Believing Is Seeing
By Rev. Heidi L. Barham | October 27, 2024
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Read Mark 10:46 – 52
Perhaps you have heard someone say that they are taking something on blind faith... which generally means they are operating without much, if any, evidence that something is true or trustworthy.
For example, most of you sat down in the pews this morning without actually testing the pew to see if it was safe and secure... and you likely gave little thought to whether or not it was capable of holding your weight without breaking or falling. In essence, without any real evidence, you took it on blind faith that the pew was going to do what it was designed to do… and here you sit.
Looking at this from the opposite perspective... there is another phrase that might also be familiar to us... and that phrase is “seeing is believing.” In essence, someone needs to see something for themselves before they accept that it is really true or that something really exists.
We are living in an era when almost everyone has a cell phone with photo and video capabilities... which can be quite handy for those people who want to see the evidence before believing that something actually happened.
This has created a phenomenon that can lead to some rather disturbing results.
Many times, as traumatic events are unfolding... rather than rushing to the aid of a person who appears to be in need... bystanders are busy using their cellphones to document events as they are happening in real time.
In some instances, this can be a blessing in disguise... such as in the case of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police back in 2020.
However, there are other circumstances when this can be quite problematic. For example, one of my students told me the other day about two of her high school classmates who were involved in a fatal car accident.
People who were at the scene posted pictures on social media before some of the family had even been notified... can you imagine making such a gruesome discovery on Facebook or Instagram?
This is but one example of how society’s adherence to the idea that “seeing is believing” has gone a step (or two or twelve) too far...
But as we turn our attention to the text this morning, I want to invite us to flip that idea around as we think on the subject: BELIEVING IS SEEING.
Looking at our New Testament lesson for today, we find the story of a man known as Blind Bartimaeus, whose name literally means the son of Timaeus. And while Bartimaeus was physically blind, I think it would be fair to say he saw more clearly than many of the other people around him.
What makes me say that you ask?
Well, in spite of his blindness, the text says that Bartimaeus was able to make his way to Jesus to bring Him his request… it was a request that came with a humble recognition of who Jesus truly is… because in calling Him “Son of David,” Bartimaeus was actually acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah.
Now, in looking at the text, as Jesus was approaching Jericho, Bartimaeus was sitting at the side of the road begging. To give us a little context... in those days, despite the fact that God had issued a command to care for the needy... begging was often the only way a person with disabilities like Bartimaeus could survive.
And so, it was from his roadside position, that Bartimaeus, this blind beggar, heard that Jesus was coming. Now when someone loses one of their senses, it is not uncommon for one or more of their other senses to become more acute to compensate for the one that has been lost. So, it is not all that surprising that, despite his blindness, Bartimaeus was able to hear that Jesus was coming.
And the text indicates that upon realizing Jesus was near, Bartimaeus called out to Him... asking... actually begging... for mercy. Bartimaeus’ request was not asked in a manner that could be described in any way as timid… “Pardon me, Jesus, can I talk to you for a minute…”
No, the scriptures say it was a full-fledged shout, “JESUS, SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY ON ME!”
And when the people around Jesus rebuked Bartimaeus... he did not back down. He called out even more loudly, “SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY ON ME!”
And we should not gloss over the fact that Bartimaeus was not asking for riches or fame or glory… Although, he could have. Even some of the disciples had tried that. But on the contrary, what Bartimaeus asked for was mercy.
Mercy is quite often found walking alongside grace. Grace which can be defined as God’s unmerited favor… getting what we do not deserve.
Mercy on the other hand is NOT getting what we DO deserve. Now back during the time when our text was originally written, blindness was considered to be a curse from God for sin. So, Bartimaeus’ plea for mercy could actually be seen as a cry for deliverance from what he and others would have believed to be a curse that he had been living under… something that he must have deserved.
And as we keep reading the text, we see that Bartimaeus’ plea for mercy did not fall on deaf ears. In fact, Jesus stopped what He was doing and told the disciples that were with Him to call Bartimaeus over… which they did. And the text tells us that Bartimaeus jumped up, threw off his cloak and went to Jesus.
Clearly Jesus, along with everyone else in the area, had already heard Bartimaeus’ pleas for mercy... but nonetheless, Jesus asked Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?”
As you may recall, this is the same question that Jesus asked His disciples, James and John, in the verses preceding our text for today which were the basis for last week’s sermon.
But while James and John asked for seats of privilege and positions of honor… Bartimaeus’ request, on the other hand, was more humble in comparison, “Master, let me receive my sight” or in other words, “Rabbi, I just want to see.”
It would appear that this beggar trusted that Jesus could do for him what no one else could do. And in response, Jesus told Bartimaeus he could “Go,” ...explaining that his faith had healed him… and as the last verse of our text states, immediately Bartimaeus received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Proof positive that BELIEVING IS SEEING.
So, what is the message for us in this New Testament lesson today?
Well, let me suggest that there are at least three things that we can take away from this text.
First, Bartimaeus made his request in a spirit of humility, recognizing his need for mercy and forgiveness.
Bartimaeus had a desire to be healed, but before saying or doing anything else, he acknowledged who Jesus was… calling Him “Son of David” … and then he asked for what he knew he needed first and foremost, and that was mercy.
Often times we come to the Lord with our laundry list of wants and desires, almost as if Jesus is like some sort of an ATM... simply dispensing blessings at the touch of a button.
But one of the things we fail to realize is that... just like we cannot get money of out of an ATM if we have not made a sufficient deposit into our bank account... we cannot expect blessings from Jesus if we have not made a deposit into our spiritual account... in other words into our heart.
So, just how do we make deposits into our spiritual account? By reading and studying the Word of God, by spending time in prayer and worship, by doing those things that bring us closer to the Lord.
As the Psalmist David wrote in Psalm 37 (3 – 5, NKJV):
Read Mark 10:46 – 52
Perhaps you have heard someone say that they are taking something on blind faith... which generally means they are operating without much, if any, evidence that something is true or trustworthy.
For example, most of you sat down in the pews this morning without actually testing the pew to see if it was safe and secure... and you likely gave little thought to whether or not it was capable of holding your weight without breaking or falling. In essence, without any real evidence, you took it on blind faith that the pew was going to do what it was designed to do… and here you sit.
Looking at this from the opposite perspective... there is another phrase that might also be familiar to us... and that phrase is “seeing is believing.” In essence, someone needs to see something for themselves before they accept that it is really true or that something really exists.
We are living in an era when almost everyone has a cell phone with photo and video capabilities... which can be quite handy for those people who want to see the evidence before believing that something actually happened.
This has created a phenomenon that can lead to some rather disturbing results.
Many times, as traumatic events are unfolding... rather than rushing to the aid of a person who appears to be in need... bystanders are busy using their cellphones to document events as they are happening in real time.
In some instances, this can be a blessing in disguise... such as in the case of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police back in 2020.
However, there are other circumstances when this can be quite problematic. For example, one of my students told me the other day about two of her high school classmates who were involved in a fatal car accident.
People who were at the scene posted pictures on social media before some of the family had even been notified... can you imagine making such a gruesome discovery on Facebook or Instagram?
This is but one example of how society’s adherence to the idea that “seeing is believing” has gone a step (or two or twelve) too far...
But as we turn our attention to the text this morning, I want to invite us to flip that idea around as we think on the subject: BELIEVING IS SEEING.
Looking at our New Testament lesson for today, we find the story of a man known as Blind Bartimaeus, whose name literally means the son of Timaeus. And while Bartimaeus was physically blind, I think it would be fair to say he saw more clearly than many of the other people around him.
What makes me say that you ask?
Well, in spite of his blindness, the text says that Bartimaeus was able to make his way to Jesus to bring Him his request… it was a request that came with a humble recognition of who Jesus truly is… because in calling Him “Son of David,” Bartimaeus was actually acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah.
Now, in looking at the text, as Jesus was approaching Jericho, Bartimaeus was sitting at the side of the road begging. To give us a little context... in those days, despite the fact that God had issued a command to care for the needy... begging was often the only way a person with disabilities like Bartimaeus could survive.
And so, it was from his roadside position, that Bartimaeus, this blind beggar, heard that Jesus was coming. Now when someone loses one of their senses, it is not uncommon for one or more of their other senses to become more acute to compensate for the one that has been lost. So, it is not all that surprising that, despite his blindness, Bartimaeus was able to hear that Jesus was coming.
And the text indicates that upon realizing Jesus was near, Bartimaeus called out to Him... asking... actually begging... for mercy. Bartimaeus’ request was not asked in a manner that could be described in any way as timid… “Pardon me, Jesus, can I talk to you for a minute…”
No, the scriptures say it was a full-fledged shout, “JESUS, SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY ON ME!”
And when the people around Jesus rebuked Bartimaeus... he did not back down. He called out even more loudly, “SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY ON ME!”
And we should not gloss over the fact that Bartimaeus was not asking for riches or fame or glory… Although, he could have. Even some of the disciples had tried that. But on the contrary, what Bartimaeus asked for was mercy.
Mercy is quite often found walking alongside grace. Grace which can be defined as God’s unmerited favor… getting what we do not deserve.
Mercy on the other hand is NOT getting what we DO deserve. Now back during the time when our text was originally written, blindness was considered to be a curse from God for sin. So, Bartimaeus’ plea for mercy could actually be seen as a cry for deliverance from what he and others would have believed to be a curse that he had been living under… something that he must have deserved.
And as we keep reading the text, we see that Bartimaeus’ plea for mercy did not fall on deaf ears. In fact, Jesus stopped what He was doing and told the disciples that were with Him to call Bartimaeus over… which they did. And the text tells us that Bartimaeus jumped up, threw off his cloak and went to Jesus.
Clearly Jesus, along with everyone else in the area, had already heard Bartimaeus’ pleas for mercy... but nonetheless, Jesus asked Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?”
As you may recall, this is the same question that Jesus asked His disciples, James and John, in the verses preceding our text for today which were the basis for last week’s sermon.
But while James and John asked for seats of privilege and positions of honor… Bartimaeus’ request, on the other hand, was more humble in comparison, “Master, let me receive my sight” or in other words, “Rabbi, I just want to see.”
It would appear that this beggar trusted that Jesus could do for him what no one else could do. And in response, Jesus told Bartimaeus he could “Go,” ...explaining that his faith had healed him… and as the last verse of our text states, immediately Bartimaeus received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Proof positive that BELIEVING IS SEEING.
So, what is the message for us in this New Testament lesson today?
Well, let me suggest that there are at least three things that we can take away from this text.
First, Bartimaeus made his request in a spirit of humility, recognizing his need for mercy and forgiveness.
Bartimaeus had a desire to be healed, but before saying or doing anything else, he acknowledged who Jesus was… calling Him “Son of David” … and then he asked for what he knew he needed first and foremost, and that was mercy.
Often times we come to the Lord with our laundry list of wants and desires, almost as if Jesus is like some sort of an ATM... simply dispensing blessings at the touch of a button.
But one of the things we fail to realize is that... just like we cannot get money of out of an ATM if we have not made a sufficient deposit into our bank account... we cannot expect blessings from Jesus if we have not made a deposit into our spiritual account... in other words into our heart.
So, just how do we make deposits into our spiritual account? By reading and studying the Word of God, by spending time in prayer and worship, by doing those things that bring us closer to the Lord.
As the Psalmist David wrote in Psalm 37 (3 – 5, NKJV):
Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.
It is only after we start trusting in the Lord, feeding on His faithfulness, and delighting in Him… THEN the Psalmist says He will give us the desires of our heart.
After we have committed our way to the Lord and put our trust in Him… THEN He shall bring it to pass.
Bartimaeus’ initial response to Jesus was an indication that he understood what the Psalmist David was saying. And that is something that we would do well to understand also…
We must delight ourselves in the Lord and draw closer to Him… trusting in Him… humbly acknowledging our need for grace and mercy… then and only then, can we hope to be blessed with the desires of our hearts as Bartimaeus was.
Now, the second thing we can take from Bartimaeus’ story is that he was literally operating from a place of faith… trusting and believing that Jesus had the ability to heal him and restore his sight. Although he had actually never seen Jesus for himself... Bartimaeus had faith that what Jesus had done for others... He could do for him. He was literally operating under the premise that BELIEVING IS SEEING.
When we come to Jesus with our requests, do we have faith that He can do what we have asked Him to do? And furthermore, do we not only believe that He can do what we have asked... do we believe that He will do what have asked.
In Matthew 17:20, Jesus told His disciples, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
But do we honestly come to Jesus with mustard-seed-mountain-moving faith?
Faith like the centurion who asked for his servant to be healed (Matthew 8) and Jesus said, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.”
Faith like the woman with the issue of blood who dared touch the hem of Jesus’ garment (Matthew 9) to whom Jesus responded, “Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you”
Faith like Bartimaeus who heard Jesus say to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.”
When we bring our concerns before the Lord... we should make it a point to come with faith... understanding the principle that we find in Hebrews 11:6 which says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
This harkens back to what we find in the Old Testament in the book of the Prophet Jeremiah (29:12-13) where we read “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Just as the centurion, the woman with the issue of blood and Bartimaeus all operated in faith as they sought Jesus, we, too must be intentional in seeking the Lord with all our heart.
And that brings us to the third thing we can take from Bartimaeus’ story which is why Bartimaeus’ request was granted… Bartimaeus received what he truly desired because what he asked for was in line with the Lord’s will for his life.
The fact is... the Lord desires to shower us with His grace and mercy... He desires for us to be made whole. That is why the writer of Hebrews encourages us, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Throughout the scriptures, we find stories of the Lord giving sight to the blind, restoring hearing to the deaf, making the lame walk again… and without a doubt, Bartimaeus had heard those stories as well.
So, in essence, Bartimaeus was only asking for something that he had heard about Jesus doing before… which would mean it was something that must have been in alignment with Jesus’ will... otherwise, He would not have done it for the others that came before Bartimaeus.
It reminds me of a song that has been recorded by a number of artists, including Elvis Presley. The song is entitled, “It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)” and the lyrics simply say:
After we have committed our way to the Lord and put our trust in Him… THEN He shall bring it to pass.
Bartimaeus’ initial response to Jesus was an indication that he understood what the Psalmist David was saying. And that is something that we would do well to understand also…
We must delight ourselves in the Lord and draw closer to Him… trusting in Him… humbly acknowledging our need for grace and mercy… then and only then, can we hope to be blessed with the desires of our hearts as Bartimaeus was.
Now, the second thing we can take from Bartimaeus’ story is that he was literally operating from a place of faith… trusting and believing that Jesus had the ability to heal him and restore his sight. Although he had actually never seen Jesus for himself... Bartimaeus had faith that what Jesus had done for others... He could do for him. He was literally operating under the premise that BELIEVING IS SEEING.
When we come to Jesus with our requests, do we have faith that He can do what we have asked Him to do? And furthermore, do we not only believe that He can do what we have asked... do we believe that He will do what have asked.
In Matthew 17:20, Jesus told His disciples, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
But do we honestly come to Jesus with mustard-seed-mountain-moving faith?
Faith like the centurion who asked for his servant to be healed (Matthew 8) and Jesus said, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.”
Faith like the woman with the issue of blood who dared touch the hem of Jesus’ garment (Matthew 9) to whom Jesus responded, “Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you”
Faith like Bartimaeus who heard Jesus say to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.”
When we bring our concerns before the Lord... we should make it a point to come with faith... understanding the principle that we find in Hebrews 11:6 which says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
This harkens back to what we find in the Old Testament in the book of the Prophet Jeremiah (29:12-13) where we read “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Just as the centurion, the woman with the issue of blood and Bartimaeus all operated in faith as they sought Jesus, we, too must be intentional in seeking the Lord with all our heart.
And that brings us to the third thing we can take from Bartimaeus’ story which is why Bartimaeus’ request was granted… Bartimaeus received what he truly desired because what he asked for was in line with the Lord’s will for his life.
The fact is... the Lord desires to shower us with His grace and mercy... He desires for us to be made whole. That is why the writer of Hebrews encourages us, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Throughout the scriptures, we find stories of the Lord giving sight to the blind, restoring hearing to the deaf, making the lame walk again… and without a doubt, Bartimaeus had heard those stories as well.
So, in essence, Bartimaeus was only asking for something that he had heard about Jesus doing before… which would mean it was something that must have been in alignment with Jesus’ will... otherwise, He would not have done it for the others that came before Bartimaeus.
It reminds me of a song that has been recorded by a number of artists, including Elvis Presley. The song is entitled, “It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)” and the lyrics simply say:
It is no secret what God can do. What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you. With arms wide open, He’ll pardon you. It is no secret what God can do.
The fact is that God has more than enough grace and mercy to bestow upon ALL who ask. That is why, when we bring our requests before the Lord... we can do so with the assurance that God’s blessings are unlimited. There is no need to fear that they will ever run out. Because make no mistake… God always has been and always will be in the blessing business.
And believe it or not, that means it is even okay for us to ask for and expect God to perform miracles… because in spite of what some people might have us believe to the contrary... miracles were not simply reserved for biblical times.
BELIEVING IS SEEING that God still specializes in the mighty and the miraculous… it is why each of us is still here today.
So, let’s be sure that whenever we bring our requests before the Lord... let’s do so like Bartimaeus… with a spirit of humility, operating from a place of faith, and asking for what aligns with the Lord’s will for our lives…
Because when we make it a point to do that... we will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that BELIEVING IS SEEING... and we will be able to say just like the Psalmist David, “I remain confident of this: I will SEE the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13).
And so with that thought in mind, I want to invite us now to stand and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: Be Thou My Vision #595
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And believe it or not, that means it is even okay for us to ask for and expect God to perform miracles… because in spite of what some people might have us believe to the contrary... miracles were not simply reserved for biblical times.
BELIEVING IS SEEING that God still specializes in the mighty and the miraculous… it is why each of us is still here today.
So, let’s be sure that whenever we bring our requests before the Lord... let’s do so like Bartimaeus… with a spirit of humility, operating from a place of faith, and asking for what aligns with the Lord’s will for our lives…
Because when we make it a point to do that... we will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that BELIEVING IS SEEING... and we will be able to say just like the Psalmist David, “I remain confident of this: I will SEE the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13).
And so with that thought in mind, I want to invite us now to stand and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: Be Thou My Vision #595
