WHEN BLIND EYES WERE OPENED
Mark
10:46-52
D.L. Moody, the famed evangelist, told
this story at one of his meetings: One evening just before Christmas, a man was
walking through the streets of an Eastern city. The store windows were all
beautifully decorated, and he observed three little girls intensely interested
in one of them. He discovered that the girl in the center was blind, and the
others were trying to describe the beautiful things in the window. “Why,” they
said, “can’t you see that Teddy bear and that doll? Just look at that pretty
pink bow!”
But
the poor little girl stood with a blank expression on her face and could not
appreciate the beautiful things before her. “Now,” said Moody, “this is an
illustration of the effort we Christians are making to arouse the unconverted
to an interest and delight in spiritual things. The reason we can’t do so is
because the sinner is spiritually blind.” Moody had scarcely concluded when a
reporter was on the platform asking him where he had heard that story. “Oh,”
said Moody, “I read it in one of those daily papers. I have forgotten which
one.” Then the reporter said, “I’m the one who wrote the story because I was
there and saw the whole thing. I see now that I’m just like that little girl,
spiritually blind.” That man was converted then and there.
Hellen
Keller an author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first
deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree once said, “The only thing
worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” Wouldn’t that be
wonderful if God were to open the eyes of the spiritually blind so that they might
see the Light of the world? I invite you to come along with me on Jesus ‘Journey to Jerusalem where we will be
exploring what Christ has done on his way to Jerusalem I title this message, “WHEN
BLIND EYES WERE OPENED.” Mark 10:46-52. Let me set the background to Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. In Vs1 we
read, “And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan
and crowds gathered to him again.”
What
do we know about the region of Judea? This region was known as Perea just east of
the Jordan river. It was not technically part of Judea, but the territory by
Herod the great. Christ’s ministry in Perea lasted only a few months. It was
from here that he would make his final journey to Jerusalem just prior to the
Passion Week. From Perea, via Jericho, they (Jesus, his twelve disciples and
other pilgrims) were on the road going up to Jerusalem.
Jesus
was walking ahead of the crowd. The mood among the travelers was one of
amazement and fear, because Jesus predicted what was going to happen to him
when they would reach Jerusalem. Let’s pick our story from here, Vs 33, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son
of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will
condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will
mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days
he will rise again.”
In NASB it
reads, “Behold we are going up to Jerusalem.” What is the significance of the
word, “Behold”? The Greek word used here has a deeper meaning than just to
simply see. It means, "to know, observe. It literally means, "Be sure
to see "Don't miss this! It is an observable, objective fact!" Why
did Jesus bring this subject again, for a third time? Was it because according
to Hellen Keller, they were only having sight but no vision?
When Jesus
said about the manner in which he was going to be tortured, killed and rise again
on the third day he was not thinking aloud, but was seeing the near fulfilment
of a prophecy spoken by the prophet Isaiah (Ch. 50), around 700BC. Throughout
his life Jesus knew that his mission on the earth was not just to do miracles
but offer his life as ransom for many.
On his final
Journey to Jerusalem Jesus saw what was coming at him but his own disciples and
the fellow pilgrims did not perceive it. We will talk more about it in the
coming days, but for now let’s behold a miracle that Jesus performs outside of
Jericho as he heads towards Jerusalem.
I JESUS GIVES SIGHT TO
THE PHYSICALLY BLIND: (46-52)
Vs 46, “Then
they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd,
were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus, was sitting by the roadside
begging.” Why was he begging? In ancient
times, congenital blindness sentenced a person to begging as the only means of
support. They often found prominent places like the temple or on the main road
leading up to the temple. The Bible talks quite a bit about blindness and how
God uses it at times to teach us valuable lessons of trust and obedience. Coming
back to our story.
When
Bartimaeus heard that it was “Jesus of Nazareth,” he couldn’t keep quiet, as if
he had realized that this might be his only and perhaps the last chance, he
began to cry out loud, saying, “Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me! What can
we learn from the way the crowds addressed Jesus and the way Bartimaeus
addressed Jesus? Although Bethlehem was his birth place, Nazareth was where he had
lived, therefore the crowds could see Jesus as one among them, a man from
Nazareth whose father was Joseph a carpenter.
On the other
hand, the blind Bartimaeus saw in Jesus something what
others who had eyes to see but had failed to see. He cried out, “Son of David
have mercy on me.” The crowds rebuked him, but he couldn’t care less, he cried
out all the more, “Son of David have mercy on me.” Primarily, the title “Son of David” is more than a statement
of physical genealogy. It is a Messianic title. Jesus was addressed as “Lord,
the son of David” several times by people who, by faith, were seeking mercy or
healing. For them Jesus was powerful like king David was.
Ironically, though the Pharisees
understood exactly what the people meant when they called Jesus “Son of David.”
But, they were so blinded by their own pride they couldn’t see what Bartimaeus
saw, that he was the Messiah indeed, whose appearance they had been waiting for.
The loud cries of Bartimaeus have applied
breaks to Jesus’ ongoing Journey. So, Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” They
come to him and said, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s
calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet
and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to
see.” “Go,” said
Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus
along the road.” Here are a few principles that would help us in receiving a
miracle from Jesus.
First, in your desperation don’t be ashamed
to cry out loud to God, because “crying’ is a sure way to get his attention. Secondly,
don’t lose faith, and don’t let anyone stop you from crying out to God for his
intervention. Third, Jesus invites you into his presence and asks you what you
would want him to do for you and waits before he acts. By faith when you ask
Jesus what you want him to do for you and obey his instructions you will
receive a miracle.
Finally, when you receive your miracle,
don’t go on your way as nothing has happened, instead like how Bartimaeus how
immediately followed Jesus, you too follow him. This story explains how Jesus restored
sight to a man who was physically blind, but that was not the main purpose why
Jesus came into this world. He came to open the eyes of those who were
spiritually blind, to unveil the message of the Kingdom of God to those who
were blinded by Satan.
Just like the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and law teachers of Jesus’ time, today many are spiritually blind.
How can we know whether we are spiritually blind or not, if so what is the cure
for our spiritual blindness? What would a life that has been cured of spiritual
blindness look like?
II JESUS GIVES SIGHT TO THE SPIRITUALLY BLIND
In the
New Testament Jesus often made comparisons between those who are physically
blind and those who were spiritually blind. The Pharisees gave preference to external
purity and religiosity but failed to see God’s plan for the poor, the
foreigner, the orphan and the widow.
Hence,
Jesus called them “blind guides.” The Pharisees saw all the miracles like the
healing of the blind, the lame etc., yet they failed to recognize that Jesus
was indeed the coming Messiah. Isaiah 42:1-9, Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will
bring forth justice to the nations…to open the eyes that are blind, to bring
out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.”
Remember in the beginning we talked about, what the word, “Behold” meant? Let’s
not come too hard on the Pharisees, we too at times can be spiritually blind. Spiritual
blindness is the failure to realize that God is performing miracles for you
every single moment.
Here is a simple check list that might be helpful to diagnose
our spiritual blindness. We are spiritually blind, when we fail to see God’s
finger prints in small, and big, literally in all aspects of our lives. Are you
a skeptic, denying the very existence of God while admiring the wonders of the
nature? The scriptures tell us that the heavens declare the glory of God.
Do you attribute your success and achievements to your
intelligence and sheer brilliance without giving glory to God? Do you move in fear, anxiety and unbelief? Are
you having the vision of God and see all people as valuable, made in the image
of God and give them due respect? How answer
these questions determines the extent of our spiritual blindness. What causes
this spiritual blindness and is there any cure for it? Mostly, it is caused by
our refusal to believe that God is all what he says he is, in his Son Jesus
Christ and in His word.
But there is another insidious force at work in the lives
of millions of unbelievers in this world so that they might not come to know
the truth of the gospel. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 “And even if our gospel is veiled,
it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world
has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of
the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
Satan has been a liar from the beginning, he has been
deceiving so many people. Many, though they think they are seeing yet are
spiritually blind because they are living believing the lies of the enemy. But the
good news is, Jesus the light of the world came into this world to give sight
to the blind and to set the prisoners free. He came to destroy the works of the
devil. The same Jesus who healed the blind Bartimaeus, is here today moving
towards you by His Holy Spirit, with healing in his hands, to heal you of your
spiritual blindness and set you free.
When we are healed of our spiritual blindness, then we
will be quick to give glory to God for all that he has done, is doing and will
continue to do in and through our lives. When we are healed of our spiritual
blindness we will have the vision of the Lord, we will be concerned with the things
that he is concerned of, then we will begin to love all people as he has loved
us.
My prayer for all of us during this lent season is that,
“Come Lord Jesus, open the eyes of our hearts so that we might see you high and
lifted up, in your glory. Then may we all sing, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the
sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now am found T'was blind
but now I see. Amen
