Welcome to FaithbaseCreate a free account or log in to access all features & content.

Faithbase

Kevin Bennie

Nov 14, 2023 10:06 AM

The Two Blind Men of Mark

👇💥 FULL DEVOTIONAL💥👇 Who is Jesus to me is critical as we talk about a life of service because it determines how seriously we respond to his words and the way we are going to practice and live out everything that we read. In verse 8:21 Jesus chastises his disciples for not understanding the signs that they’d already seen. They couldn’t see him for who he was. 8:22 “They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” 24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” 25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 10:46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging.47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?”Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 52 “Go,”said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.”Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. (Mark 11 - Jesus enters Jerusalem as King) Jesus says to you...what do you want? What do you REALLY want? The pharisees didn't really want to see jesus for who he was, who he REALLY was. Some of the people were looking for a particular kind of savior, and when the savior didn't come wearing the clothes they wanted or expected, when he didn't come wielding the weapon the thought he should wield building a different kind of kingdom than they wanted him to build. Reflect: - Are you chasing Jesus, crying out for him, like Bartimaeus? -Do you want to see Jesus for who he really is? Do you want a life that is propelled by Jesus' message, or do you want your own life? Do you want what Jesus has to offer? -Do you want the life that Jesus really calls us to? Or do you want a savior that looks a particular way and calls you to a particular task? -Do you want the sight that Jesus gives, to see yourself and those around the way that Jesus wants you to see? Sometimes we just want to see things our way, and not Jesus' way. When we choose Jesus as the healer and sight-giver of our life we take on his eyes, we take on his sight, we take on his way of living life. Because this is what it takes to truly experience the life that Jesus offers, to truly know and understand truth of why he came. Pray: - Lord, help me to see you for who you truly are. Remove my blindness. Holy Spirit reveal to me what you want me to see. Amen

Healing

Faith

Service

Hey friends, I hope you're doing well today. Before we get into the content, the core of it, Mark 8 through 10, we're gonna pause and look at a really important context to this. Yesterday we were talking about who is Jesus to you. The answer to that question is absolutely critical because it determines the way that you respond to what Jesus has to say, okay? But before we get to that, I want us to really consider two stories. There are only two blind men healed in the book of Mark, and I think that they are strategically placed. What we're gonna look at is the three confessions of Christ. Him saying the purpose of his being on earth, and then a call for us to live his life the way that he did. But before we get there, Mark puts these bookends on these confessions of these two blind men that are healed. This first one in Mark 8, some people bring a blind man to Jesus and they ask him to heal him. Jesus does, and then he sends him home. Beautiful. Man's life is changed forever. I'll put the story down in the notes. And then at the end of these three confessions in Mark 10, we meet a blind man. His name is Bartimaeus. We actually get his name. He's on the side of the road, and he is crying out. He hears that Jesus is passing by. He's heard of this healer, and he says, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. The people around him are saying, shut up, you're annoying. And he doesn't stop. He calls out for Jesus. He wants Jesus. Jesus stops, and he says, call him over. He says, what do you want me to do for you? And the blind man, as if it wasn't obvious, Jesus really forces a response from him, and he says very directly, I want to see. Jesus heals Bartimaeus, and Bartimaeus follows him down the road. First, I just want to point out, it's going to be important for the next few days, that Jesus is the healer here. Jesus is the one who meets this man's needs, and Jesus is the only one who can truly give Bartimaeus what he desires. Okay, we'll come back to that. But today, this is the question I think that I want you and I to wrestle with. What do you want? I mean, what do you really want? Jesus was seen as many different things to different people, but could people see him for who he truly was? The Messiah, the Son of God, the one to take our sins away, to save us from ourselves and our sin. The Pharisees saw him as someone who called himself God, who shouldn't be saying that, so he's a blasphemer, who's possessed by a demon, performing these miracles he couldn't be from God. People saw him as a healer, and rightly so, as a provider, but did they really want Jesus, the one who came to bring the kingdom of God in a really upside-down kind of way? They wanted political freedom, but he came to bring a different kind of freedom and a different kind of kingdom. Do you want Jesus for who he is? Do you want to see Jesus for who he really is? Do you want to see? This is a different kind of seeing, a spiritual kind. Do you want your eyes open to who he is? Consider this, friends. I'm gonna leave it there today. God bless you.

Welcome to FaithbaseCreate a free account or log in to access all features & content.