This is the sermon from our Grand Opening service last evening. What questions do you ask when your present circumstances are not the preferred future of your yesterday? Join me as we study Mark 10:46-52. I have provided some resources to assist you with this sermon:
Changing Life's Questions from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.
If you have any difficulty watching the video above, it is also available on Vimeo. Also you can listen to the audio version either on the Church Requel Audio Blog or take it with you by subscribing to the Church Requel Audio Podcast.
Would you like to read my notes for today's Bible study? Just click on the "Continue reading" link below.
LIFE CHANGE: Changing Life’s Questions - 10.18.09
Hitchhiker’s Guide may go down in history as one of the silliest movies every made. But they did get one thing right. Sometimes it’s not just a matter of the answer you get, but the questions you ask. We begin a new sermon series today entitled, LIFE CHANGE HAPPENS HERE.
I don’t think I need to remind everyone of how much change we have seen in our lives over the course of the last 12 months. Recession. Job loss. GM Plant closing, Relocations. Lifelong friends separated. That just scratches the surface for some of you, who have face life changing relationship changes on top of all the economic woes. Divorce. Separation. Breakups. Some of you have battled huge health issues, totally out of your control. Life change forced upon you.
How do you deal with life change, when it’s forced upon you? What do you do when everything happening seems bad and not good? What if you say, “My present was not preferred future yesterday?”
Today we’re going to look at one of my favorite gospel stories from the book of Mark. Can really help us because the beginning of life change, the kind of change that we really seek after deep down inside us, can only begin when we start asking the right questions... the kind of questions that we see here.
READ: Mark 10:46 - “They came to Jericho, And as he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside.”
Luke 18:36 - “When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.’”
Set the scene:
- 3rd year of Jesus’ ministry. Extremely popular among the people. “Large” crowd. Confusing in a large crowd... don’t know if you’re coming or going!
- Jericho - oldest continually inhabited city on earth. Founded as early as 8,000 BC! City of commerce and a winter resort. 1,000 feet below sea level, 3500 feet lower than Jerusalem. 5 miles west of Jordan River, 15 miles north and east of Jerusalem. 8 hour walk UP TO Jerusalem.
- Jesus baptized in Jordan River east of Jericho.
- 40 days and 40 nights in desert west of Jericho
- (next week) meets with wealthy Zaccheus
- of The Good Samaritan road between Jerusalem / Jericho “a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho...”
- Bartimaeus - “son of Timaeus” was blind. begging by the roadside. Strategic place to beg. Catch wealthy businessmen, but also pious Jewish pilgrims on their 8-hour journey from Jericho to Jerusalem. This is how he made his “living.” This roadside spot was his spot!
Not a road where there are usually large crowds. But now all of a sudden something different was going on - people, maybe thousands are in his space, by his spot. But he doesn’t know who and he doesn’t know why.
Question #1: ______WHAT IS HAPPENING?___________
“When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.’”
Luke 18:36 NRSV
This seems like the most obvious question and not particularly deep theologically. But think about it for a minute. There’s a curiosity that goes deeper than the obvious.
- I’ve lost my job. Do we stop at the quick, obvious answer of “recession,” or do we look a little deeper. “God, is there something happening here you want me to know about?”
- My relationship breaks up. Do we stop at “we just couldn’t get along with each other,” or do we look a little deeper. “God is there something you want me to learn about myself from this situation?
- I’m sick... maybe dying. Do we stop at “Why me?” or “That’s the way it goes,” or do we dig deeper. “God, is there something about Your presence in my life I can experience even in this disaster?”
==> There is always more going on than we can see physically with our eyes or understand with our brains. There is another dimension, a spiritual level where everything that happens has another level of significance. Often it is during these difficult life changes when we are most likely to understand what the blind man found out: “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by!”
He’s there in the good times as well, but we have the tendency to ignore God in the good times, to take the credit or to enjoy the benefits of God without fully depending upon Him. But in the bad times, we are much more likely to shout out Question #2...
Question #2: ___GOD, DO YOU NOTICE ME?___________
“When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!‘ Mark 10:47 NRSV
Doesn’t look like a question, but it really is... Jesus, will you have mercy on me? God do you notice me? Do I really matter to you?
Interesting about 20 and 30 somethings: They BELIEVE in God in significantly greater numbers than does my generation. But here’s the rub... they’re not sure it makes any difference. “Everybody can believe in any god they want, because it doesn’t matter.” Do you believe in Jesus? YES. Do you believe he died and was resurrected? YES. But not life changing. Doesn’t affect me. Doesn’t impact me. No relevance to my life.
And we’re OK with that until we run into difficulty, until our life as we have always known it begins to fall apart - that’s when we are most likely to say, “Hey God... I believe you exist. But do you notice me? Do you care about me? This is a really important question for anyone on a spiritual journey. When you move beyond “Does God exist?” to “Does God care?” or “Does it matter?” you’re on your way!
Some lessons we can learn from Bartimaeus...
- He shouted it out. He wasn’t low key, quiet, mousey, whispery. He was demanding to be heard. In the first century there was one cure for blindness and his name was Jesus!
- When you are ready to abandon all dignity and cry out to God, don’t expect your friends to understand. What happened to Bartimaeus? “Many sternly ordered him to be quiet.” It’s an odd thing, unexpected. You’d think that when you’re ready to ask God to stop and notice, you’d think everyone would be supportive. They’re not usually. The question is, how badly to you want God?
- Repeat of #1. Bartimaeus was persistent. He wasn’t going to quit. He was desperate for God and he knew that Jesus was his only hope. Do you remember shouting out to God? Did you keep shouting? Or did you quit the first time it became tough?
- By far the most important here... JESUS STOOD STILL! Jesus was in the middle of a journey between Jericho and Jerusalem. Jesus has a battle to fight in Jerusalem against the religious hypocrisy and legal encrusted religiosity that was actually keeping people away from God. This journey would cost him his life. It’s easy to see how he might be too busy for a blind beggar! But JESUS STOOD STILL!
May I encourage you by the fact that JESUS STILL STANDS STILL today? If you here nothing else today, hear this. People with problems are not AN INCONVENIENCE TO GOD, rather people with problems are the very REASON GOD CAME TO EARTH! If you will persistently shout to God, “Do you notice? Do you care?” I promise you that Jesus WILL STAND STILL for you too!
- Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak. Do you understand the significance of this? All of his begging coins were in that cloak, spread across his lap. He left his life and jumped at the chance for Jesus. How about you? Do you want Jesus so much that not only will you be willing to leave your dignity behind, but also you’ll be willing to loosen your grip on what you think sustains you?
Before we get to the last question, let me give you some advice. You’re going to be surprised. You may think you have Christianity figured out. You may have heard of some kind of formula prayer that includes something like this... “Jesus, what do you want me to do?” You may have even bargained with God... if only you’ll get me out of this situation, I’ll serve you. But here’s the surprise:
Question #3: ___JESUS: WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?________
Jesus asks Bartimaeus, and you today, “What do you want me to do?”
“Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.” Mark 10:51-52 NRSV
If we’re not careful we’ll read this like a fairy tale. And they lived happily ever after. We’ll miss the significance of this. Why did Jesus even ask this question? Isn’t it obvious? The man is blind. He wants healed. But remember he was a beggar. Maybe he would have been happy with a five dollar bill. Jesus didn’t presume. He asked. Why? Because faith demands that you zero in on what you want out of your relationship with God. “Go, your faith has made you well.” We don’t know what was in the heart of the blind beggar... why he wanted to see again. We can all speculate.
But there is no heavy handed speculation in this - we can be fairly sure what the blind beggar saw when he first regained his sight. The face of Jesus!
What is it that you want from God?
- Are you looking for the financial solution to your problems. The God Who created the universe has the wherewithal to give you money, if that’s what you want to settle for!
- Are you looking for the perfect mate, that relationship that will finally satisfy your needs? God knows every human better than they know themselves, if that’s what you want to settle for!
- Are you looking for the cure to what ails you? God is the greatest physician, who can make a person live out of a rib bone. God can cure you, if that’s what you want to settle for!
But how about this? Jesus, I’m blind. I can’t see what I really need to see. I don’t even know the right questions to ask. But will you allow me to see your face? May I just hang out with you?
Conclusion - How We Respond... The Beggar’s Response:
“Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God.” Luke 18:43 NRSV
This is what the blind beggar did when he saw the face of Jesus. And it’s what all people do after they see Jesus. (Notice that people don’t do this TO SEE the face of Jesus. It’s a response. No sense in trying to force this to happen. But when you see the face of God and you want desperately to know how to respond, this is a good guide!)
Following Jesus means going where he goes. Following his path, his direction, his kingdom, his plan.
Different than Jesus bless what I want to do.
Giving God the credit for the good things. Not blaming Him for the bad things. Using the bad to look for the good, for God. Living in wonder - Who God is and does.
Couldn’t help himself. I doubt Bartimaeus was ever able to NOT tell his story. He had seen the face of Jesus. And everyone he encountered could see Jesus face in his face.
CLOSE with comparison to Extreme Home Makeover. "Move that bus!" People see the new house reflected in the eyes of the family BEFORE they ever see the new house. It's the same with us. People see Jesus reflected in our eyes. Have you seen Jesus? Do people see Jesus reflected in your face?
