Jesus Stopped For THIS Man. Why?

This is the last trip Jesus will make from Galilee down to Jerusalem. Jesus knew what was going to happen when he got there. “Mark 10:33-34  saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles.  (34)  “They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”

Jesus has left Capernaum, his base in Galilee, and crossed over the Jordan River. Then he went through many villages and small towns as he went down the eastern side of Palestine. Then he turned and cross back over the Jordan as he approached Jericho.

Jericho is a noteworthy city. It was the first city in Canaan the Israelites destroyed when they entered the promised land. It is only 17-18 miles from Jerusalem. And Jericho was a good place for northern Jews to rest, recharge and resupply as they traveled to Jerusalem.  Galilean Jews, obeying the commands to worship in Jerusalem, were always traveling through.

Mark’s gospel does not mention Zacchaeus, but Luke does. The story of the wee little man up in the tree was here in Jericho. We have a good video on it. Look for the link below.

Jesus is about a day’s walk from Jerusalem. When he gets there, he will make his Triumphant entry into Jerusalem and begin what we know as the Passion Week.

Let’s see what Mark says, “Mark 10:46  “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.”

Bartimaeus was with another blind man on the roadside, according to Matt 20. There are 2 words to describe Bartimaeus and his buddy. Blind. And beggars.

What kind of life did blind men have back then? What kind of work could they do? It would be limited, if they had anything. Blind people back then were rejected because they were not like everyone else. Fortunately, some kind Jew probably helped him this day to get to a place on the Jericho-Jerusalem highway.

And he was called a beggar. Beggars were super-poor, often sick, and always dependent on charitable gifts. Picture an extreme pan-handler. Their plight leads to constant suffering. They were constantly asking for money or gifts. Jews were instructed to help take care of the poor and oppressed. Beggars were socially neglected, much like the homeless people are today. People see them, but just look the other way. They are ignored.

As a professional beggar, he was always listening. Listen for people to come by. Asking for money. He talked with whoever would stop. In the process he heard stories about this amazing teacher and healer named Jesus. I am certain that he paid special attention and asked questions whenever some traveler talked about Jesus healing people. Maybe he heard about Jesus healing the official’s son. Or Jesus healing a leper. He could have heard the story of Jesus healing a man with a withered hand. I am sure he was amazed to hear about Jairus’ daughter being brought back to life.

But of all the stories he listened to, there were 2 that would really get his attention. In Mark 8:22-25 is where some people brought a blind man to Jesus. Jesus took him out of the village, spit on his eyes, laid his hands on him twice and he could see everything clearly.

The other story he may have paid special attention to is found in Matthew 9  “And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”  (28)  When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”  (29)  Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”  (30)  And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.”

All these miracles were instantaneous. They were things that were far beyond the improbable.

But Bartimaeus was convinced this could happen to him. He could see himself being healed by Jesus. He could see it in his mind as though it was real. But what are the chances that such a famous man, such a powerful healer, would ever walk by him?

But on this day, Bartimaeus, began to hear the noise of a large group of people coming down the road. They were noisy. All the talking and laughter. He didn’t know it, but this would be the greatest day in his life. The unlikely was about to happen.

When the crowd got close, you can just picture Bartimaeus beginning to ask what was going on. Someone in the crowd said it was Jesus traveling through. It was Jesus, and his disciples PLUS a large crowd. Jesus is on his way up to Jerusalem.

The most powerful healer of human history was passing Bartimaeus and his buddy.

His dream of meeting such a powerful healer, his one hope of seeing again, was actually walking by. What does Bartimaeus need to do to get Jesus’ attention? He began yelling, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” He said it again and again.

The crowd, who thought so little of beggars, told Bartimaeus to hush. Can you see the sternness in their faces as they tell him to “Shut your mouth” Can’t you hear the heartless crowd saying “Don’t bother the great teacher Jesus.” Saying, “You are not worthy of his attention.” Or “Jesus doesn’t notice your kind.”

Bartimaeus kept seeing in his mind Jesus healing him. He was not going to be denied. He cried out all the more, even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me.”

Jesus heard him. Jesus stopped. Maybe Jesus listened to see if Bartimaeus was going to continue to ask for his help. Jesus told the crowd, “Tell him to come here”.

The fickle crowd suddenly reversed what they were saying. They switched from being ugly to Bartimaeus, to now telling him nice things. “It’s your lucky day. Be happy. He is calling for you.”

Bartimaeus threw off his outer layer of clothes, jumped up, and made his way toward Jesus. How would a blind man find Jesus in this large crowd? “Where is Jesus?” he might have asked. Someone may have pointed him in the general direction. But he got to Jesus.

Jesus asked a simple, but profound, question. “And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?”…  He is asking what act of mercy do you want?

Bartimaeus said, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” From his request, we know that sometime in his past he was able to see. He knew how beautiful springtime is. He might have seen how pretty the girls were. He remembered what it was like to be a productive citizen of Jericho. And, he could still feel the pain of being a social reject. He said, “I want to regain my sight.”

Does Jesus know what Bartimaeus is feeling? As God’s Son he could have. Did Jesus know what he wanted? Sure, he did. But Jesus wanted his disciples and the crowd to know what Bartimaeus wanted.

But Jesus’ next statement, though quite simple, is astounding. And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.”….”

That’s it. Just “Go your way”.  Jesus is telling him to just go back to living normally again, to go on with life.

And Jesus proclaimed to everyone what was inside Bartimaeus’ heart. He said, “ Your faith has made you well.”

It was his faith. That picture he had been seeing in his head was his faith. Not just a wishful dream, but something that was more than just a possibility. Bartimaeus knew, he knew,  Jesus is able. All the stories he had heard. There were so many that many of them had to be true. He thought, he can heal me.

That is faith. His faith prompted him to take sudden and immediate action. No hesitation. No delay. No one had to push him to do something.

Mark records, “…And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.” An ecstatic Bartimaeus could see again. He wasn’t stumbling over other people in the crowd. He wasn’t sitting on the road-side anymore. He began to live again. He followed Jesus down the road.

Friend, What kind of life-circumstance are you in? Does life feel impossible? Are you stuck in a job you hate, and that hates you back. Do people dislike you, even hate you? Are you bullied, insulted, or teased constantly? Is everyone always arguing with you? Has your live-in girlfriend just told you she is pregnant?

You haven’t figured out that what you are doing doesn’t work? No one has told you that you are going the wrong direction? Is this why life seems to keep on failing you?

Jesus is able to change everything. He changed the life of Bartimaeus. He changed the life of the 5-broken-marriage woman at the well. What was it like for Nicodemus after he visited with Jesus? He can make tremendous changes in you, too

But you will need the kind of faith that Bartimaeus had, One that pictures a changed life.  But how do you get his kind, his level of faith? Romans 10 says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

To help you get started right now, there are two things that can help you learn about this particular Jesus that I have been telling you about. First, begin by watching a series of videos on TimelessTalks.Net .Second, contact us to get a free online Bible Correspondence course that you can complete at your own pace. If you need a Bible, just let us know. You will get one for free.

Use the links below to continue to learn more and grow your faith. We love you, and want only the best for you. Thanks for watching. Until we can visit again, Goodbye for now.

Does Jesus See You? (Zacchaeus)

Jesus Stories

Jesus Saw Their Faith. How?:

Healing An Officials Son