Episode 153: Have Mercy On Me! | +Quigg Lawrence

What do you think it'd be like to be blind? Like this morning, I thought, let me try to be blind as I navigate my way through my neighborhood. I was literally starting to drive my car like Bartimaeus. I quickly realized the car belongs to the church, and if I keep being Bartimaeus, I'm going to smash it into a tree. But could you even imagine what it would be like not to see?

I remember in college, I took what they call one of the football courses, psych research. One of the things they made us do is go blindfolded for twenty four hours. Obviously, they had to point somebody to walk you around. I remember walking around UVA campus, walking around the grounds, and it was so hard, you guys. Somebody just takes away your eyesight. You can't see anything. You can't see the faces of your children and grandchildren. You don't know how to cross the street. You can't see the food that's in front of you.

In fact, it'd be pretty hard to work, especially in Jesus' day. There's no welfare. There's no nothing. If you have no sight, you automatically are by default, not only blind, but you're a beggar. Now, let's turn the lights down. I can't make you understand what it's like to be blind, but maybe this will just give you one millionth of what it's like. So let's roll a scene that we'd see with regular eyes. Did you see it? Only Bartimaeus would not have seen the white letters. Just blackness. He'd have heard it. He'd want to be part of it, but he wasn't. I wonder what it would be like to be completely blind.

Context Before the Text

Now, before we get into our actual text, I want to give you context. That's always a good thing. That's for your personal Bible study. When you read something, don't just dive into it. Otherwise, you're probably going to misunderstand what the Lord's saying.

So what's happened right before the story of Jesus healing blind Bartimaeus in Mark chapter 10? If you flip back, you might see the story of the rich young ruler. Basically, he's trying to justify himself by being religious, doing good things. And he goes, "Rabbi, what good things must I do to inherit eternal life?" Basically, it's a non-gospel. He's basically saying, "What must I do to work my way to your favor?"

And Jesus, knowing that he had in his life—Jesus didn't say this to others, but he said to this particular man, his idol was his wealth. And he said, "Go sell everything you have, and then you will be free to come and follow me." And it says the man's face fell because he had great wealth. So he considered keeping his wealth or following Jesus. Holding on to his idol or embracing the new God, he couldn't let go.

And so we see the rich young ruler. The next thing we see, amazingly, is Jesus telling his apostles that he's gonna go to Jerusalem in just a short time, and he's gonna be flogged, he's gonna be beaten, he's gonna be put to death for the sins of the world. He's going to be mocked, spit on, flogged, and killed.

Right after he says that, James and John, seriously, they need a fanny whooping. They seriously need a fanny whooping. Do you know what they said after Jesus says he's getting ready to go die in just a few days to be that sacrificial lamb that Isaiah talks about? They're like, "Hey." They treated Jesus like a vending machine. "Hey, Jesus. Do what we ask you to do. Do what we ask you to do. And hey, by the way, Jesus, could I sit in the seat of honor on the right seat and my brother at the left?"

Like, Jesus has just told them he's gonna be sacrifice for sin, and all they can wonder is telling Jesus, "Be our vending machine. Be our Aladdin's lamp. Do our bidding."

To me, that's just such a smack in the face. Jesus has just said, "Guys, did you understand? I'm getting ready to give myself. I'm going be sweating blood. They're going to beat me to death. They're going to crucify me." And then James and John, part of the 12, are saying, "Jesus, do what we ask you to do."

So from there, we see a rich young ruler who would not because he wouldn't give up his other idol. We see James and John, followers of Jesus' apostles, and they're just concerned about their seats of honor. And yet we turn to blind Bartimaeus, a man who can't see at all. He's a beggar. The people of his day said, "He's a sinner. That's why he's blind."

Don't you remember when they asked in another story in the New Testament, they said, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

So we open up and we see this blind Bartimaeus, the least likely character. I would have thought the rich young ruler would have run to Jesus. I would have thought James and John would have understood that they shouldn't be clinging and wondering about the seats of honor. And yet it's this poor, pathetic, blind man, Bartimaeus, who can't see, but in some ways, he sees a lot better than they do.

So we pick up the story. Mark 10 verse 46.

And they came to Jericho and as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, son of Timaeus was sitting by the roadside. — Mark 10:46

Let me say it again. They came to Jericho, and as he was leaving, Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples, and there was a great crowd. Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, sitting by the roadside.

The Significance of Jericho

First thing we want to know is what's the importance of Jericho? Where is it? Well, Jesus had been up north in Capernaum, up north with that little tiny body of water up there in Israel—the Sea of Galilee. And so he's ministering in Capernaum, but he's gonna go to his death in Jerusalem down south around the Dead Sea.

And so as a Jew, you would think they would just go on the quickest highway. You know, like, "Hey Siri, give me the quickest route. Google Maps, quickest route." Well, the quickest route for a Jew could not be straight down. Do you know why? Why would they not just go straight south? Because of Samaria, and they were enemies, and they didn't want to be unclean, so they stayed away from Samaria. So the Jews would go, step over here, go around, cross the River Jordan once again. They'd land in Jericho, and in about five, six, seven miles, they'd be in Jerusalem. So you always see this kind of travel going on. They're staying away from the Samaritans. And so Jesus was doing that. He was passing through.

Jericho was, I don't know, maybe like Atlanta. It's a place people went. It was a thriving metropolis. It was a crossroads. It was also a place people went to have fun. And so they're coming to Jericho, and as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples, what do you notice about Jesus?

Crowds and Faith

I think a lot of us are afraid to share our faith. We're afraid to share the hope that lies within us because we think—we would never say this, but we think that we're trying to sell somebody something that they really don't want. We're going to try to sell this product, Jesus, that we have to make look better. What I want to tell you is when you actually read the stories of the New Testament, Jesus does not need your help to make him palatable. He really doesn't need you to make him palatable to the lost.

When Jesus was walking around, crowds came in. They pushed. They wanted to be with him. They were mesmerized by him. And so here again, like many other places in scripture, we see this big crowd following Jesus and his disciples. And then there's this man Bartimaeus, a blind beggar.

Understanding Bartimaeus

And first of all, let's look at Bartimaeus. How many of you guys know what a young Jewish boy does when he's 13 years old? Bar mitzvah. Now, just to be fair, ladies, what does a young Jewish girl do at 12 if she's Orthodox, 13 if she's Reformed? Bat mitzvah.

So bat mitzvah means daughter. Bat means daughter. Mitzvah means commandment—daughter of the commandment, daughter of the law, like the law of Moses. Bar mitzvah. Bar means son. Mitzvah means commandment. Son of the commandment. That's when you come into an age of responsibility for your own sins, and you say, "I'm part of Israel. I realize I'm circumcised, but I choose to follow Yahweh."

And so what's really amazing, bar means son. So when they say this beggar's name was Bartimaeus, what does that mean to you? Bar means son. Bartimaeus equals son of Timaeus. In case you're not smart enough to understand that, they tell you that: "Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus."

Here's my question. What does Bartimaeus name his son? Bartimaeus? At a point, it gets ridiculous. I think actually you have to skip a generation. Bartimaeus, find a new name, and then with a new name, do "bar" whatever that was.

But here we see Bartimaeus, and how is he summed up? The entirety of his person. How is he summed up? A blind beggar. I mean, if you're blind, in his day, that automatically means you're a beggar. That means you can't see. You probably wouldn't marry. You can't work because most of the jobs are physical labor. Bartimaeus was a man blind.

We don't know if he was blind from birth or not. I actually tend to think not, and that's just a guess because there are other places in scripture when Jesus heals somebody and he says, "A man born blind from birth." But this time they don't say that. They just say he was blind. But whatever the case is, it almost doesn't make a difference.

They're in Jesus' day at a crossroads in Jericho, where all the pilgrims are coming. They're coming to Jerusalem to worship. There are gonna be so many people pressing in on their way to go worship at Passover. And there sits this blind man, a blind man. He's a beggar, and he has nothing. He can do nothing.

And so he sits along the way, hoping that some religious people will have pity on him and throw him a few coins. It says he was sitting by the roadside. Now we go to verse 47 and it says, and when he heard—because I keep forgetting the man can't see. It's impossible for you to understand what it's like not to be able to see. Some of you, if you take your glasses off right now go ahead. Take your glasses off. If your eyesight's half as bad as mine, all you can see is blurred things that look like trees. But Bartimaeus couldn't even see that. He could see nothing. He could see absolutely nothing.

He says, but he heard. Just because he can't see, it didn't mean he couldn't hear. He says Bartimaeus heard that it was Jesus. Because he couldn't see Jesus, all he heard is a lot of commotion and noise. When he heard it was Jesus, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. Jesus, son of David. Can you see him? He's on the side of the road. He can't see. He's got his cloak spread out so people would throw coins in. He hears this noise, this excitement. Hears the feet. He could smell the dust. He could smell the people, but he can't see. He doesn't know which one is Jesus. You can't see him at all. And so he cries out, Jesus, son of David, have mercy.

When he says Jesus, son of David, he's basically saying, Jesus, I've heard about you. I hear that the blind can see and the lame can walk. Just like when John the Baptist says, is this the one that is to come or is it another? And say, you go tell him that the blind are seeing, the lame are being raised. God is giving sight. God is doing miracles. He's healing. And so Bartimaeus understood that Jesus was not simply a rabbi. He was in fact, the Messiah, the promised Messiah of God, the Lamb of God who would take away his sin and the sin of the world. Son of David, son of David.

And then what does he say once he calls out his name? He says, Jesus, son of David, what? Have mercy on us. Have you ever had that moment? Have you ever had that moment?

Calling Out to Jesus

See, I'm amazed that people sit in church like I did for twenty-one years, and they've never called and said, Jesus, help me. I'm perishing. Jesus, have mercy on me. The problem is for the rest of us is we did that when we were 18 or 21 or 23, and now we're 60 or 50 or 70, and we haven't called out to the Lord for mercy since then. Because somehow we think we're already good. We're good. And God, basically, live like you're up there and we're down here. We'll see you when we get there.

I don't know about you, but this morning, there are plenty of areas in my life I could cry out for mercy. For me, my family, things I do, things I left undone. Do you ever call out for mercy or just keep it in? Do you just manage it? Are you a sin manager? Is that what you are? A sin manager? Or have you experienced the freedom of being able to say, I don't care what anybody here thinks?

Bartimaeus goes, I don't care what you think. I already know what you think. You think I'm a sinner. That's why I'm cursed with blindness. Jesus, son of David, have mercy. Have mercy. Who else is he going to call on? The Sadducees and the Pharisees? The government? Friends, we keep looking for somebody else. We look for the spouse. If I get married, my spouse, they'll complete me. But Jesus says:

I'm the vine. Apart from me, you can do nothing. There's no life outside of me. I am the way, the truth, the life.

But we keep trying to find somebody other than Jesus. When's the last time you said, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me? In other words, Jesus, I'm looking to you. I'm not looking to anyone else. That would actually be idolatry.

And now let's see how it goes. And Jesus hears. Jesus hears. I mean, this is amazing to me. Can you picture what's your favorite college stadium? Go. Navy. Navy Marine Corps Stadium. Right. Imagine you're at the Navy Marine Corps Stadium. Imagine you're at Lane Stadium or Scott Stadium, or if you're from Salem, the Salem High School Football Stadium. Right? Imagine that. And imagine in the midst of the stadium filled with so many tens of thousands of people. Right? And all the commotion that's going on. You've been there. One crazy guy goes, Hey, Jesus, have mercy on me. They must have thought he was a whack job. But Bartimaeus didn't care.

You know what? When you're beat down, lost enough, when the weight of sin is heavy enough upon you, you will call out to somebody for mercy. And so Bartimaeus is crying out for mercy. Jesus, Messiah, son of David, have mercy on me. And he would not shut up. He was like a broken record. Have mercy on me. Have mercy on me.

Now we're in cancel culture. Right? You say anything to this or that, we just cancel you. There are people right now trying to cancel Bartimaeus. There are people that are like, Hey, man. You're just a little too fervent in your religion. Okay?

Or, Hey man, you're a sinner born blind, or at least you've been blind. It's your fault. Shut up. And we go to the text and what does it actually say in verse 48.

And many rebuked. They rebuked blind Bartimaeus, telling him to be silent. — Mark 10:48

You guys, how cruel a heart could you have? A poor man who can't work because he can't see. He can do nothing but beg. He's like a piece of human refuse thrown along the side of the road, begging somebody to give him coins. And then one day he hears about Jesus and he calls forward in faith and says, Jesus, have mercy on me. And what do the people do? What do the good, God fearing people do? They tell him to shut up. Shut up, Bartimaeus. We know who you are. You're a sinner. You're unworthy of the love of God or the Messiah. Shut up. Be quiet.

If you stand for your faith—and I don't mean be obnoxious. Christians can be obnoxious and think they're being so faithful. No. Jesus never said be obnoxious. He never said be religious. But he said, Don't be afraid in this wicked and evil generation. If you try to speak on behalf of him, even kindly and wisely and led by the spirit, there are going to be people who are going to try to shut you up.

Bartimaeus would have none of it. They tried to tell him to shut up, and he kept crying out all the more. He's like, listen, I don't care. I don't need you guys to validate me. I'm tired of you just throwing me in a corner or not throwing me a coin. I need the Lord. I need healing. I need mercy, and I will not shut up. Jesus, son of David, have mercy.

The Call

Jesus stopped and said, "Call him over." And so the people called the blind man. Do you notice here they don't even call him by name? Do you know why they don't call him by name? In their eyes, he wasn't a person. He wasn't worthy to be called by name. He's the blind guy, and he's calling out for mercy. We tell him to shut up, but Jesus says, no. Call him over. Jesus was calling him personally.

And they called the blind man saying to him, Take heart. Get up. Jesus is calling you. — Mark 10:49

And then verse 50:

And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. — Mark 10:50

Now why would they put that detail in there? It's kind of striking. A cloak, friends, is how you stayed warm. If you're homeless, a cloak is how you stay warm. A cloak is what you spread out on the road to catch the coins people are flicking at you because you can't see them. A cloak was of great value. Do you remember several times in the Old Testament they said, hey, if you take someone's cloak as a kind of deposit, like you ever go in the gas station like, oh, shucks, I forgot my wallet. Here, take my watch. I'll be right back with a twenty. This was a down payment. The Jewish law said, if you do take someone's cloak as a pledge, you've got to give it back to them before the end of the day, because they can't live without the cloak. They're going to freeze to death. Or if they're a beggar, they can't live without the cloak because they're going to freeze to death and they'll have no money to buy the basic food they need to eat.

What we see here, as soon as Jesus calls to this man, blind Bartimaeus, he throws off his cloak. Basically, it's like the other apostles dropping their nets. This is actually faith. Faith is a gift. It is received. But if it's merely a gift that's not acted upon, then it really doesn't avail us anything. It doesn't do anything. Faith is a gift. But Jesus says, step into it. Step into it. Faith moves us to action. And blind Bartimaeus trusted and believed that Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be. He believed it so much he was willing to throw his cloak, the thing he was going to use to live on and to keep warm, to throw it out because he knew Jesus was going to heal him. He knew it. And so his faith and trust in Jesus was here. Take my cloak. I'm not going to be needing it anymore.

Compare that with the rich young ruler.

And Jesus said to him, What do you want me to do for you? — Mark 10:51

See, I know that Jesus already knows that. A lot of you guys go, well, I don't pray because God already knows. Why waste my time if he's omniscient, if he's all knowing, why would I waste everybody's time telling him what I need? Because he's God and he knows anyway. The reason the Lord has you tell him all about it is not because he lacks information. He does it because he's a relational God, and he wants to hear it from his son or daughter.

He wants you to come to him with whatever it is that you need help on. And while he's not a vending machine or an Aladdin's lamp to be rubbed, saying "Hey, Jesus, do whatever we ask you"—like James and John—he's still a God that says, come boldly to the throne of grace. Come boldly to the throne of grace and ask. Let your request be known to God.

Let your request be known to God.

I don't have x-ray vision, but I wonder how many of us have these big heavy things on us right now, but we're not asking the Lord. We're not asking him. Or if we ask him, we ask him, but we don't have any idea or belief that he might actually do something.

Friends, God has given us this story to remind us that faith is a gift to be received. But the gift itself is made to be stepped into. You take action once you have this gift. When Jesus gives faith, you step into it. When Jesus gives faith, you throw off all that entangles. When Jesus gives faith, you step forward believing and trusting that his word is true and that he loves you.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.