I. Sightless and Without Support (46-48)
A. A desperate man In need (46) – “…Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside.” Darkened, Dependent, Endangered, & Disconnected
B. A desperate man opens his mouth (47) – “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
C. A desperate man resisted (48a) – “…And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent…”
D. A desperate man determined (48b) – “But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
II. Seen and Summoned (49-51a)
A. The concern of Jesus (49a) – “And Jesus stopped {to stand ready or prepared}…”
Here is Jesus hearing the cry of the one!
B. The call of Jesus (49b) – “Call him. And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; He is calling you.”
Suddenly, the discouragers become encouragers.
When we see people as Jesus does, our interaction with them will change.
C. The confidence in Jesus (50) – “And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.”
1. Bartimaeus turned loose of something – “…throwing off his cloak…”
2. Bartimaeus moved in faith – “…he sprang up…”
3. Bartimaeus answered the call – “…and came to Jesus.”
D. The confrontation by Jesus (51a) – “And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
Willingness & Ability of Christ is linked to the degree of Bartimaeus’ faith.
III. Seeing, Sent and Steadfast (51b-52)
A. Bartimaeus asked (51b) – “And the blind man said unto Him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.”
He simply asked to receive what God had prepared for him – he called it my sight!
B. Bartimaeus received (52a) – “Go your way; your faith has made you well.”
C. Bartimaeus followed (52b) – “And immediately he recovered his sight and followed Him on the way.”
Jesus freed him to go his own way;
Bartimaeus chose to follow Jesus in the way.
For Bartimaaeus, there was no other way to go.