Fifth Sunday of Lent – March 21, 2021

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I. Introduction

    1. Time – Passover
      1. The Hebrew Month of Nisan – the first month of the agricultural year.
      2. An annual pilgrim festival where the people went to Jerusalem to celebrate, because the presence of God was there.
  • The day the Passover lamb was selected.
  1. Place – Jericho
    1. Joshua’s conquest – near where the people crossed the Jordan to enter the promised land – Joshua 6
    2. Rebuilt at the cost of Hiel’s two sons about 500 years later – 1 Kings 16:34
  • Elijah and Elisha – parted the water and went back and forth across the Jordan – 2 Kings 2
  1. John the Baptist – maybe near where Jesus was baptized –
  2. Crossroads of Israel
    1. Go up to Jerusalem – 14 miles and 3,500 feet of elevation climb, 1000 feet below sea level – Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible
    2. Major trade route – Eerdmans Bible Dictionary

II. Body

    1. 3 main characters Bartimaeus, Jesus, The Crowd
    2. Jesus of Nazareth vs the Son of David
      1. Jesus was a common name, more or less our name Joshua. It means Yahweh saves or Yahweh is salvation
        1. Nazareth –Jesus from the city of Nazareth, Jesus from up north, Jesus from the sticks. A village or city in the district of Galilee
        2. He is a teacher or prophet, or miracle worker.
      2. Son of David
        1. When Bartimaeus hears that it is Jesus of Nazareth he changes to calling him son of David.
        2. Rare title for Jesus – Matthew – Blind men in Matthew 9 and Matthew 20, Canaanite Woman in Mt. 15, Crowds at the triumphal entry in ch. 21; Bartimaeus in Mark 10, Jesus asks the Pharisees in Mark 12, Blind man in Luke 18.
        3. Means: Heir to the throne of Israel, Crown Prince, Rightful King, Messiah that is going to save us from our enemies and reinstitute the Kingdom.
          1. 22:41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” ESV
        4. The crowd sees Jesus as the teacher and prophet from the north, Bartimaeus sees Jesus as the messiah, the true King of Israel and the one who can save him from his circumstances.
      3. Bartimaeus – Blind Beggar or something more?
        1. The crowd sees a blind beggar, a distraction, not worthy of Jesus time
        2. Mark translates the name – Why?
          1. Only translates part of the name (Bar and Ben both mean son of) – Can be used to denote lineage or to denote the characteristics one embodies. Barnabas, Bartholomew, Sons of thunder
          2. Mark translates several Aramaic terms in his gospel, for example – James and John are called Boanerges which means “sons of thunder”. Talitha koumi means little girl come.
          3. Bartimaeus – means son of Timaeus
            1. Timaeus means –
              1. Tame – unclean -son of the unclean or son of dishonor
              2. Time – highly prized, of great value, honorable. Son of high value, highly prized, son of honor
                • The word Timaeus by itself means honorable, highly prized, highly valued
              3. Together with the adjective βαρυς (barus), meaning heavy or burdensome: the noun βαρυτιμος (barutimos), meaning so precious that its acquisition means a huge burden for the buyer; τιμη | Abarim Publications Theological Dictionary (New Testament Greek) (abarim-publications.com)
            2. The Son of High Value or the one who is highly prized, or the son of great honor.
              1. What the world sees as worthless or dishonorable, Jesus sees as highly valued.
  • The crowd sees a blind beggar but Jesus sees something else, one who is highly valued. Jesus saw Bartimaeus, who He was not just His circumstances.  From Jesus viewpoint Bartimaeus has a true identity that transcends His earthly situation… and so do you!

III. Application

    1. Jesus is the God who sees
      1. Ps. 119:1-2 –
        1. 1 You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. NIV
      2. Jesus knows your true identity
  • You are not defined by your circumstances or your roles
    1. Your life is hidden with Christ in God…Col. 3:3
  1. Jesus hears you – you have his attention
  2. To Him you are Bartimaeus, the one who is highly valued
    1. You are worth the heavy price he had to pay…
  3. Bartimaeus, the example of faith
    • He had to see and believe what he couldn’t actually see – walk by faith not by sight
  4. He saw Jesus and believed in who He was/is
  • He was convinced of was what He was capable of
  1. He was persistent and did not give up
    1. He did not let yesterday’s disappointments deter him from today’s opportunity
      1. The morning: Mercy is new, Manna is fresh and Joy’s on the way
      2. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love for I have put my trust in you. Ps. 143:8

IV. Conclusion

    1. Jesus sees you – you are highly valued!
    2. Jesus wants you to see Him, to believe in what He is capable of and to be persistent in your waiting and asking.