Mark 10:46-52 (Sermon for the week of October 29th)

Gospel
Mk 10:46-52
As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he kept calling out all the more,"Son of David, have pity on me." Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you. "He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see." Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

SERMON:
Another event of miraculous healing that Our Lord who is the Messiah could only do...heal a known blind man! That is what a Messiah can do! Not a fake...not a liar...not a man...and not a teacher! The Messiah, Jesus Christ, healed this man...with scores of people witnessing it.
How many more thousands need to watch the event in order for the non-seers to look?
2,000 years ago Our Lord walked this Earth and by HIS power and Grace alone, we are able to read and learn about it today. THAT WILL ALWAYS BE AS LONG AS TRUE BELIEVERS WHO ARE THE FAITHERS IN JESUS CHRIST WALK THIS EARTH.

Don't forget who your Lord is. Through centuries of oppression, persecution, murder, corruptness, and influence of demons on mankind, the Word of God has existed and will always EXIST on this planet as long as those of us who are called to Him as "faithers" are walking this Earth. GO FOR YOURS AND WE'LL GO TO OURS...our Lord is a mighty Lord! Be secure knowing this.

So, Bartimaeus is a known begging blind man. Jesus was leaving Jericho, a major town and Bartimaeus was begging. Begging ,because a blind man has nothing else to do but beg in these times of the world. What could a blind man do in a world of manual labor? There weren't machines or computers or "knowledge workers". You worked in manual labor and a blind man just couldn't support himself...so he is forced to rely off of the mercy of other people. Sounds like the true spiritual condition of mankind doesn't it?

We are blind and may not face the reality of this...and all we do is BEG in this world to get by...and what we are really doing is panhandling from the Creator who has mercy on us. We get by...barely.

Then the blind man calls out. Calls out from deep within himself. He cries out in such a heartfelt manner that it makes the people in the crowd uncomfortable and they begin to try to SILENCE him. The man is crying out with all his soul and heart to the Messiah for help.

AND THE MESSIAH HEARS HIM OVER THE VOICES AND NOISE OF SCORES OF PEOPLE>>>HE ALWAYS HEARS!

Again, isn't that the same state that believers in Christ reach one day? I know that is my experience, how about yours? We yearned for Him to listen and BEHOLD He heard. It is an experience that builds our faith, and it is one to remind ourselves about! We have proof of our own that He hears...if this isn't your experience...then we may have to look at the definition of yearning...or repentence. Repentence with our hearts.
This is what the blind man does next...he repents!

"Son of David...have mercy on me!!" That is repentence when you are fortunate enough to be in front of the Lord! Notice that the blind begger call Jesus the Son of David! How would this man know that this is Jesus, that Jesus is the Messiah, and that the Messiah would come through the bloodlines of David? HE IS BLIND! Yet, this blind man had no problem shouting the truth that he faithed in. That is the story of our faith also...isn't it? We faith in some things that we may not understand but yearn to learn...and the Lord teaches us! We grow in faith even in times when we are weak doubters and He holds us up.

This blind man is told to approach Jesus because Jesus tells the others that he has been heard and the Lord said: "CALL HIM". The man is called. No one else in the crowd is...but this yearning man allowed him to BE CALLED.

Upon being called...the blind man throws his CLOAK ASIDE. HIS CLOAK! To a blind begger, the cloak or long coat of the begger was the only way he could make a living and survive! Beggers for centuries upon centuries would throw a blanket or long coat beside them in order to catch and claim the few coins that were abruptly and rudely thrown at them once in a while. This blind begger TOSSES the only tool of his survival in this world ASIDE! Why?

For eternal life...a new life calls...one provided by ONLY one...JESUS CHRIST!

We must toss aside our Worldly and Earthly ambitions and desires and run to the one who gives us new life and RENEWS us...and that is Jesus.
Jesus asks the blind man what he wants. The blind man replies that he wishes to see. And it is granted to him by ONE THING....HIS FAITH!!!Not the blind man's works...not the blind man's suffering...but by the blind mans FAITH. FAITH ALONE granted his sight back.

The same is true for us. If we yearn to see...if we yearn to REALLY SEE and have our eyes and spirits opened...then we must ask Jesus.

What do you want?
Do you want to go from blind to being able to see? Do you want eternal life? If we have yearned and called for Him, repented and in His Grace, then we ask HIM for what really counts in this life...to be able to see the Truth...the Truth that is given to us is a result of our Faith.

WE are the ones in the large crowds calling out His name the loudest we can while those around us try to silence us. We are heard...we are saved...and we can't wait to follow Jesus "on the way" to heaven.

God Bless you and your families this week.

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