Mark 10:46
A Steadfast Man
Stubbornness is not normally considered a virtue, but it can be when
you are stubborn about the right things. The Bible has a term for
godly stubbornness. It is STEADFAST. What is the difference? We are
stubborn when we think we are right. We are steadfast when we know
the God is right. Tonight, let’s see A Steadfast Man.
Let’s look at the text with three points.
I. A Blind Man
A. As Jesus was leaving Jericho, He meet a man with a great need.
Mark 10:46 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.
B. A goodly amount of information was shared about this man.
1. He was blind.
a. That information is important to the story.
b. It sets up the miracle that will be performed.
2. He was a beggar.
a. That was not necessary for the story, but it was
common for a blind man to be a beggar.
b. In those days, there was very little a blind man could
do, but he still had to eat.
c. There were no social programs.
d. So he asked for money.
3. His name was Bartimaeus, and he was the son of Timaeus.
a. That information was not necessary to the story, and
it is very unusual for the names of the people Jesus
healed to be mentioned.
b. In fact, I don’t remember many names being mentioned.
(1) I recall Mary out of whom seven demons were cast,
Lazarus who was raised from the dead, Barabbas
who lived when Jesus died, but not a whole lot
more.
(2) Sometimes those Jesus helped were mentioned by
their relationship, i.e. Jesus healed Peter’s
mother-in-law.
(3) Sometime they are referred by their location such
as the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter.
(4) But very few are mentioned by name.
c. The fact that Mark mentioned this man by name may be
an indication that his readers knew him—and even his
father.
(1) Some of the people Jesus healed never got saved.
(2) We do not know who did and who did not.
(3) Bartimaeus and his father probably did.
4. I would also say Bartimaeus was a wise man.
a. Bartimaeus had wisdom enough to know who Jesus was.
Mark 10:47 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.
(1) Bartimaeus did not call Jesus by His name.
(2) He called Jesus by His lineage, Son of David.
(a) We know that Jesus is the Son of David
because we know Jesus is the Messiah,
and that the Messiah came through David.
(b) That is exactly how Bartimaeus knew it too.
(c) By calling Jesus the Son of David,
Bartimaeus was telegraphing Jesus that he
knew Jesus was the Messiah.
(d) You and I can verify this by reading the
genealogies from Matthew and Luke.
(e) Bartimaeus could not for two reasons:
i. He was blind.
ii. Those books had not be written yet.
(f) Bartimaeus believed Jesus was the lineage of
David by faith alone, and at a time when
most everyone else would have thought Jesus
was the by-produce of fornication.
(g) This man’s wisdom helped him to know who
Jesus was.
b. Bartimaeus had wisdom to know to ask for mercy.
(1) Notice that Bartimaeus did not start by asking
for his sight.
(2) Why?
(a) Because Bartimaeus not only knew who Jesus
was.
(b) He also knew who he was, an unworthy sinner
standing in the presence of God’s Messiah.
(c) Perhaps he even understood that his
blindness, as well as all of the maladies
and problems of life, are our just dessert
for being the sinners we are.
(3) All of this lead Bartimaeus not to ask for a
healing but for mercy.
(a) Mercy to be heard.
(b) Mercy to just stand in His presence.
(c) And if the Son of God allowed, mercy to be
granted his eyesight!
c. Bartimaeus had wisdom enough to keep asking for mercy.
Mark 10:48 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.
(1) Those around Bartimaeus told him to hush.
(2) They didn’t want him to bother Jesus.
(3) To them, he was just another blind beggar.
(4) But to Bartimaeus, Jesus was his only hope and
Savior.
(a) Bartimaeus would not be quieted.
(b) Bartimaeus would not be stopped.
(5) It is a good thing for Bartimaeus that he was so
wise, because Jesus was not just his only Hope,
Jesus was his last Hope.
(a) We know and understand something that no one
but Jesus knew.
(b) We know Jesus was on His Farewell Tour.
i. The disciples should have known it—
Jesus had just told them again what
was about to happen—but they could
not comprehend it.
Mark 10:32 And they were in the way going up to
Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they
were amazed; and as they followed, they were
afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began
to tell them what things should happen unto him,
33 Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and
the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief
priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall
condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to
the Gentiles:
34 And they shall mock him, and shall scourge
him, and shall spit upon him,
ii. They were almost at Jerusalem now and
even the disciples knew how dangerous
it was for Jesus to go back to
Jerusalem.
iii. \\#Mark 10:1\\ gave us the beginning
of Jesus’ last route into Jerusalem.
aa. He crossed to the "far" side of
the Jordan River (east side).
bb. He continued south on Jordan’s
east side for miles, crossed
back over to west side near
Jericho (perhaps where Israel
first entered the land) and
would continue traveling slightly
south and west so that He could
cross over the Mount of Olives,
down into the Kidron Valley, and
enter Jerusalem through the
astern Gate.
cc. \\#Mark 10:46\\ said Jesus met
Bartimaeus as Jesus was leaving
Jericho.
dd. Jesus will not pass that way
again.
ee. Bartimaeus had vision for the
remainder of his life because he
was wise enough to keep asking
for mercy.
II. The Compassionate Savior
Mark 10:49 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.
50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and
came to Jesus.
51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What
wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind
man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my
sight.
A. Consider Jesus’ load.
1. \\#Mark 10:32\\ Jesus was on His way to the cross.
2. \\#Mark 10:35-40\\ James and John asked to sit, one on the
right and one on the left.
a. \\#Matt 20:20\\ makes it clear that they were not
alone.
(1) Momma was there too!
(2) In fact, Matthew says Momma asked while Mark said
James and John asked.
(3) Do we have a contradiction?
(a) I don’t think so.
(b) I think all three of them asked!
(c) Mark, in his summarizing way, just did not
mention the mother.
b. What was the request for?
(1) The closer to the King one sits, the more power
and authority he welds, so she was asking for
the two most powerful seats in the kingdom.
(2) Mrs. Zebedee did not seem to care which sat where
as long as they got the two best seats!
3. \\#Mark 10:41-45\\ And that caused bickering between the
disciples again about who was going to the be the
greatest.
a. What a load! Going to the cross with a bunch of
bickering disciples.
b. But Jesus did not dismiss the two disciples or Mrs.
Zebedee.
(1) Jesus told them the truth.
Mark 10:38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not
what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink
of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am
baptized with?
(2) And they answered they could, to which Jesus
agreed!
Mark 10:39 …Ye shall indeed drink of the cup
that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am
baptized withal shall ye be baptized:
40 But to sit on my right hand and on my left
hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given
to them for whom it is prepared.
(3) But then Jesus told them that was not His to give
but the Father’s.
c. Why did Jesus show such compassion to these three?
(1) James would be the first of the apostles to die
for Jesus, and John would be the last.
(2) Like bookends, all the others will die in-between
them.
(3) Mother will also bear that suffering as she
suffers as well.
B. In the midst of all of that, Jesus heard the voice of a blind
man, stopped, had the man brought to Him, and heard his cry.
Mark 10:49 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.
1. Oh, what a compassionate Savior.
2. With all that was on Jesus, He stopped and healed
Bartimaeus.
a. I had a thought yesterday.
b. My thought was that everyone has had a tough life.
(1) Some carry tremendous burdens.
(2) Some have carried tremendous burdens for years.
(3) They are all special to God and should be special
to us as well, but I believe the ones who are
the most special to God are the ones who do it
without calling attention to themselves.
(4) Some people have a need to broadcast every hurt,
every pain, every miscarriage of justice, every
thing that did not turn out just the way they
wanted.
(5) Then there are some who carry the weight of the
world on their shoulders but the only One who
ever hears that voice is God.
3. Understand, Christian, Jesus does hear your voice.
4. There is no one that Jesus will not stop to help if they
will call upon Him in faith.
5. Mercy is what this man asked for and mercy was what he
received.
III. The Hindering World
A. I don’t mean to be negative, but have you ever noticed that
most of the time this world seems to be on the wrong side
until it is too late to help?
1. \\#48\\ Everyone wanted the blind man to hush.
2. \\#49\\ AFTER the blind refused to hush, cried out until
he got Jesus attention, and probably heard the crowd
stop, and even heard Jesus call for him, THEN the crowd
turned into his comforting friend…
Mark 10:49 …Be of good comfort, rise; he
calleth thee.
B. I don’t mean to throw stones for I am one of the world’s
worst, but the time that people need us is when they are
blind and trying to get God’s attention, not after they
already got an audience with God without us.
C. Reading that again, I wonder why the world so opposed to
getting people to Christ?
1. Their systems don’t seem to work.
(a) Has the world ever helped an addict to become sober?
(b) Have any of their programs ever helped a rebellious
child become obedient?
(c) Has their correctional facility ever helped a
criminal become a productive citizen?
(d) Have their medications ever helped a depressed
person find joy?
(e) Has their counsel ever taught an irresponsible
parent to be a responsible one?
(f) I’m not trying to down them. I am curious. I hear
of many that go through their system, but I don’t
know of many—maybe any—who have been helped.
(g) But I do know of some who came to Jesus and got help.
2. This man came and stubbornly, steadfastly called for out
for mercy.
3. He got the mercy he wanted—and more.
Could you use some of that mercy tonight?
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