punished Jesus who had never done anything wrong in his life to open up a way for us to be let off.
What a fantastic opportunity each of us have to respond to God and come back into relationship with Him.
It is a life changing thing
Illustration: My testimony of transformation
To finish I would like to tell you a true story about a young boy who had his life changed.
This boys life situation was pretty standard
He liked playing sport, and going down to the footy on Sunday to support his favourite team
He liked watching TV shows like the cartoon connection and hey hey its Saturday
He came from a loving family who gave him everything he needed
He had a gentle nature and you could probably say he was pretty shy
he was just an average kid but he had a big problem
he was having all sorts of trouble from bullies at school.
He had no distinguishing features that made him a target
it was just one of those things
sometimes in life they are just the breaks you get aren’t they?
Bad things happen for no apparent reason
some of the older kids in the school took great enjoyment in bullying him at lunchtime
This young boy would try and play somewhere safe but they would find him
They would do things like stuff his shirt with grass and call him ‘scarecrow’
They would take his lunch money that his parents gave him
The school wasn’t doing much about it, as they didn’t have the strict anti-bulling policy that they do today
So as you could imagine this little guy didn’t like school much
His parents would drop him off out the front of school and he would be bawling his eyes out
He would run after the car calling out ‘mum, dad, come back!’but they didn’t.
As a consequence he would be so fearful of school that he was constantly wetting the bed at night
Fear and worry had taken over
Can you see that this boys life wasn’t heading in a very positive direction?
I have no doubt that there are people here who can associate with the feelings that this little boy was going through.
I can, because this little boy was me.
As you can see from me standing here before you, I didn’t travel through life bound by fear
I wasn’t held back by insecurities and anxieties
I didn’t end up at the destination which my life was heading from a young age
Because my life was transformed when I decided to follow Jesus
Since I realized who he was, I haven’t looked back
Meeting Jesus has changed me from someone who hated school into someone who is a school teacher
Changed me from a shy, insecure person into someone who now speaks in front of strangers
I have learnt to be a better friend, husband, dad, person because of Jesus.
It was the best decision I ever made.
Apply:
Friends, do you know how good it is to experience the Mercy of Jesus?
To be sure without a shadow of a doubt that you are friends with God?
Friends if the answer to that is not ‘yes’ then I’m really glad that I am here tonight.
What is it that we need to do to become friends with God?
We need to follow the same steps as Bartimaeus:
- a – ask to be put back onside with God, to do this we need to repent, which is to apologize for living life our own way and make a conscious decision to try and live God’s way.
- b- believe that Jesus lived, died and rose again. That his death on the cross was enough to restore our relationship with God.
- C - commit to following him. To no longer wander through life aimlessly, but to live our life following God.
Right now I am going to give you an opportunity to respond to Jesus just like Bartimaeus did, and just like I did
In a moment I’m going to pray a prayer
Its designed for people who want to do just that
It wont be applicable for everyone – so let me tell you what I am going to say and you can work out if it is a good prayer for you.
I will say:
Dear Lord Jesus,
I acknowledge my need for your mercy
I believe that your death was payment for my disobedience
Thankyou that my future is now secure
Please help me to keep trusting and following you
Amen
Is that your prayer?
Let me tell you how I will pray it
I will say each sentence and stop
I will leave time for you to echo it to God in your head
If this prayer is not appropriate for you why don’t you say something to God now that is right for you?
Lets pray.
- For those who prayed the prayer for the first time you have started on an exciting journey
- There are people here in this church who want to help you to follow Jesus
- To let them know of the decision you have made it would be great to fill in one of the response cards in front of you
