JESUS PREDICTS HIS DEATH A THIRD TIME – JESUS HEALS A BLIND BEGGAR – LUKE 18:31-43 Our Heavenly Father, Creator of all things and Master Teacher, we humbly come into Your presence to seek Your Holy Spirit to open our eyes to these Holy Scriptures. We earnestly pray for enlightenment as we study together, and we ask You, Father, to open our eyes to see the truths contained in these words. Open our minds to comprehend that which we are reading, and open our hearts to receive the message that You have for us. Finally, dear Father, we ask for the strength and courage to live our lives in a manner of the called, constantly giving You the glory, honor, and praise that You deserve. We claim these things in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Luke 18:31–34 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. Drawing closer to the city of Jerusalem, Jesus speaks straightforwardly to His twelve disciples. As Christopher Columbus sailed west, he actually kept two logbooks. One contained false information that showed them closer to land than they actually were. This was the book made available to the crew in hopes that they wouldn’t lose hope in ever seeing land again. The other book, showing their true location, was the one Columbus used. Columbus evidently decided the morale of the crew was more important than the integrity of the captain. Not so Jesus. He says to His disciples, “When we get to Jerusalem, people will reject Me and crucify Me.” But He gave hope to them as well when He said He would rise again. Luke 18:35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging. In contrast to the rich young ruler who left the Lord in sadness, we’re introduced to a blind man who will follow the Lord in gladness. Notice three characteristics of this man—whom Mark identifies as Bartimaeus—that are applicable to you and me.… Luke 18:36–38 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. Bartimaeus was a man of humility. If you were in Bartimaeus’ sandals and knew Jesus was passing by, would you say, “Have mercy on me,”—or would you say, “How come of all the people in Jericho, I was the one afflicted with blindness? I deserve better than this.” Isn’t the latter all too often our tendency? It is only because of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed (Lamentations 3:22). Therefore, may God give us the wisdom of Bartimaeus to approach Him with humility. Luke 18:39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. Bartimaeus was a man of tenacity. “Pipe down,” the multitude told him. But he yelled all the louder. A living example of the parable of the woman and the unjust judge, Bartimaeus simply kept coming all the more. In prayer, in ministry, and in our walk with the Lord, this really is essential. One of the most famous pieces of music in history, “Braham’s Lullaby,” took over seven years to compose. We let go too quickly. We give up too easily. It was after Abraham patiently endured that He received the promise (Hebrews 6:15). The same was true of Bartimaeus. Luke 18:40–43 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God. Bartimaeus was a man of expectancy. Mark tells us that when Jesus called him, Bartimaeus left his garment—a garment beggars wore to identify them as those in need of alms. In other words, once he heard Jesus’ voice, he said in faith, “I don’t need this anymore. I’m expecting the Lord to do a work in me based upon His mercy.” You and I will either follow in the footsteps of the rich young ruler or in the footsteps of Bartimaeus. Choose those of Bartimaeus. Call out to the Lord in humility with tenacity and expectancy, knowing that to any who call upon Him, the Lord shows matchless mercy. Have a blessed day!
Posted on: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 12:00:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015