I invite you to turn in the scriptures this morning to the Gospel of Mark. If you're a visitor, we're working through this book, preaching through this book. And this morning we are at the very end of chapter 10, chapter 10 this morning. And that's on page 1077 in your pew Bibles. We'll be looking at verses 46 through 52, 1077. Beginning at verse 46, this is Jesus' healing of blind Bartimaeus. This is the word of the Lord. 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. 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. Many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, Son of David, have mercy on him. And Jesus stopped and said, Call him. And they called the blind man, saying to him, Take heart, get up, he's calling you. And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 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. 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. May the Lord bless the hearing of his word. Well, this morning we have a great privilege of coming to the Lord's table. What a special privilege and blessing that the Lord has given to us. And here's where I think it's helpful at this point in our study of the Gospel of Mark to sort of stand back from that study, step back and think about all the themes that we have learned and studied these past months. Has it been a year already? It might have already been a year, I don't know. Quite some time we've been in Mark's Gospel. And see how all of this is now taking shape and really being applied right in front of us in the scriptures, taken right home to us with this powerful little section here of the healing of blind Bartimaeus. Think of what's happening this morning, and this might help you. You have set in front of you a table where the Lord Jesus Christ is serving you. Think about that. He has spent a lot of time in the gospel explaining to us why we need this. His table is not for the righteous. His table is not for the self-confident. His table is not for those who are always about the best seats and the best places, living as if they don't need Him, doing their own thing and refusing His cross. His serving and His help is for those who understand that they need Him. We've seen all these themes sort of come together, haven't they? who believe him, who see him, who know that apart from him, they really are nothing in this life. And I'm moved by God's providence that we come to this morning, this little section that I believe before he enters Jerusalem, and next week you'll notice there is the triumphal entry, that before he begins to enter Jerusalem, it really is meant, I believe, as I was reflecting on this this week, to put everything together for us so far in our study of the Gospel of Mark. Why do I say that? Well, themes converge in this little section. Everything that you have heard from this pulpit for some time, of all the different things that have been taught to us, are converging in this healing moment with Bartimaeus. And it's completely appropriate as we come to the table this morning to ask the question that after we have heard all of these sermons on the best seats and glory now and a name and human strength and human ingenuity and trying to do to inherit eternal life, have we been listening to Jesus? It's entirely appropriate to stop and really press that question home are you taking this to heart he has been calling us to receive him and to receive his kingdom as little children remember that telling us that it's not about our glory he's been telling us that he had to come to serve us and to save us this by now should be producing some kind of humility and a dropping of the knee that's why we're so much emphasizing psalm 51 in this service today and that great cry of have mercy on me it should be producing a kind of softening of the heart at this point to come to him with empty hands receiving a kingdom knowing that we don't have much to offer anything really do we and today we have a glorious moment that really captures if anyone were ever visiting and saying well what is this christianity thing all about and what does jesus want from us and what is he really after what are you after in christianity here we have everything that he's after where all these themes converge this morning and in the receiving and the serving of blind bartimaeus this beggar and this should bring us great joy as we come to the table because that's the thing that the lord is doing for you today he is he is serving he's serving you something special he is giving you grace and help in time of need everything that we believe in the gospel is now being exhibited and illustrated for you not only in the text but in the in the word and the sacrament now that leads me this morning then to begin with something that jesus said to the rich young ruler remember in that account with the rich young ruler when the disciples were really struggling with who can be saved. And they had thought that they had done quite a bit in leaving all to follow Jesus. Jesus made a glaring statement. The last shall be first and the first shall be last. Have you understood that yet? Have you grasped that yet? That's where we are. Jesus is about serving the last. Jesus is about serving the least, the little people, the needy, the beggars. And in that regard, we come back to what sort of brackets this entire section, which is the reception of little children in his name who had no ability. They were brought by their parents to enter. And Jesus put his hands on them and he blessed them saying, look at them, look at them, study them, think about them, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. These are the kinds of people who enter the kingdom of heaven. Little nobodies, little people. Well, as I go through the Gospels and look at the four Gospels, I'm always taken by how often Jesus uses the problem of blindness to explain the Gospel. It's all over the place. We keep coming across it. And that leads us this morning to this glorious little section of the healing of blind Bartimaeus. If you were, and you are taking notes, maybe a breakdown that would help you here. As I have looked at this, I see first we have an emphasis and play on seeing the least. Seeing the least. And then receiving the least. And finally, serving the least. And we'll look at who's doing all that. The tie to the previous section is fascinating. The disciples, you remember last time, were vying and fighting over the greatest seats in the kingdom, especially their hearts were set on status and name and glory in the best places, the best seats. That's what the Pharisees love. That's what Jesus condemned the Pharisees for. And here they were fighting for that. John, remember in the last section, and James had come to Jesus wanting the front row seats, wanting glory, the best seat, to have their own honor exalted. It was all about status. And Jesus made a glaring statement in that section where he said, if you want to be great, if you're pursuing greatness, you want to make yourself great again, you must become servants. Why? He then goes on to say, because that's what I came to be. followers of me follow me you see and jesus said for even the son of man did not come to be served but to serve this is what i'm doing you're not ultimately serving me i'm serving you hard for us remember that's grace we're all about service jesus is saying hold on it's first about me serving you the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and then we'll look at how our service is shaped in light of that and to give his life he said a ransom for many it was a moving moving section we should know by now that jesus loves to use illustrations and he loves to use circumstances and events in the training of his disciples that's what this has really been hasn't it well that's what we have in verse 46 we read that they came to jericho last stop for jerusalem we read that he's here leaving jericho with his disciples in a great multitude is with him again probably thousands of people but off in the distance out on the road out on the road far away from everyone else is a blind man and in a unique moment Mark gives us his name Bartimaeus there's been some debate about the meaning of the name probably the most probable is a son of honor or worth some have translated it the honored one or the worthy one or even the ransomed one meaning bought at a price which fits the context doesn't it and that directly fits the context of what jesus said previously that i came to give my life as a ransom for many as if to say here is one and i want you to know what they look like i want you to know again and capture it for you in a concrete way so you have something to hold on to and to see what salvation looks like and what I've come to do in serving and saving. Let me show him to you. Well, you start putting this together and you see how all the themes converge, don't you? Where is he? He's far away. He's way off the beaten path. He's a blind beggar. He can't see to get around. No ability to see whatsoever. No ability to even see Jesus. and lo and behold notice how mark captures it he's sitting seats greatness he's sitting out by the road so this blind beggar is sitting out by the road and mark is intentional here disciples we want seats reserved for us it's all about our status and comfort in the now jesus says that's not what this is all about you got it all wrong if you think that's what following me is all about the least and the last shall be first day and night there this this man is sitting out there by the road begging coins please a little help you always would hear this voice as you're walking through Jericho into Jericho help coins maybe we're so used to um seeing beggars out at the corner now, we think nothing of it anymore as we drive by. We have them. What if the beggar on the corner was blind? Would you then stop? This wasn't a sham. I know a lot of them are shams. This wasn't a sham. This was the real deal. He had no way to provide for himself. He had nothing. Oh, of course, the rich young ruler remember in contrast had sprinted to jesus in all of his strength and in all of his youth and in all of his power and in all that he had and all of his riches he came what do i do to inherit eternal life here he is way over here help can't get up don't know where to go you ever thought that um the lord is constantly putting before us people who have great needs, who are the most difficult, the most unattractive sometimes, needy people, nothing but need. And it's really hard to be around them. You know this. We play the hypocrite. Oh, we're going to serve over there. We don't serve these people. There's nothing outward that makes you want to spend a minute with them really difficult they're all in your life here's the beauty of this he heard that jesus was somewhere on the road he doesn't have the ability to come up to the synagogue to worship every week and hear sermons right might get some apathy that way he just hears bits and pieces a little bit here and there about a man named Jesus of Nazareth who's healing, who's delivering, who's saving. And I'm thinking he's hearing messages along the way. People talking about what he's saying. Do you know what this man's able to do? He's healing people. He's raised the dead. Great claims are being made, but the whole Pharisees and all of our leaders are against him and want to kill him. No sight. Just really good ear. Never went to the synagogue. Sitting off alone on the road begging. Mark, Matthew says there was another beggar with him, blind beggar. It's overwhelming because Mark wants you to say, he's believing. He's believing. did you notice that he called him when he heard that it was jesus of nazareth he starts yelling out crying out here it is think of the witness of this on the road jesus son of david have mercy on me that is a remarkable statement that is a remarkable prayer That is a remarkable cry. Why? Because in chapter 12, remember, Jesus asked the question of the scribes. How do the scribes say that Christ is the son of David? The scribes knew that the Messiah was the son of David. But they would have never said it was Jesus who was the son of David. He's doing it. Son of David, I believe you are the Messiah. Here it is. Mercy. Mercy. I don't know about you, but this is one prominent prayer in the Bible. You see it? I'm always worried about prayer life. So I wonder how much we've ever stopped and said this little powerful prayer. Psalm 51. You just sang out, God be merciful to me. On your grace I rest my plea. Plenteous in compassion now, blot out my transgressions now. God, be merciful to me. Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a tax collector, or one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee said thus within himself, God, I thank you that I'm not like other men. I pray, I fast, I give, and I'm not like that guy. And the publican at the back. See why when I can say front or back, it doesn't really matter. It's all in the heart, isn't it? Publican at the back beats his chest. Wouldn't even look up. God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Jesus keeps inspiring that prayer everywhere. Everywhere. This is remarkable. This man kind of knows Heidelberg too. I know the Heidelberg wasn't written then, but what three things must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort? He's got two down right now. going to get three. How great my sin and misery are. How I'm set free from all my sin and misery. Son of David, have mercy on me. And by the end of this, he'll be the third one. He's following. He believed. It's just what a glorious section before he enters Jerusalem. What a scene. the seat of a beggar out on the road, crying out, believing, confessing, crying for mercy. Didn't Jesus just say the last would be first? And didn't Jesus just say that we have to receive the kingdom as a little child? Do you know how see what kind of little children he's after? He can't see, but he does see. That's the point. He can't see, but he does see. That's what I love about this. Who sees in this life? With no sight, he sees Jesus. That's the crux and that's the heart of the passage. With no ability to have any physical ability to lay his eyes upon Jesus and walk up to the house of the Lord, with no ability to do any of that, so far away, seated in the worst place, with nothing, he sees. And he's not ashamed. He's crying out like a fool and everyone keeps saying, stop it, stop bugging him. Stop crying out, be quiet. And he does it all the more. Son of David, have mercy, mercy on me. Now, I'm going to say something that I've witnessed in the Escondido URC now being here four years. I speak with a lot of people in this church with pastoral needs and struggles. And it's been remarkable to me how many times I have been able to hear from people to say they get the first part of question and answer too. I'm a sinner. I've done a lot of bad things. And throughout the course of their lives, I think, and many of you here maybe today, really struggle with shame and a lot of guilt. But that's where it stops. The most difficult thing, it's a human nature problem, is for us to grasp and receive the love of Christ. I don't think anyone doubts in this room that Jesus died for sinners. But to say that I believe Jesus is the Son of God, the sent one, the anointed one, the Messiah, who came to die for me is quite another thing to say. To ask Him, as a beggar from the cheap seats, in humility, with no desire for greatness, no ability to achieve it, to know that with an understanding that you have nothing in this life without Him and you're going to hell, to say, God, be merciful to me. Have mercy on me. To say, Jesus, true God, have mercy on me. is to believe that He has the power to do it. You see? You can't say that if you have no faith. That prayer can only be prayed in faith. And it's a step many don't take. First question, what must you know to live and die in the joy of discomfort? I'm a great sinner and I have a lot of misery. This word stops. I want you to know something. That when you pray to Him, believing, knowing what you and seeing Him in all of your sorrow, believing Him, when you cry to Him, when you say, God, be merciful to me, a sinner, have mercy on me for sinning against You, for being selfish in my life, for all my sins that have brought on this sadness, for wrecking my life, for doing things that I should not have done, the misery that I've experienced, the misery that I've chosen, I want you to know what Jesus does. It's in verse 49. So Jesus stood still. There's something so beautiful to that, isn't there? He just stopped. They're walking in a procession to Jerusalem. He's going to die. And he hears this cry and feet plant right in his track. I think of the thousands of people all around him. Everyone trying to touch him. All the noise, all the stuff. And out in the distance, way off in the corner, out on the road, there's a faint cry, mercy, and stops. And I believe you have the culmination here of everything he's been teaching. I receive nobodies. I receive the little ones. I receive the messed up ones. Whoever doesn't receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it. Here's one. You guys want to see it? I'm stopping to show you. And we know that Jesus was teaching his disciples that he had come to do in his ministry was to receive the least. Remember what he says, when you receive one of these in my name, you're receiving me. He's training them. And here it is, from the distance, this man is seated, far off, distant, last, begging. Jesus hears the prayer and he stops and he then says, command him to come. I just love it. Go tell him to come. Now this is a big moment remembering that Jesus set up a ministry and the disciples are starting to do it. Be of good cheer. Think about what they say. They realize the Master, the Savior, wants him to come. Bartimaeus, be of good cheer. Be happy. Get up. He's calling you. Think of the imagery of this. they had to get him. He can't see. He has no ability to get there. He had already said in chapter 9, go get him and bring him to me to the little boy, the father and his boy. This is exactly what had to happen. He made his disciples go get him and usher him to the front. That's the imagery. I have a friend, his name is Jerome Avery. He is a guide to David Brown. He's the fastest T11 completely blind sprinter in the world. And Jerome is the guide. And I went to high school with Jerome. He just ran in Rio. You'll never see this because nobody cares much about the Paralympics. It's sad. But he just ran in Rio and broke the 100 record. I watch how Jerome does this. it's really fascinating how they train these blind sprinters. And think about it, they can't see a thing, so they have to tether together. They take ropes and tether together around their fingers. So when they're running, the sprinter can't go off this way. And Jerome is constantly telling him where to turn, where to go, what to do. And Jerome says in an interview, he lives in San Diego, He said in an interview, he says, yeah, when I'm talking to him, I have told him, you have to completely trust me. Imagine running completely blind. I can't think of a better imagery of the Christian ministry. This is what Christ came to do. He came to seek and to save that which was lost and blind and naked and destitute. He went out to the highways and the byways, didn't he, to get them. He went out to find and recover the lost sheep of the house of Israel and recover them, the blind. Remember, that's Luke 4, to give sight to the blind. It's those who sit in darkness. The disciples are getting on-site training right now. But I want you to keep in front of you that this is given so that you would know that this is for you. Do you know who you are? Do you struggle with that? Sin has alienated us from God and we go through this life with the worst kind of shame and the worst kind of guilt and the worst kind of misery and you could live thinking there is no hope for for you because of this misery and because of this sin but when you see the light and it's passing by you you should call out for it you don't think God hears today you think if you in your heart right now said, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. He doesn't hear that in the pit that you're in, that you've dug, and that I dig. Look at his desire to take the lowliest. Look at his desire to take the nobody. Look at his desire that everyone disregarded to say to him and have ministry to him of disciples saying, be of good cheer. He wants you to come. Come. Come to the front. No, I mean you. He's calling you. I was in the grocery store the other day, and there was a woman standing in front of me, and she's looking right at me. She wouldn't get out of the way. Excuse me. She still wouldn't get out of the way. I felt like a jerk when I saw the cane. I went way around her. She must have been deaf too. She had no idea she was in the way of anyone. I can't imagine going through life in that darkness. But that's what it's like without Jesus. You know how great the darkness is in people's lives who don't have any light? Jesus was constantly saying it. For a little while longer, the light will be among you. Walk while you have the light so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in darkness does not know where he's going. While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become sons of light. And tonight's sermon is all on light in the tabernacle. Here's what it looks like. He gets up. Everyone's saying, be happy, be joyful. He's calling you to come. And in front of everyone's eyes, I can't imagine the disciples grabbing him, leading him to Jesus, And get the imagery, the last shall be first. He's brought right from the cheap seats, right on up to the front of the whole procession, far off this beggar was, brought to Jesus. He throws off his garments to say, I'm coming. I'll get there. And he stands before Jesus, and he hears these words. Think of the disciples. What do you want me to do for you? What do you want me to do for you? I came to be a servant. What do you want? Son of man did not come to be served. I will serve you. What do you want? How can I serve you? Bartimaeus. Rabboni, meaning master. Would you give me my sight? You know that's teaching you way more than physical sight. This whole thing is. When Jesus healed him that day, can you imagine opening your eyes and for the very first time, the very first one you see, Is him. What a treasure. But Jesus wants you to know that it's much greater than that. Immediately he says to him, Bartimaeus, go your way. Your faith made you well. Jesus was capitalizing on something he wanted everyone to understand that day. It's remarkable because the whole text has taught you he already sees. It was faith that Jesus was after. It was faith that's the gift of God. It was already given to him. And the reason he wanted to be able to see physically was so now he had the ability to follow him and become a servant. Following his master. That's how the text ends. Immediately he followed him. This is what Jesus is calling us to do. Our whole life then becomes this. Following him and becoming a servant to all. Christ came to lay down his life and become a ransom to purchase people back and bring them into his house. Now, I'm not giving a long sermon today. You know I'm about ready to stop. But I'm going to leave you with one powerful point, I think. The Bible is showing you over and over and over again in the Gospels that the people who entered were people who had no ability. Remember the invitation to the great feast. I went out and I invited and they made all sorts of excuses. All the people who had everything made all sorts of excuses. They just wouldn't enter. They wouldn't come. So then the master said, go out to the highways and the byways. Go out to the cheap seats. I'll fill my house. So he went out, and who came? Well, you know, Jesus said this. When you host a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they may invite you in return and you will be repaid. But when you host a banquet, because he's hosting a banquet, who did he invite? Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, and you'll be blessed. Since they can't repay you, hearing gospel in this, you'll be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. I'm going to give you great rewards. How does a poor man have clothes to come to a great feast? How do the crippled and lame walk to get there? How do the blind, how are they able to see to enter? Jesus. He gets them. I came to seek and to save that which is lost. But he doesn't want repayment. He knows what you are. He came to serve you, and he wants you to receive it today. I think many of you struggle with this. Can God accept? God won't accept. I'm too messy. I'm too filthy. I'm too blind. Well, then you should really see today he's just passed by you and he's calling you and he's saying to you, put your name here, be of good cheer. He put a name here for a reason. He knows all his sheep by name. Be of good cheer. Come to me. Come to the front. Come to my table. Come to my feast. I've got clothes for you. I've got a banquet spread for you. I will cover you and make everything right, says Jesus, with my life. I've given my life as a ransom for you. What do you, you still won't believe that? you're purchased this is the ministry that he's preserved for thousands of years now and you're going to see men get up right now and do what come and serve you we didn't put that into place this is just not exciting from a human standpoint they're going to bring you bread and they're going to bring you wine a feast anticipating your great feast when jesus serves you himself again. I know we all have a lot of guilt and shame. I go through it all too. But when you know someone has freely died for you, who is Jesus, by the will of his Father, when you know someone did that for you, and you owe your life to him, you better live it. You better live it. He's calling you. Come to me. Follow me. And simply say thank you. Come to his table today and let him serve you and be glad. Let's pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, we are thankful, Father, for such love that you've announced. Thank you for giving your best and forgiving your Son that we might know this love and know this peace. You have to come and break through hard hearts to see what we are and what we need. Today, may we come with the same kind of childlike faith as Bartimaeus, believing your word. Thank you for serving us, your table, which announces to us the body and the blood of Jesus for us. Forgive us all of our sins and lift us up in your promises and restore us, O Lord. Revive us to the joy of Your salvation. Thank You for Your glorious announcement today. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.