Lesson 185 - Senior
Memory Verse
"And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long" (Psalm 35:28).
Cross References
I The Importunate Plea of Bartimæus for Mercy
1. Bartimæus sits by the highway begging as Jesus passes by [MAK:10:46]; [MAT:20:29-34]; [LUK:18:35-43].
2. Bartimæus cries for mercy, [MAK:10:47]; [LUK:18:13].
3. There is an unsuccessful attempt to silence him, [MAK:10:48]; [EZR:4:4-5]; [NEH:4:7-9]; [ZEC:3:1]; [1CO:16:9].
II The Reward of Faith
1. Jesus, hearing his cry, sends for him, [MAK:10:49].
2. Bartimæus casts away his garment and comes to Jesus, [MAK:10:50]; [HEB:12:1].
3. Through faith his sight is restored and he follows Jesus, [MAK:10:51-52].
Notes
Jesus' ministry was fast drawing to a close. He had called the twelve unto Him and told them that they were going up to Jerusalem and that there He would be condemned and put to death. It was His last journey through Jericho. His fame had gone abroad, and multitudes were following Him. The admiration for Him had grown, and soon the multitudes were to cry, "Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord" (Luke 19:38).
Faith
Beside the highway that led from Jericho to Jerusalem sat two beggars. Perhaps there were more. But these two, of whom [MAT:20:30] tells, had faith. Faith is trust and confidence in God. It is a belief that God means what He says. When the Word of God says, "One man of you shall chase a thousand" (Joshua 23:10), faith causes a man to rise up to meet the thousand. Faith is not only the thing that brings the blessing, but is a part of everything received from God. It is the substance of things hoped for. It was through faith that men of old subdued kingdoms, and women had their dead raised to life again. Faith can be exercised by our putting into practice that which we believe concerning the things of God.
Compassion
Only a few days lay between Christ and Calvary. It was less than twenty miles between Jericho and Jerusalem. But Jesus carried on His mission of mercy; to the very end He had compassion. He restored the ear that was cut off by the sword of Peter in the Garden, and He saved the thief on the cross.
Now, as Christ leaves Jericho, the keen ear of blind Bartimæus, the son of Timæus, discerns the steps of the approaching multitude. With a companion as blind as he, though not so well known, Bartimæus inquires the meaning of the oncoming throng. Hope surges within him as he passes the word to his companion that it is Jesus. Together their cries ring out, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David" (Matthew 20:30). The crowd rebukes them. The sentiments are: Trouble not the Master; He should not be bothered with poor blind beggars. But the Son of David has mercy on them.
Quietness
Has the crowd ever told you: "Be quiet, it is no use"; "You are too young"; "You are throwing your life away"; "It is not necessary to pray so much"; "There is no hurry"; "You are making a fool of yourself"? Never mind the crowd. Go after Him. He is compassionate -" merciful. All Nineveh cried mightily unto God, and He spared their city. Hezekiah wept sore, and God added to his life fifteen years. Though Satan rage and all hell may hinder, we can plough our way through. The multitude will halt, the tumult will cease, and we will hear His voice, "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?"
Darkness
Bartimæus was not easily silenced. No doubt for years he had yearned to see the light of day. The beauties of nature were unknown to him. Not only that, but, his means of livelihood were lost in the darkness. To beg was not his desire. It was hard to be left at the mercy of the almsgiver. Beating his way about with a cane, groping, stumbling, always blackness -" do you wonder that Bartimæus cried out?
When a sinner realises his true condition -" that he is "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Revelation 3:17), he, too, cries out, "Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me." Would God that all sinners realised that they are walking in darkness, stumbling toward eternal damnation! Oh, that they might cry out to the Saviour for mercy!
Weights
"Jesus stood still." The Son of God, the Creator of all things, stopped, at the cry of a beggar. The crowd pushed Bartimæus aside, but Jesus commanded that he be brought unto Him. "He calleth thee." That was enough for this son of Timæus. He cast aside his garment and came to Jesus. Many today are not willing to "lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset" (Hebrews 12:1). Some people are not willing to lay aside their prejudices. Others hold on to their self-righteousness or good works, expecting to merit God's favour. "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). Until a person has been redeemed, his only hope is to come like the blind men seeking the mercy of God.
Confession
When Bartimæus came, Jesus asked, "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" The blind man said unto him, "Lord, that I might receive my sight."Here was a confession of blindness and a desire to get out of it. "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Proverbs 28:13). It would be foolish for a blind man to deny his blindness; but it is equally foolish for a man who has sinned to deny it or try to cover his sin.
Healing
Upon hearing the petition of Bartimæus, Jesus replied, "Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole." Faith brought sight to the blind man. In Mark 11:24 we read that Jesus said: "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Through faith in God, many miracles of healing are wrought today. God wants his people to trust Him for healing. He told Israel, "I am the LORD that healeth thee" (Exodus 15:26). Healing for both soul and body is provided in the atonement of Jesus upon the cross. Isaiah prophesied: "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).
The children of God are not to trust in doctors or medicine for the healing of their bodies but are instructed: "Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up" (James 5:14, 15). The same Jesus whom Bartimæus followed down the Jericho road that day is still healing the sick today. "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever" (Hebrews 13:8).
Questions
1. Find Scripture references where lack of spiritual sight is called blindness.
2. Trace the history of Jericho through the Bible.
3. Make a parallel between Bartimæus seeking sight and a sinner seeking salvation.
4. Name some of the good qualities that Bartimæus possessed.
5. Substantiate the doctrine of Divine Healing by the Scriptures.
6. What verses of Scripture indicate that Christians should trust God for healing instead of depending upon doctors and medicine?
7. Give a definition of faith.
8. Name some of the things that the Bible tells were wrought through faith.