Mark 10:46-52
Our ongoing readings thru the Gospel of Mark brings us today to the healing of a blind man named Bartimaeus. It is one of Jesus’s memorable healings, and is one of the last healings He performed, as it occurred shortly before His entry into Jerusalem. It is also one of the very few times where the Gospel writer gives the name of the one healed.
As our passage begins, Jesus is coming to the city of Jericho. Jericho is a very ancient city, about 16 miles northeast of Jerusalem, and lies just west of the Jordan River. It was the first city Joshua and the Israelites conquered when they entered the Promised Land centuries earlier. On this day of our reading the blind man Bartimaeus is sitting outside the city gate begging for money to live (vs 46). Beggars were very common in those days. If one had any sort of crippling disease or accident it would be impossible to work. If one didn’t have wealthier or caring parents or children to care for them, one was destined to be a beggar. God’s Law, however, commanded that the people of the country take care of and relieve the poor, certainly including those who were handicapped and could not work (Leviticus 25:35-38). Unfortunately this frequently did not happen, and there were numerous beggars. Bartimaeus had a good spot for begging alms from people, right at the entrance to the city.
As blind Bartimaeus sat begging, he heard the noise of large crowds of people, obviously louder than the normal comings and goings of people on a normal day. He must have asked someone in the crowd what the reason for all of the unusual commotion, and was told that Jesus of Nazareth had come to town (vs 47). Bartimaeus had heard about Jesus before, had heard about the miracles He had performed, including that He had brought sight to the blind. He also must have heard about some of the spiritual lessons Jesus had taught, and he had faith that Jesus was the Messiah. The reason we can know this is because of what Bartimaeus called out. As the sightless man sat there by the gate, hearing the crowds go by, he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The title of “Son of David” was one given to the Messiah, as it was known that the Messiah would be a descendant of King David. Bartimaeus was calling Jesus this, showing he believed that He was the promised Messiah. He believed the miracles he had heard of, and was calling out to God’s Promised One for mercy.
As Bartimaeus called out to Jesus the crowds tried to shut him up (vs 48). He was nothing but a common beggar to these people, and a blind one at that, a nobody to society. They had their own needs they hoped Jesus would grant, and they didn’t want a beggar getting in the way. They felt Jesus certainly didn’t have a moment to spare for a blind beggar. How many times are there people who try to hush us up? They tell us that we don’t have anything worthwhile to offer, we are a nobody, so why don’t we just shut up. Bartimaeus wouldn’t keep quiet. He called out all the louder. This was his only chance. If Jesus passed on without him getting His attention, he might never have another chance. He was not going to let those people steal away his blessing!
Jesus did hear Bartimaeus’s cry, even above all the noise of the other people around. God always hears our cries to Him, as well! Jesus commanded that the people bring Bartimaeus to Him. So the people, possibly some of the very ones who moments earlier had told him to shut up, brought the blind man to Jesus (vs 49). Their attitude had sure changed now that they saw he was important to Jesus! Jesus asked Bartimaeus what he wanted Him to do, and he was very specific with what he answered (vs 51). Bartimaeus didn’t beat around the bush. His prayer wasn’t fancy or poetic, nor did he use long, theological words. Bartimaeus told Jesus that he wanted to receive his sight. God is not impressed with fancy words and great, flowing prayers. He is listening to our heart. Bartimaeus had faith, received his healing that day, and followed on as one of Jesus’s disciples (vs 52).
Jesus is coming our way today. What do we need? Do we need to acknowledge Him as our Savior? That is most important of all. Bartimaeus knew who He was, and confidently acknowledged it. Do we have some other important, pressing, and distressing need? Call out to Jesus regarding it. Don’t allow anyone to stop you from receiving your blessing from God!
Hebrews 5:12-6:2
Little babies are cute and adorable. We love to hold and cuddle them, giving them their bottle of milk. Parents sometimes say in a joking way that they wish they would stay little forever, but they don’t really mean that. There would be something seriously wrong if one’s baby never grew and matured. They need to start walking, running, and learning. They need to go beyond drinking only milk, and start eating solid foods. Our author of Hebrews knows this, and is telling us in our Scripture today that the same thing holds true in our Christian life. Let’s look into the passage.
The people to whom the author of Hebrews was writing had been Christians for awhile. However, they were still, years later, immature believers. They were like children, who after years, were still crawling, speaking baby-talk, and drinking milk from a baby bottle. He told these believers that by now they ought to be teaching the Bible to new believers, but instead they were just as unlearned, just as spiritually immature as they were when they were first saved (vs. 12-14). They should have been teaching and passing on the Gospel to others. Instead they were still babies, too infantile and unskilled to understand themselves, let alone teach the truths of God.
As we look around the church today, we can see that this is a problem just as much as it was to those to whom Hebrews was written to. Some believers, after they become saved, learn the very basics of Christian doctrine, but then stop studying the word, and even more sadly, stop applying anything they have learned to their own lives. A Christian, just like a baby, is supposed to grow and mature. To grow from a baby Christian to a mature one, we must learn discernment to distinguish good from evil (vs 14). We must learn to recognize temptation before they trap us. We need to be able to tell the difference between a correct use of Scripture and a wrong one. In order to become more spiritually mature one must not just hear God’s Word. We must put it into practice. That takes studying and following what we learn.
These early Hebrew believers had learned the basic doctrines, such as salvation by faith and not works, baptism, the resurrection, and eternal life, and then stopped there. They weren’t digging any deeper into the Bible. Today we see the same problem. So many believers, after they are saved, get spiritually lazy and stop learning. They may have been saved for several years, but are like a teen-ager who is still in diapers, crawling, and eating baby food. That isn’t normal, and neither is a Christian, saved years ago, but is still a baby in the faith. The author of Hebrews tells his readers, and us, that they need to leave the learning of basic doctrines (vs. 1-2). “Leaving” doesn’t mean to reject these doctrines. They are a place to start our learning at, but not to stop there. Learn these basic doctrines and then go on to deeper, more “meatier” truths.
We are urged to develop spiritual discernment as we grow in our faith (vs 14). Discernment is a trait that will come with saturating our heart and mind with God’s Word. We can only learn to discern between good and evil by daily study of the Bible, and then being sure to put what we learn into practice.
When we don’t exercise our muscles they will start to atrophy. It only takes a couple of weeks in a cast after breaking a bone, and our muscles start to grow weak. We need to exercise to regain strength. Our spiritual muscles will atrophy when we don’t use them. Only constant use will train our spirits to know right from wrong. The spiritual exercises we need to use to grow as mature believers are Bible reading, prayer, fellowship, and obedience to God.
How are we doing in our spiritual growth as a believer? Are we still holding on to the baby bottle of milk? Maybe we are only eating mashed, pureed vegetables. Hopefully we have graduated to eating steak or prime rib. Little babies are wonderful for the first year. Then we want to see our children grow to learn to walk, run, and read. As believers in Jesus, let’s grow in our faith and understanding of the Word, and then encourage and teach other newborn believers.
Psalm 13
Have you ever felt like God has forgotten all about you? Have you ever been in a trial or problem that just never seems to end, no matter how many prayers are said? If so, you can relate to this psalm which David wrote. He was in the midst of some very trying times in his life, and for a moment when he wrote this psalm he felt alone and abandoned. However, he did not allow these feelings to remain. By the end of this short psalm, David was singing praises to the Lord. Let’s look at David’s cry and prayer to the Lord.
As we read in the Old Testament, David spent many years fleeing for his life from King Saul. He spent many years where he could not be at home with his family, or could only be home momentarily. As we can imagine, this must have been very difficult and discouraging for him. Surely he wondered how long this must go on. The words “how long” occurs four times in the first two verses. This shows the depth of David’s distress. He felt that God had forgotten or forsaken him. David was in a triangle of himself, his enemies, and God. With God seemingly gone, he felt at the mercy of his enemies. Thus, in verses 1 and 2, David was on his face, on the ground, focusing on his problems and their depth and length.
It may feel as though God has hidden Himself from us. Like David, we may feel impatient with how long it seems to take for God to act. Sometimes God may be testing us to see if we will continue to follow Him, staying true to His Word, no matter what we may feel.
Was David going to stay in this position of despair? No! His remedy at this time was to focus on God’s love, remembering past blessings, and deliberately praising the Lord. In verses 3 and 4 we see that David has gotten up from his position of despair, and is now in a position of prayer. He is on his knees, taking his burdens to the Lord, dependent on Him.
David prayed to God, and found strength. By the end of this psalm, he could speak of hope and trust in Him. Through it all, David affirmed that he would continue to trust God no matter how long he had to wait for His justice to be realized. As he finished this psalm in verses 5 and 6, David is on his feet, rejoicing and singing praises to God.
When we are in the middle of our depressing and trying times, we can sing praise to God like David did. God gives us songs in the night (Job 35:10) in the middle of the dark night of our trial. Also, in the middle of the literal night, our trials often seem to loom larger. Singing praises to God at this time is good to do. Demons will flee when we praise the Lord.
During our trials we need to remember the character of God. As believers, we need to rest our faith and trust on God’s character, not on our circumstances. Can we praise the Lord no matter how long our trials last? Would we be able to praise Him even if our situation never changes? Let’s follow the lesson that David gives in this psalm, trusting and praising the Lord.
Isaiah 59:1-4, 9-19
“Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?” Many of us have heard people ask this question, and some of us may have even asked this. Though there are several reasons that Scripture gives as to why someone’s prayers may go unanswered, our passage today from the prophet Isaiah gives one significant reason. Let’s look at what the Lord has to say to us today in this passage of Scripture.
The people in Isaiah’s day were praying, among other things, for deliverance from enemies. When they saw that God didn’t jump to their request, they started to say things such as that God is not strong enough, or maybe He has gone deaf, that’s why He hasn’t answered their prayers (vs 1). Isaiah quickly responds to these charges against God by saying that isn’t so. It’s not that God isn’t strong enough, or is hard of hearing, it’s that the people’s sins have brought a separation between them and God, and caused Him to turn His face away (vs 2). God has let His people know a number of times that wilful and deliberate sin brings a barrier between them and Himself (Psalm 66:18).
What is it that the people have done to cause God to turn a deaf ear to their prayers? All of us, every day, do things that are wrong. We commit sins, sometimes significant, often small, but hopefully we turn to God in repentance and confess them. God promises to forgive and wash them away if we confess (I John 1:9). It’s deliberate, wilful, unconfessed sin that God is referring to here. Among the sins Isaiah lists are murder, lying, and injustice (vs 3-4). When murderers are unpunished and winked at, lying and injustice is commonplace, God will not ignore this.
Living in a society where there is no justice or righteousness is like living and walking in darkness (vs 9-10). They are stumbling and groping around in the darkness of sin like blind men. They want some answer to their problems, some way out of their predicament, but can’t find any. Mankind is seeking unsuccessfully to escape their sinful, depraved condition through their own efforts (vs 11).
The next several verses go on to highlight the sinful condition of the people, and how far they have strayed from God (vs. 12-15). Sin offends our all-holy God. It separates us from Him. Because God is holy, He cannot ignore, excuse, or tolerate sin as though it doesn’t matter. He is forced to turn His head and look the other way when we pray with unconfessed sin. Those sins we cling to put up a barrier between us and the Lord.
What can we do? Our sins are overwhelming, and are a barrier to our relationship with God. He saw this, too, and it grieved Him (vs. 15). He saw that there was nothing they could do, and no one who could stand in the breach for their sins. Mankind on their own cannot deliver themselves from their sinful condition. God, Himself, stepped in to save mankind (vs 16-17). Jesus came, as the sinless Son of God, to pay the price for our sins. He is our Intercessor before God (Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34). He put on the armor of righteousness and salvation for us. This is the same spiritual armor we are told to put on in our daily battle with the forces of evil (Ephesians 6:10-18).
The Lord has more than enough strength to redeem us, and His ear is always open to us when our sins are covered in the Blood of Jesus, the Savior. He, also, will bring judgment on all who persist in evil (vs 17-19). As the prophet Isaiah said a couple of chapters earlier - Seek the Lord while He may be found, forsake your wicked ways and unrighteous thoughts, for God will have mercy (Isaiah 55:6-7).
Mark 10:35-45
To serve or to be served. How about taking orders or giving them? Most of us, if given the choice, would choose the latter. We would rather be in a position of authority. How does God view this? In our passage today from Mark’s Gospel we read of two of His disciples and their ambitious desires for power and authority, and what Jesus had to say to them.
Jesus had just finished speaking to the rich young man, telling him that he needed to give up his love of riches in order to follow Him and gain eternal life, and also teaching the need to be humble as a little child. Now as they were walking towards Jerusalem, two of the disciples, the brothers James and John, came to Jesus asking to be given the chief seats in His kingdom, the ones on His right side and His left side (vs 35-37). That is quite ambitious! That is basically saying, “We’re the greatest! We deserve those seats of prominence and authority.” In the days when kings sat on thrones ruling with great power, the seats to his right and left were given to the ones in greatest favor, and would be second and third in command.
The brothers, James and John, both believed that Jesus was the Messiah, and that He would rule. However, like most of the people at that time, they thought the Messiah would set up an earthly kingdom. James and John wanted positions of power in this kingdom. They wanted honored positions of importance. Jesus’s kingdom, as Scripture teaches, is not of this world (John 18:36). It is not centered in palaces and thrones. Instead it is centered in the hearts and lives of His followers.
Rather than coming down hard on James and John for their arrogance, Jesus asks them a question - are they able to drink from the cup of suffering that Jesus will be drinking from, and be baptized with the suffering He will? (vs 38-39). The two boasted that they could, indeed, drink the cup of suffering that Jesus would. Jesus assured them, that true to their words they both would. However the thrones that they wanted for themselves was not His to bestow on others (vs 40). Those thrones would be given by His Father to those for whom He prepared them.
James died a martyrs death not too many years after Jesus’s resurrection. King Herod had him put to death by a sword, the first of the twelve to die (Acts 12:1-2). John ended his life as an enslaved prisoner of the Emperor on the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:9). Many of us would brag the same way, that we would willingly suffer for the cause of Christ. Instead, though, we often whine and complain over the littlest thing asked of us.
The other disciples were indignant with the brother’s, but it was not a righteous indignation (vs 41). The wanted the same spots, and were angry that those two had beat them to asking Jesus for the spots. Jesus now has to set the whole group straight about seeking out positions of greatness and power. In God’s eyes true greatness comes in serving others. The desire to be the greatest hinders our spiritual growth rather than helping it. Instead of trying to get our needs met, Jesus wishes us to minister to the needs of others (vs 42-43). Most of us would rather have servants than be a servant. However what was Jesus’s own example to us? During the Last Supper, Jesus took the role of a servant and washed the feet of the disciples (John 13:3-5). That was the duty of a slave, yet Jesus performed that task willingly.
Jesus told us that He did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for us (vs 45). A ransom is money paid to release a person from being held a prisoner by another. We were slaves to sin, and Jesus paid the ransom for us because we could not pay it. His death released us from slavery. The ransom was not paid to Satan. Satan is a foe to be defeated, not a ruler to be placated. The ransom was paid to God to satisfy His just and holy wrath against sin.
Our passage in the Gospel of Mark leaves us with the lesson to regard others as more important than ourselves. We need to try and support, encourage, and build up others. Have an attitude that gives rather than receives. Are we willing to give up personal freedom, wealth, or status to serve others in the Name of Jesus? Discard material security, and follow Jesus. When we sacrifice the treasures of this world we gain the treasures of heaven.
Hebrews 4:12-16
Today we continue on with our readings from the Book of Hebrews, and the author mentions in this passage both Jesus as our compassionate High Priest, how we can boldly approach the throne of God, and the Bible as as sharp, two-edged sword. We have someone who can sympathetically plead our case with God the Father. If we have the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we can enter, ourselves, into the throne room of God. These are privileges that the Blood of Jesus has bought for those who have put their faith and trust in Him. Let’s take a look at our Scripture passage today.
The first verse of our passage describes the Word of God as living (vs. 12). It is living as its Author is God, divinely inspiring the humans who were His instruments in writing it. It is also living because the Holy Spirit brings its message in our hearts. Like a surgeon’s knife, it cuts deep within us, revealing who we are and what we are not. It shows what is within us, both good and evil. The Bible can transform our life, keeping us anchored to God during the storms we face. Verse 12 also describes God’s Word as a two-edged sword. It is comforting and nourishing to those who have given their lives to Jesus. But it is a tool of judgment and execution to those who have not accepted Him.
Next our author of Hebrews continues on with one of his running themes throughout this book - that of Jesus being superior to every aspect of the old Jewish faith. Under the Levitical law the people could only approach God with their sacrifices for sins through the priests, and the High Priest could only approach the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement. Jesus is superior to the Jewish priests, including the High Priest (vs. 14). They were only human, and had to deal with their own sins, as well as the people’s. Jesus is both God and man, without sin. He intercedes for us to God, and assures us of God’s forgiveness. The Jewish High Priest could only go to the Holy of Holies once a year. Jesus is always at God’s right hand, interceding for us, always available to hear us.
Jesus faced temptation, just like we do, yet Jesus did not sin (vs 15). He can sympathize with us. He knows what we are going through, and is not indifferent to us. Jesus shows us, though, that we do not have to sin when facing the draw of temptation. If we turn to Him during our trials, Jesus will give us the strength to turn away and follow His path.
God wants us to come in confidence to Him for everything we need as we face the challenges in our lives (vs 16). He loves us, and wants us to draw near in prayer. There are two specific things this verse in Hebrews says that God will give us when we come to Him. Those are mercy and grace. Mercy means that God does not give us what we deserve, which would be divine judgment. Our sins warrant God’s judgment. However, because of Jesus, when we accept Him as our Savior, He is compassionate, and forgives us. Grace means God gives us what we don’t deserve. We are not worthy of God’s love, favor, or salvation, but because of Jesus, He gives them to us freely.
Hebrews urges us to “hold fast” to our confession of faith (vs 14). We are to hold on to what the Bible says about our situation with a strong faith, the kind that will not let go. We can always come to God in prayer. We need to come with reverence because He is our King. However, we can also come with assurance because He is our Friend.
Psalm 91
This psalm for today is a favorite of many believers, and is definitely one of my favorites. It is a passage of Scripture we can go to when we are afraid, when the fears of this dangerous world get too strong. Our world is so stressful and filled with scary events. We can easily be overwhelmed. Psalm 91 is where to turn to. Jesus calls us to trust Him and run to His arms for protection.
The psalmist, who is not known, starts off right at the beginning by saying to whom the Lord God gives His divine protection. It is to those who dwell and abide with Him (vs 1). They are those who have a close and personal relationship with God. When we have put our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus, He will be a secret place of protection for us. Shadows are often a good place to hide, and we can hide in the shadows of God’s safekeeping. God is also called here in verse 2 our refuge and fortress. A refuge is a place to go to to find quick shelter. A fortress is a building intentionally built to provide special security. The enemy has no access into a fortress. We are protected and safe there. When we turn to God to be our refuge and fortress, Satan and the fears he brings with him cannot get to us.
A vivid picture of protection we see in the natural world is that of a mother bird protecting her young chicks. She spreads her wings over them, and they are safe from both predators and storms. That’s the same way the Lord protects us when we come running to Him (vs 4). With God protecting us, the enemy has to get past Him before he can get to us. His truth, which is His Word, is the shield we can can safely stand behind.
Night often brings our worst fears (vs 5). More murders, muggings, and crimes take place at night. Many fires start at night, as well. It is then that sickness keeps us awake. Our worries loom much larger at night. Yet God watches over us at night, as well as during the day. He never sleeps (Psalm 121:4). Darkness is not dark to Him (Psalm 139:12). We are children of the Light, and need not fear the darkness (I Thessalonians 5:5). During the day, as well, we can trust the Lord to watch over us (vs 5-7). Do we need to make a trip into the bad part of town? Maybe a child of ours is being called into military service. We don’t need to fear those “arrows”. When we hear on the news broadcasts of deadly influenza striking in our city, or some other calamity, do we need to panic when we have the Lord as our protection? Our psalmist assures us that we do not! He protects us from pestilence and destruction.
In verses 11 and 12, we read that the Lord has appointed angels to give us aid when attacked by the devil and his forces. These angels oversee God’s people, guarding those who seek refuge in Him. They preserve our steps. The angels will take us up, lift, and carry us, seeing we are not overwhelmed by the deception of Satan.
When we are in the presence of the Lord we have nothing to fear. God’s presence can take away all despair and doubt. Do we truly believe that we live in the secret place of the Most High, and that we abide under the shadow of the Almighty? If we are believers, and we truly believe this, we can live without fear. We can trust the wings of God to be our shield.
We need to trade in all of the fears that we have for trust and faith in God. We also need to be sure that we are “dwelling” and “abiding” in the Lord in order to be certain of His sure protection. When we are feeling anxious and worried with problems and fears, remember in Whom we dwell - the Lord God Almighty, and the truth of His Word. Give those problems to Him. We can find refuge and shelter under His wings. Those who have put their trust in God need have no fear when others are all in a panic over the events in the world.
