MARK 10:46

The last part of Mark chapter ten tells us about the blind man Bartimaeus and when he met Jesus. This incident has a great correlation to the salvation of the soul. Hopefully, you will see some spiritual similarities between yourself and Bartimaeus. The Bible says in Mark 10:46-52, “And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise: he calleth thee. And he casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What will you that I should do unto you? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go your way: your faith has made you whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.”

We see that Bartimaeus was blind and sitting by the highway side begging. In other words, he was in a very difficult situation, and there was absolutely no hope that by his own means he could be helped. Spiritually speaking, until a person comes to believe in Christ, such a person is in the same condition as Bartimaeus: spiritually blind and living in spiritual darkness and poverty. Such is the natural condition of the human race. What made the difference in the life of Bartimaeus was meeting Jesus.

Notice how that meeting took place. In reality it was initiated by Jesus. Jesus passed by the way where Bartimaeus was sitting. That was not an accident or a coincidence. God does this same thing at some time in the life and heart of every person on the earth. That’s the significance of what it says about Jesus in John 1:9 when it says, “That was the true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” If you have been saved, it’s because Jesus passed by your way in order to give you a chance to be saved.

When Jesus does pass your way, make sure that you respond the way that blind Bartimaeus responded to Jesus. Evidently, Bartimaeus had heard about Jesus and the miracles that Jesus had done, and Bartimaeus knew that now was his chance, his time, his opportunity to get help from the Master. Opportunity knocks once, as the old saying goes. Don’t let an opportunity to meet Jesus pass you by, because you do not know when you will get such an opportunity again. When your heart is touched, bow down to Jesus and pray to Him. Bartimaeus did not lose his opportunity. The Bible says in Mark 10:47, “He began to cry out and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.”

It may very well be that if you intend to give your heart to Jesus, there will be opposition of some kind from those around you. It will never be a popular thing to give one’s heart to Jesus. Mark 10:48 says, “And many charged him that he should hold his peace.” Do you want to please God or please man? If you understand the seriousness of your spiritual condition and if you want help from Jesus badly enough, you will ignore the opposition and come to Jesus anyway. That’s what Bartimaeus did. When people told him not to call out to Jesus, the Bible says in Mark 10:48, “But he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.”

When Bartimaeus called out to Jesus, he asked for the same thing that you and I need to ask Jesus for. Bartimaeus asked for mercy. We all need mercy because we are all sinners. Bartimaeus certainly went to the right place to ask for mercy. Divine mercy is centered in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of course, Jesus will give mercy to those who seek it from Him.

Bartimaeus called out to Jesus in desperation and in anxiety about his condition. After calling out to Jesus, notice what was said to Bartimaeus in Mark 10:49, “Be of good comfort.” If you want to find the comfort and the peace that you really need, then you must take your desires and your burdens to the Lord. If you try to face life in your own strength, you will not be comforted with the comfort that only the Prince of Peace can give.

Jesus came into the world to serve. He was now only a short time from His death on the cross, and yet He did not think of Himself. He thought of others. He said to Bartimaeus in Mark 10:51 in effect, “What do you want me to do for you?” Remember that Jesus said the same thing to James and John in Mark 10:30. We all know what Bartimaeus was going to ask. He said in Mark 10:51, “Lord, that I might receive my sight.” If only more people understood their own spiritual darkness, and if only they would go to Jesus to receive spiritual sight. Jesus is the Light of the world.

Bartimaeus was healed of his blindness, and Jesus made it very clear how Bartimaeus had been healed. Of course, we know that Jesus healed him; but what did Bartimaeus do that opened the channel between himself and the great power of Jesus? The answer to that question was made very clear by Jesus Himself. He said in Mark 10:52, “Go thy way; thy faith has made thee whole.” Bartimaeus did not heal himself. Bartimaeus was not healed because he was a good person. Bartimaeus was not healed because he earned or deserved to be healed. Bartimaeus was healed of his blindness through faith in Christ. Bartimaeus put his faith and his trust and his hope in Jesus, and because of that faith Jesus responded to him. “By grace are you saved through faith.”

Bartimaeus heard about the power of Jesus to save. Bartimaeus ignored the people who did not want him to call out, and Bartimaeus called out to Jesus and asked Jesus for mercy: in effect putting his faith and trust in Jesus. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” If you want to be saved from your sins, you can do the same thing that Bartimaeus did today. You can pray to Jesus and ask Him for mercy. Jesus will not turn you away. Jesus will do the same thing for you that he did for blind Bartimaeus. Jesus will save you and take away your spiritual blindness.

In the first part of Mark chapter eleven we are just a few days before the crucifixion. We can see the importance that God puts on the last few days of the life of Jesus because of the sixteen chapters in the Gospel of Mark, the last six of them are dedicated to these last few days. The crucifixion of Christ was of utmost importance to the human race. Without the crucifixion, we are all lost in our sins forever. But before the crucifixion there was an incident in these last few days of Jesus’ life that was very much different than the crucifixion: the triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Of course, one of the questions to ask is: how could these people who welcomed Jesus with open arms on this day just a few days later cry out with merciless cruelty, “Crucify Him, crucify Him?” Let those who seek fame in this world, beware. Let those who hope for stability and wisdom in their land know that it will not be possible unless a large number of the citizens turn from their sins and turn to God. Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem the way that He should have been welcomed there. Too bad for Jerusalem that the welcome was so short-lived. You may not be able to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem, but you can welcome Him into your heart and life.

The Bible says in Mark 11:1-3, “And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sent forth two of his disciples, And said unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as you be entered into it, you shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him, And if any man say unto you, Why are you doing this? Say you that the Lord has need of him; and straightway he will send him here.” It was important that Jesus ride into Jerusalem on a donkey. There was a reason for it. In the Old Testament one of the great prophesies concerning the Messiah is found in Zechariah 9:9 that says, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, o daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy king cometh unto thee: he is just and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.”

Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies of the Messiah. Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and He was received there just as He should have been: as the King who had finally come to take the throne of David. But those who received Jesus that day were too fickle and lacked determination and were easily swayed in another direction. There are people today just like that, people who claim to have one day accepted Jesus as their King, but who have since been easily led in another direction. Jesus was king in their lives for only a short time.

Continuing what it says about the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, the Bible says in Mark 10:4-11, “And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What are you doing, loosing the colt? And they said unto them even as Jesus commanded; and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed be the kingdom of our father, David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.”

How sad that Jerusalem had only one day when everything was as it should have been. Jesus was welcomed like the Messiah should have been welcomed, but only for that one day. During that day it says in this passage that Jesus went into the temple and looked around on all things. I wonder what He was thinking about when He looked at all the things in the temple. Perhaps He was thinking of what might have been if only the chosen people had drawn close to God and not allowed their hearts to stray from His way. Perhaps Jesus was thinking of the destruction of the temple that would come in a few years and of all the centuries that would pass without another being built. Maybe Jesus looked at the place of sacrifice, knowing that He had been sent to be the Lamb of God and that His great sacrifice for the world would soon take place.

But before His departure from the world there was still time for a few days of teaching and working the will of the Father. The Bible says in Mark 11:12-14, “And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry; And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever. And his disciples hear it.”

The method of God in the world is to pick people to do His work. It is a great honor to be the object of such choosing, but the purpose of being chosen is to bear fruit to the glory of God. This fruit is spiritual fruit. This fruit centers around the idea of becoming what God wants you to become. To bear fruit was the will of God for the nation of Israel when they were to bear fruit in their relationship with the one true God. God will do His work in the world. If one person will not do it, then He will find someone else. Opportunity does not last forever. The nation of Israel came to the low point of no longer bearing fruit, and so God took away their chance and gave it to another: the church, which is made up of Jew and Gentile.

Do not boast that you have been grafted in to replace the nation of Israel. If you do not bear fruit, you also will be replaced. To him that bears fruit God will come and work in that life so that it will bear more fruit. But the one who wanders away spiritually speaking may find that the Lord will say to him just like He said to the fig tree that there will be no “fruit of thee hereafter forever.” Don’t be without fruit and don’t be without Jesus. If you do not know Him, you can call out to Him for salvation today.

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