SON OF DAVID (Mark 10:46-52)
INTRODUCTION:
As we have journeyed through Mark we have read of the countless miracles that Jesus performed during His ministry. These miracles performed by Jesus, conclusively displayed His absolute power over nature, disease, disabilities, and the demonic realm. These miracles proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus was and is God in human form and also demonstrated God’s compassion for His people. The miracles are numberless, but in only one are we given the name of the person whom Jesus healed, and it is in our passage for this morning. This passage describes the healing of a blind man named Bartimaeus. Knowing this is the only named individual whom Jesus healed makes one wonder if this is just a coincidence or did Mark intentionally gave us the name of this man.
It seems that Mark is very intentional about including this event in his gospel. Why would Mark include another one of Jesus’ healings, especially at this point in time, when Jesus was moving so resolutely toward Jerusalem and the conclusion of His ministry. Why is this incident so important that it needed to be included here?
The importance of this incident has to do with the fact that this takes place after the discussion Jesus had with His disciples after James and John had requested that He allow them to sit on His right and His left in His glory. Jesus had taken time to teach His disciples that real discipleship does not mean seeking to sit in the place of power and authority. Instead, those who want to be great or those who want to be first in the kingdom must be servants, must be slaves of all. In this context, Bartimaeus stands in stark contrast with the behavior of the disciples as they argued and debated about who was the greatest among them. This blind man was a beggar on the side of the road; socially he was the lowest of the low, many Jews believed that his condition was due to some sin in his life. His clothes would have been just rags as he sat beside the road hoping that someone would have pity and drop a coin in his cup so that he might buy something to eat or a place to rest for the night. By taking the time to serve this lowly man, Jesus set a powerful example for His disciples. This is the final healing miracle in Mark’s Gospel. Let’s pray and then get into our passage.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to Mark 10:46-52. We will finish chapter 10 this morning. Please stand, if you are able, in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
Mark 10:46-52,
“Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him here.’ So they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.’ Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. And answering him, Jesus said, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ And the blind man said to Him, ‘Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.” (Mark 10:46–52, NASB95)[1]
SON OF TIMAEUS (Mark 10:46-48)
Remember Jesus was going resolutely to Jerusalem and on their way they passed through Jericho. From Jericho, they would make the difficult six-hour climb up the steep path leading up to Jerusalem. Jericho was located approximately fifteen miles northeast from Jerusalem and about five miles west of the Jordan River. The flourishing New Testament city of Jericho built by Herod the Great and the location of his winter palace was not far from the ruins of the original Old Testament city of Jericho. That there were two cities of Jericho in Jesus’ day might explain why Matthew and Mark record that the healing took place when Jesus was leaving Jericho and Luke records that it occurred when He was approaching Jericho. Having passed through the Old Testament city and before entering the New Testament city, in between the two is where He has His encounter with the blind man.
Mark records that as Jesus was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, this crowd consisted of many on their way to Jerusalem for the Passover. That they had joined up with Jesus and His disciples just shows the interest that many still had concerning Jesus. This large crowd with Jesus would have drawn the interest of the inhabitants of Jericho as He was always the focus of much speculation and curiosity.
As they exited the city the crowd began to pass by some beggars alongside the road, one a blind man sensed that this was not just an ordinary crowd, this was not the ordinary traffic passing through the city even though the Passover was near. Mark tells us that the blind man’s name is Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus. By telling us this, Mark commits what is called literary redundancy. Every Jew that read this event would know that the name Bartimaeus meant “Son of Timaeus.” The prefix bar means “son of.” This is way Jesus identified Peter as “Simon Bar-Jonah” in Matthew 16:17; Peter was the son of Jonah. In the same way, someone who has been through a bar mitzvah is a “son of the covenant.” It would seem that it was unnecessary for Mark to explain that the name Bartimaeus meant “son of Timaeus,” but, as we know Mark was writing for Gentiles who were not always aware of Hebrew ancestry, customs, or names.
Luke in the parallel passage in chapter 18 tells us that Bartimaeus began to ask what was the meaning of this large crowd going by? In response to his question someone informed him that Jesus was passing by. Bartimaeus had heard of Jesus, and Mark writes, “When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ ” (Mark 10:47, NASB95)[2] Instead of referring to Jesus as Jesus the Nazarene and associating Him with His hometown of Nazareth, Bartimaeus addressed Him by the familiar messianic title “Son of David.” As he began to call out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” those in the crowd began telling him to be silent, but this made him cry out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” The people around him tried to shush him, but no way was he going to stop but kept shouting the same thing over and over.
Let’s stop for just a moment and look at what was he actually saying in his cries to Jesus. First, he was very aware of his condition, whether he was born blind or had gone blind it had been a long time since he had seen anything, possibly he had never seen anything. He lived in constant darkness. Unlike so many who are in spiritual darkness today, he knew what his problem was. This repeated request that Jesus have mercy on him was more than just mere words for this man; it was the cry of his heart. He knew that he did not deserve anything, because according to Jewish theology, his blindness was God’s curse on him due to his sin. In asking for mercy, undeserved kindness, he acknowledged that he was a sinner, his mind saw the light before his eyes did.
Second, Bartimaeus displayed penetrating insight into the person of Christ. He kept repeating to everyone’s distress, “Jesus, Son of David”—“Jesus, Son of David,” a blatantly messianic title. This is significant because though Matthew twice records that Jesus was called the “Son of David” during his ministry in Galilee, this is the only place in Mark that that He is called so, outside of Jesus’ later calling himself the “son of David.” Bartimaeus was not a theologian, but he had come to the conclusion in his own mind that Jesus was the Messiah, the greater Son of David.
This truth about who Jesus truly was promoted the third aspect of his heart—his amazing, passionate persistence. Bartimaeus did not listen to the rebukes coming from the crowd but kept calling over and over again for the Son of David to have mercy on him. He was not going to give up, this was his one chance to meet the one who could meet his need and free him from the darkness of his soul. How very different was his request from that of James and John; the two disciples who asked for positions of power and authority with a sense of entitlement, but Bartimaeus asked for mercy with no suggestion that he deserved Jesus’ help. Bartimaeus came to Jesus in a more humble attitude.
SON OF MAN (Mark 10:49-50)
Remember that Jesus was marching resolutely to Jerusalem where He would face shame, pain, suffering, and die a most tortuous death on the cross. Even with this determination to reach Jerusalem, the cry of Bartimaeus was heard above the crowd. Jesus heard his cry for mercy. This cry stopped Jesus in His tracks. He had heard this blind beggar cry out to the Son of David. Jesus said, “Call him here.” In other words, Jesus was not moving another step until He sees this man.
Mark continues, “So they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.’ ” (Mark 10:49b, NASB95)[3] The Lord’s response changed the crowd’s attitude toward Bartimaeus at least for a moment, Curious, hoping to see Jesus perform another miracle, they conveyed Jesus’ message to the beggar. Bartimaeus did not hesitate when the people told him that Jesus was calling for him. He immediately stopped calling out, threw his cloak off (an extreme gesture for a blind man, who would normally keep his cloak where he could touch it), he sprang to his feet, and stumbled with the help of others to Jesus. Can you imagine Bartimaeus’ thrill, Jesus had heard him, Jesus had called for him. If his heart was pounding before, what was it doing now. Face to face with Jesus. Jesus with the most penetrating eyes ever, and the sightless sockets of Bartimaeus framed by a countenance of ultimate expectation. This is the way to come to Jesus!
SON OF GOD (Mark 10:51-52)
Then Mark writes, “And answering him, Jesus said, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ ” (Mark 10:51a, NASB95)[4] Does that question sound familiar? When James and John came to Jesus with their request, Jesus said, “‘What do you want Me to do for you?” (Mark 10:36, NASB95)[5] Then they went on to make the audacious request that one of them sit on Jesus’ right and one on His left in His glory. How different was Bartimaeus’ answer to the same question that Jesus had so recently put to His two disciples. Bartimaeus said, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” (Mark 10:51b, NASB95)[6] Notice that Bartimaeus was not asking for status. He was not asking for glory. He was not asking to be exalted in Jesus’ kingdom. He was not even asking to be delivered from his poverty. He was begging the Lord for something that almost every human being already enjoyed. He simply wanted to be able to see. Bartimaeus was a simple man. He had one driving passion—to get out of the impenetrable darkness that defined his life, where he groped in danger, always dependent on someone else to take him by the hand and lead him. So, he cried, “All I want, Lord, is to receive my sight.”
That is not exactly the way he said it. Repeatedly in the Gospels we see that when people spoke to Jesus, they addressed Him as “Teacher” or “Rabbi.” But Bartimaeus called Him “Rabboni.” This is the same title Mary Magdalene exclaimed when, beyond all hope and expectation, she encountered the Lord Jesus on the morning of His resurrection in John 20:16.
This slight alteration of the title “rabbi” is very significant; rabboni means far more than “professor” or “teacher.” It has an intense personal significance and is actually a confession of faith. Bartimaeus is saying to Jesus, “My Lord and my Master, let me see.” In this passage, Mark gives us a portrait of a true disciple who was ragged, poor, and blind, but who recognized the Messiah and addressed Him as “My Lord and my Master.” Jesus had just taught His disciples about the importance of being servants. To be a servant is to serve a master. Although the disciples failed to grasp this, this blind man got it.
Mark writes the words of the Son of God, “And Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.” (Mark 10:52, NASB95)[7] Jesus, the Son of God, spoke the word and Bartimaeus immediately regained his sight. The word translated “well” is the Greek word sōzō which is often used in the New Testament to refer to salvation. This could be translated, “Go, your faith has saved you.” Jesus used this word rather than the word that means “to heal,” this along with Bartimaeus’ messianic recognition of Jesus indicates that he received not only physical healing but also eternal salvation. Upon immediately regaining his sight Bartimaeus did not run through the city in order to see all the sights that he had only known by the descriptions of others, but the first thing he saw was Jesus, and he wanted nothing more than to follow Him. Many scholars say the reason Mark preserves Bartimaeus’ name was that he became a long-standing disciple in the Jerusalem church. He followed Jesus, witnessing the triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday, the horror of the Crucifixion, and the joy of the Resurrection. Talk about getting one’s eyes full!
CONCLUSION:
What do we learn from this event that took place near Jericho? First, to those who are being called to the Savior, we should say what the crowd said to Bartimaeus, “Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.” We as disciples of Jesus Christ are to reach out to those whom the Holy Spirit has shown their inner darkness and helplessness. What then are these to do once they are conscious of their sin and helplessness? First, they are to cry out to the Savior, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Second, they are to come stumbling to Him and tell Him what they want: “Lord, take away my darkness, my sin. Give me life!” Jesus was passing through Jericho, never to come that way again. If Bartimaeus had not responded, he would never have another chance. Jesus the Nazarene, the Son of Man and the Son of God is passing by some of those around us today, say to them, “Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.”
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.