What Do You Want,
Part 5 Sunday,
February 16, 2013
“Desperate for God”
51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to
do for you?”
Mark 10:51 (ESV)
Three Words for the New Year
1.
RELATIONSHIP
2.
RESOURCES
3.
RESTORATION
46 And they came to
Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd,
Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 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!” 48 And
many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son
of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And
Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up;
he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off
his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And
Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.”
52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.”
And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. Mark 10:46-52 (ESV)
“he
cried out all the more” – DETERMINATION –
48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be
silent. But he cried out all the more,
Mark 10:48 (ESV)
1. he was DETERMINED
to get answers
he
“threw off his cloak” – TRANSFORMATION
(He changed “clothes”) –
49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying
to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing
off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.
Mark 10:49-50 (ESV)
Consider
for a moment the condition of this man Bartimaeus. He virtually had no name.
Why
was he blind?
We
don’t know.
But
we do know that blindness was not uncommon in the days of Jesus.
There
was a particularly harsh kind of blindness. Othelmianianatorum Neonatal conjunctivitis
It
was the result of venereal disease.
Gonorrhea was rampant in those days and if the mother had the disease it
could actually infect her child and he would be born blind. It was called venereal disease of the
eyes.
As
a result, the child was ostracized and considered to be unclean from
birth. This was a common occurrence and
question. John 9
His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who
sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” John 9:1 (N IV)
Threw
off his beggar’s coat.
It
was pretty ragged.
It
was actually a sign and symbol of who he was.
But
it was even more.
In
all likelihood, it was all he had.
It
was his only possession.
With
abandon, he threw everything at the feet of Jesus.
Reckless
abandon.
Full
faith.
2. he CHANGED the
way he saw himself
Not
a play on words.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great
cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that
so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for
us, 2 fixing our eyes on
Jesus …
Hebrews 12:1-2a (NIV)
Remember,
this was BEFORE Jesus healed him.
he
knew what he wanted –
And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi,
let me recover my sight.”
Mark 10:51 (ESV)
Jesus
asks him.
This
is more than a taunt by Jesus. Yes, He
desired to know what Bartimaeus really wanted.
But let’s go further. The God of
the universe got down on one knee, looked this poor man in the eye and said,
“What can I do to serve you.” This is
the servant nature of Jesus.
He,
who created the universe becomes the servant to the beggar.
Amazing.
And
He speaks to the deepest need of our heart.
What do you want?
3. he was CLEAR
in his request
he
was learning about Jesus –
47 … he began to cry out and say, “Jesus,
Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 … But he cried out all the more, “Son of David,
have mercy on me!” Mark 10:47-48
(ESV)
4. he was GROWING
in His knowledge of Jesus
he
“followed Jesus on the road” – DISCIPLESHIP –
And immediately he recovered his
sight and followed him on the way. Mark 10:52 (ESV)
5. he took a new DIRECTION
for his life.
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