Mark 10:46-52, John 9

Matt Summerfield

In Mark 10:46-52 we're told the well-known story of Bartimaeus; a blind beggar who earned what little money he could by calling out for mercy to travellers between Jerusalem and Jericho. Most travellers would have ignored his cries for help though as to be blind and poor was considered by many to be a sign of God's judgment upon you. A myth that Jesus himself was very keen to quosh in John 9, although it remained the prevailing view at that time.

As if this wasn't enough, in a cruel and ironic twist, Bartimaeus very name would have caused him further humiliation. We're told that Bartimaeus means 'Son of Timaeus' and 'Timaeus' means 'Highly Prized'. Bartimaeus means 'Son of the Highly Prized' and yet nothing could be further from the truth. He had been rejected by his family, his friends and now society. He was scum! The best he could hope for was the kindness of travellers throwing him odd coins - the worst would no doubt be verbal or physical abuse, and the constant fear of death.

But Bartimaeus needs go way beyond just a physical problem.

• He has a need for right thinking - he needs to understand that he is not scum, but is made in the image of a creator God who loves and accepts him, and longs for a better life for him.
• He has a need for right relationships - he needs to be accepted and re-integrated back into community, to make his contribution, to make a difference. He needs to be able to forgive those who have treated him badly.
• He has a need for right emotions - Psychologists and philosophers have identified what they believe to be the nine most fundamental negative emotions. These are sorrow, fear, anger, jealousy, shame, disgust, pain, confusion and emptiness. Bartimaeus would've struggled with all of these.
• He has a need for right choices - he needs to decide whether he will choose to follow God's way or his own.

Bartimaeus is a man with many, many needs - and deep down he knows it. Which is why when he hears that Jesus is passing by he's not afraid to shout out for help, he's not afraid to embarrass himself, he's not afraid to ignore the intimidation of others who are telling him to be quiet.

Jesus always responds to people who are real - who put their faith in Him - even when perhaps they don't have all the answers - even when they don't know everything there is to know about Him. And the good news that Jesus brings is good news for all of his needs - his thinking, his relationships, his emotions, his choices, his physical body and his spiritual life.

The story of our lives, revealed in God's word tells us that since the fall in Eden our lives have been broken like Bartimaeus:

• Our thinking is so often broken - we think the created knows better than the creator, we make up our own rules and suffer the consequences.
• Our relationships are so often broken - our families break-up, we don't know our neighbours any more, we find it so hard to forgive.
• Our emotions are so often broken - many of us live with feelings of sorrow, fear, anger, jealousy, shame, disgust, pain, confusion and emptiness.
• Our choices are so often broken - we've bought into the lie that 'stuff' satisfies, he who dies with the most toys wins, we've followed the wide road, and we live with the consequences.
• Our physical bodies are so often broken - sometimes with sickness that seems so unfair, and sometimes because we abuse our bodies.

And the message of the Gospel is that Jesus comes to bring healing and wholeness to us now, and for all eternity. Heal our thinking, our relationships, our emotions, our choices and if not now, in eternity to heal our bodies.

2000 years ago, Jesus was about to walk by a blind man who knew he had a need. His need was met because he threw himself on the mercy of Jesus. He got real. And as a result he ended up living up to his name - he was indeed a Bartimaeus (meaning 'Son of the Highly Prized').

2000 years later, Jesus is still looking to meet the needs of people. By His Spirit He walks with us today. Will we admit our need for Him? Will we trust Him with our life? Will we let Him walk by or will we cry out to Him in reality knowing that He always responds to those who call out?