Mark 10:46-52
A little five-year-old girl went to “big church” for the first time with her grandmother. She had been to Sunday School before, but never to a formal worship service. There were a lot of things that seemed strange to her. The music didn’t sound much like the music she was used to singing. And there was a lot of standing up and sitting down. Then the minister said, “Let us pray,” and everyone bowed their heads, with their eyes facing the floor. The little girl was very confused. So she leaned over and asked her grandmother, “What are they looking for?”
That’s actually a very good question! What ARE we looking for when we pray? What are we looking for when we come to church? Why are we here? Some people come to church out of habit – we go to church because we always go to church because we’ve always gone to church. Some of us come out of curiosity – let’s check out that new woman preacher that just arrived. Others come to church to see and be seen – who else will be there? And there are some of us who come because we’re looking for something – we want, we need, something from Jesus. We need Jesus to do something for us. We have a deep need that we know only Jesus can meet. And so we come. What do you want Jesus to do for you? Do you know?
Bartimaeus knew. Bartimaeus knew exactly what he wanted Jesus to do for him. Bartimaeus was a blind man, a beggar, who lived in the town of Jericho, about fifteen miles from Jerusalem. It was nearing the time of the celebration of Passover, and Jewish law required every male over the age of twelve who lived within fifteen miles of Jerusalem to come to the city to attend the Passover celebration. The main road to Jerusalem ran right through Jericho, and so there were many travelers passing through on their way to the city. And those who were not going to the city lined the streets to cheer the pilgrims on their way.
The city streets were also filled with priests and Levites, who were assistants to the priests. There were somewhere around 40,000 priests and Levites in the time of Jesus, all of whom served in the Temple. Obviously they could not all serve at once, and so they were divided into 26 groups who served on a rotating basis. Many of the priests and Levites lived in Jericho when they were not on duty in Jerusalem. The only time they all traveled to Jerusalem at the same time was for the celebration of the major feasts, such as Passover, and so they were beginning their journey to the city, contributing to the crowds in the streets of Jericho.
Bartimaeus had taken up a position near the northern gate of Jericho, which all the travelers would pass through. It was a good location for a blind beggar, and many people were probably in a generous mood due to the holiday spirit. It is no coincidence that the Salvation Army sets up their kettles and bell-ringers during the Christmas season! Bartimaeus was counting on people’s generosity, because he was totally dependent on others for both charity and protection.
Bartimaeus heard a particularly noisy group of pilgrims approaching the gate, and he found out that they were surrounding Jesus, the rabbi from Nazareth. So Bartimaeus began to shout in order to get Jesus’ attention: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Instead of trying to help Bartimaeus get to where Jesus was standing or asking Jesus to go over and help Bartimaeus, the crowds around him told him to be quiet because he was causing a scene. But Bartimaeus did not stop; instead, he yelled out even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus heard him shouting, and he called Bartimaeus to come to him. Well, Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak, jumped to his feet, and went over to Jesus. Jesus then asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” That might seem like an odd question to ask a blind man. It surely must have been obvious what Bartimaeus needed from Jesus. But maybe not. Bartimaeus might have asked for money. Or he might have asked for a place to stay. It wasn’t a given that he would ask for healing. Jesus wanted Bartimaeus to really think about what he wanted.
Bartimaeus knew what he wanted. He wanted to see. He wanted to be cured of his blindness. He wanted to be able to live a normal life, to be able to learn a trade and earn a living for himself, maybe get married and have a family. He wanted to fully participate in the religious life of his community, attend synagogue and be able to take his turn reading from the scrolls. Bartimaeus wanted to see. And he believed Jesus could give him his sight. Jesus said to him, “Your faith has healed you.” And immediately, Bartimaeus could see. And he began to follow Jesus on the way, he became a disciple of Jesus. He left his cloak behind, which may have been his only possession, and he set out on the road to Jerusalem with Jesus.
It seems to me that this story has at least three lessons for us. First, I believe this story teaches that we have to know what it is that we need from Jesus. Just before this story of the healing of Bartimaeus, there is the story about a request made of Jesus by James and John. They came to Jesus and he asked them the same question he asked Bartimaeus: “What do you want me to do for you?” They answered, “Let one of us sit at your right hand and the other at your left when you come into your glory.” Jesus did not grant their request, but answered, “You don’t know what you are asking.” They did not really understand yet what Jesus was all about. Even though they had been with him for a long time, observing what he did and said, they did not really get the point of it all. They expected the kingdom of God to be an earthly kingdom, and they wanted to share in the power and the glory of that kingdom. But the kingdom of God was not about earthly power and glory. In fact, when they got to Jerusalem, Jesus was going to be arrested and put on trial and then executed on a Roman cross. They were blind to the truth of who Jesus was and they were totally unprepared for what was about to happen. Bartimaeus at least understood that Jesus was the Messiah, because when he called him “Son of David,” he was using a messianic title. And he knew that the Messiah was able to heal people of their disease, and so he knew that what he wanted from Jesus was his sight.
Do you know what you want Jesus to do for you? Do you know what you need? Not what you want, not what your ambition is, not what your desire might be, but what you really need? We need to be clear about what we want Jesus to do for us.
Second, this story teaches us to ask for what we need. Bartimaeus certainly asked – at the top of his lungs! And when Jesus spoke to him, he was quick to state that what he wanted was to see. He was honest. He was direct. He was specific. “I want to see.”
This, I think, speaks to our prayer life in a couple of ways. It tells us that when we pray, we need to be honest and specific. C. S. Lewis wrote, “We must lay before [God] what is in us, not what ought to be in us.” If we are sad, then we should say so, not try to pretend that all is well. If we feel afraid, we should admit it. No matter what is going on with us, we should be able to tell God. He already knows anyway. And our prayers don’t need to be filled with flowery language or prayed with perfect grammar in King James English. We just need to say what is in our hearts. Theologian Walter Rauschenbusch had this to say about prayer:
Be simple and direct in your prayer. Be honest. Do not express any want you do not feel. Do not keep anything back. Remember that it is He that searcheth the heart to whom you are speaking. Pray earnestly. The words do not need to be loud, but the desire should be intense. Pray always with special reference to the needs of the day and the hour - … the temptations to be resisted, the work to be done, the sorrow to be borne; put your life into your prayer; and let it be the most real and the most immediate business of your life.
When we are honest and specific, sometimes it will amaze us how God chooses to answer our prayers. The story goes that not long after the Dallas Theological Seminary was founded in 1924, it came to the point of going bankrupt. All of the creditors had agreed to foreclose at noon on a certain day. On that morning, a group of men got together in the seminary president’s office to pray that somehow God would meet their need. One man, Harry Ironside, prayed, “Lord, we know that the cattle on a thousand hills are thine. Please sell some of them and send us the money.” While they were still praying, a man came into the seminary business office. He told the secretary, “I just sold two carloads of cattle. I was working on a business deal, but it fell through. I feel compelled to give this money to the seminary. I don’t know if you need it or not, but here’s the check.” The secretary took the check straight to the president. It was for the exact amount of their debt. He turned to Dr. Ironside and said, “Harry, God sold the cattle!”
We also need to be persistent in our prayer. Bartimaeus did not ask for help just once. He kept on asking until he got some result. He shouted until he knew that he had been heard. We can’t give up when we don’t think our prayers are doing any good. We need to persist until we believe we have been answered. Sometimes our prayers are answered in the way we expect; just like Bartimaeus, Jesus gives us what we ask for. Sometimes our prayers are answered in ways that we don’t expect. Jesus might say, “No” or “Not yet.” But we will be given an answer. So don’t give up too soon when you pray. Have a little faith. And keep on praying.
So, then, this story teaches us that we must know what we need from Jesus. It teaches us to ask for what we need. And third, it teaches us to respond in faith when Jesus meets our need. As soon as Jesus healed him, Bartimaeus followed him. He became a disciple. He did not just go on his way, but he chose to go the way of Christ. When we have truly experienced Jesus, when we develop a personal relationship with Jesus, we want to be with him, and we will follow him anywhere.
I want you to imagine that Jesus walked into our church this morning. I want you to see him coming down the aisle and stopping at your pew. He turns and looks at you. And he asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” What do you say? How do you answer? Do you know what you need from Jesus? Just ask him for it. Be honest. Be specific. Be persistent. Trust that you will be given an answer. And be ready to follow in faith when you receive from Jesus what you most need.
