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Mark 10:46 - 52
Persevering Prayer

The blind Bartimaeus incident is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and each Gospel contains slightly different details. Matthew, for instance, informs us that Bartimaeus wasn't alone, that there was another blind beggar with him by the side of the road. Another instance of the different details occurs when Matthew and Mark tell us that Jesus was just leaving Jericho, but Luke tells us that He was just coming to the city. Both Gospels are correct. Jesus had left Jericho only a little way when He came to the tree that Zacheus had climbed in order to see Jesus. Having called Zacheus down, He went back to Jericho to dine and spend the night at Zacheus' house. Even though He had just left Jericho, yet it was on His return to Jericho with Zacheus that Bartimaeus was healed.

The importance of the incident to us, however, doesn't consist in such details, however important they may be to Bible scholars. But there are at least three things that are important to us about this meeting of Jesus with blind Bartimaeus. They are, 1) the faith Bartimaeus had, 2) the absolute determination born of that faith, and 3) the wonderful result.

There were plenty of beggars, even blind beggars, by the roadside in Israel in those days. After all, begging was the only way for blind people to live. There wasn't any medical insurance, disability insurance, or welfare. Relatives weren't usually rich. So if people didn't have pity on them as they begged, they'd starve! They sat by the side of the most-traveled roads and hoped that people would notice and give them something. Obviously, they had to concentrate on their begging, possibly along with a little conversation with one another. They weren't Bible scholars! There wasn't any Braille in those days, and people wouldn't have time to teach them many things, though perhaps some few of them were somewhat educated before becoming blind. Bartimaeus apparently knew more than most. He said, "Jesus, son of David, have mercy upon me!"

So he knew a little about Jesus. That fact in itself isn't too surprising though, because we can easily imagine that news about the great Healer travelled quickly among the disabled people of the day. It wouldn't be surprising if Jesus was one of their main topics of conversation. Some way of getting to where He was for healing was probably one of their main concerns once they had heard how He was restoring sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and wholeness to useless bodies.

So it's not surprising that Bartimaeus, hearing that the great Master was right in his vicinity, began to cry out. Being blind, he couldn't tell exactly where Jesus was, so he had to hope that Jesus would hear him, and that He would mercifully stop and consider his case. And since, this might be his only chance, he was determined to make the best of it, so he didn't just cry out - he yelled - over and over again!

So while his behavior wasn't so surprising, his words were. Evidently, when the topic of conversation among the blind was Jesus, they, like everyone else, wondered whether Jesus' own claims about Himself were true. Was He really the expected Messiah? Was He from GOD? Was He perhaps one of the prophets come back from the dead? Was He John the Baptist come to life again? Jesus often spoke about "the kingdom" – was it possible that He was actually the Messiah-King?

Of course everybody knew that Messiah should be from David's family. That's what made Bartimaeus' words remarkable: he called Him "Son of David!" That had to mean that Bartimaeus thought Jesus really was the Messiah! And he asked Him for mercy, which means that he saw Him as more than just a political savior. He saw Him as a loving healer, as one who would care about the awful effects of sin in this world. That could only mean that He thought of God as a caring God and a redeeming God, not just a vengeance-seeking Judge. If we could put words to his feelings, he might say, "O God, You're a loving God, You CARE, and You've sent Your Messiah to save. O save me!" We need an attitude just like his.

We need to feel our need as Bartimaeus felt his. He knew the misery of his blindness and the lostness of his life.  We need a little more perspective on the lostness of our own lives as well. We need to realize our alienation from God. We need to be more aware than we often are of just how empty our lives are without Him. We also need some idea of how full our lives can be when He takes our spiritual blindness away.

And we need to believe that He's willing and able to hear us if we cry to Him. Paraphrasing Bartimaeus, he was yelling something like, "O Savior from heaven, because You are God, I know You care. O come near and extend Your Hand of salvation to this helpless sinner! Take away my blindness, and give me a new life!" We don't really even need to change his words for our own use. We need to say, "Help, Lord! I know You came into the world to help!" The important question is - have we ever come to Jesus with that kind of attitude?

Secondly, Bartimaeus' attitude should also be important to us as an example of extreme determination in prayer. Once he heard that Jesus was there, he wasn't about to let up. When he kept on yelling out to Jesus to have mercy upon him, some people were apparently bothered by the disturbance he was causing and told him to be quiet. But what they said didn't make him any quieter. He cried out all the more - more often and louder!

One caution - this shouldn't be taken to mean that God needs persuading. God isn't a man who can be bowled over by the intensity of our cries - or by anything else. In fact, He has known from all eternity what He would do in each circumstance, because He has known all its details ahead of time. He has eternally known and determined what to do each time you pray. But that doesn't mean He doesn't want you to pray or that you don't need to pray. He wants you to pray because you need to be aware how great your need is, because you need to be prepared for His answer, and because you need to be impressed with His mercy. He loves you so much that He often WON'T ACT until you do pray.

James said something very important about it. He said, "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16) The single Greek word translated by the two English words, "effective" and "fervent" is the word from which we get our word "energy." Simply stated, God wants us to be really worked up about our prayer. We need to be moved by how important it is to us and to God, and then we need to tell Him how we feel.

Someone once said that "emotion is neither good nor bad - it just is." What makes it good or bad is how we use it, and I can think of no better use than its use in prayer, in expressing all our wants and needs to God.

And we not only need to put our whole selves into our prayers, but we also need perseverance. It should be the watchword for us in prayer. If you're like me, when you come to God, you tell Him what you want, and then you go out expecting instant results. You don't expect to have to pray about that particular want again. But for our own good that's not the way God operates.

He wants us to persevere in prayer, to keep on praying as long as it takes. It's not for His benefit, but for ours. It's good for us to remain in His presence for extended periods. You see, there's a problem solved by doing this - how much do you think we would relate to Him if we didn't have to come to Him in prayer, stay before Him in prayer, and really agonize in prayer?

And that doesn't have to involve the "meaningless repetitions" that Jesus warned about in His Sermon on the Mount. Instead, our prayers about a particular need can sometimes involve praise, sometimes repentance and confession, sometimes expressions of joy and thankfulness, sometimes just "talking it over with the Lord." Sometimes it may simply involve remaining before the Lord silently - just looking, as it were, up into His face to see what He will do, expecting His goodness to become evident.

He may instantly give us what we ask. Or He may take the occasion to make us aware of something we hadn't thought of - and make us glad to accept a substitute for the particular blessing we requested Or He may simply say "no!" Or He may keep us waiting for hours, days, weeks, months, or even years. But He NEVER ignores us. He is simply acting in our best interests, no matter what we thought was best.

Finally, this incident shows the blessed goodness of our Lord! When He had gotten Bartimaeus to fully express His desire, when He had reminded him that it was his faith that was saving him, then He very simply told him to depart without his blindness!

Jesus treats each of us differently. The last blind man we read about in this Gospel hadn't been healed instantly by a mere word (Mark 8:22-26). Jesus had taken him by the hand, led him away from the village, then placed spittle on the blind eyes, then He placed His hands on the eyes again, and finally the man could see clearly, even at a distance. The case of Bartimaeus makes it plain that it wasn't Jesus' inability that made all these actions necessary in that previous case, but that He was simply doing the best thing for the blind man himself. For Bartimaeus, the important thing was simplicity. It took only a word. You may remember that in another case, the case of Jairus' daughter, it took only a thought, after which Jesus merely announced what had already traken place. Whatever is best for the one praying - that's what our Lord will do.

The results of our prayers are always just as wonderful as they were for Bartimaeus, even though we don't always notice. Whether we actually see the results or not doesn't detract from what God does.  What He does is always wonderful! His answers are perfect for us every time.

So let's sum it up: the incident with Bartimaeus makes it clear that we need only three things when we come to God in prayer.  First, we need to know that He's an able and caring God.  Secondly, we need to come to Him in absolute determination, and thirdly we need to believe that His way of answering our prayers is always best. That's all you and I need for a successful prayer life. So - let's get to know Him, let's be fully open and expressive to Him in prayer, and let's trust His love. The results will always be His perfect results for us!

Thank-you Pastor.

Even as a blind person this man could "see" Jesus for who He was. How many sighted people could not, despite having the law and the prophets.

Many are still blind today...they only see what they want to see.  They refuse to come to Jesus and trust Him in all things.

God allowed Zacheus to remain blind until Jesus passed by and then he was healed. God was glorified.  In  all things God is glorified.

                          "He is able that promised."

Blessings in Jesus Name,
Jenny.

How true, Jenny.  There is much sightlessness in the world today - even amongst those who hear the Gospel regularly.  Jesus said, "Jesus therefore answered and said to them, 'Do not murmur among yourselves.  No one can come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.  It is written in the prophets, 'and they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.'" (John 6:43-45)  Either God opens the heart, or it is never opened.  Oh let us thank Him if our hearts have been opened!

Amen,blessed are those who hear the word of God and DO it.