Is seeing really believing?

June 9, 2010

Is seeing really believing?

Mark 10:46-52

Kyla Bryan

Central Truth

When the blind man was told that Jesus the Nazarene was walking by, the blind man appropriately recognized Jesus as the One, the Messiah. He didn't call Him "Jesus the Nazarene," he called Him the "Son of David!"

When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Mark 10:47-48)

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

46 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. 47 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!” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 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.” 52 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.

My husband and I found out that we were pregnant around the time I was writing this Journey devotional last October. I was shocked when two lines appeared on the pregnancy test instead of one, so I went to the store and bought a digital test just in case. There was no misreading that test because it had the word PREGNANT in bold letters! For the first few days, it was very hard for me to believe that I was pregnant because I couldn't see anything going on inside. I wanted to see, to know, to feel different, and to be given some kind of certainty that something was going on in my body. Instead, I had to be "blind" for nine months.

I think we tend to do this a lot with God. We want to see with our eyes, to have this feeling that something really is different, or to be given some kind of certainty that He really is there and He really does love us. We want proof, and we do not want to walk around blindly believing that He has our best interest in mind. Somehow we want more than what He has already given. Blind Bartimaeus, however, yelled out by faith! No hesitation, no waiting for miracles, no proof, just trust. Bartimaeus could not see Jesus with his eyes, and yet he believed Christ to be the Son of David, the Savior.

In 2 Samuel 7:12-13, God spoke to David saying, "When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." David had to trust that God was going to use his lineage to fulfill the promise made in 2 Samuel, and He did just that with Christ.

Bartimaeus knew that Jesus was not just from Nazareth, but also the fulfillment of promises from Scripture. He did not need to see to believe.

1. When you think of Jesus, whom do you see?

2. What are you doing to grow your picture of Jesus Christ?

3. Sometimes we feel like we are walking blindly in this world. Are you trusting the Son of David?

4. Did you answer No. 3 honestly?

FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Do you think all people are equal?

2. What does verse 46 tell us about Bartimaeus?

3. They were telling Bartimaeus to be quiet because beggars were considered unimportant, and especially blind ones. How did Jesus respond to Bartimaeus' calling out to Him?

4. Jesus came to serve and love all people. Do you treat others like Jesus, even those the world says are not as important?