Blind Bartimaeus: Persistence toward God
 
**Rhetorical theme**: Persistence in prayer toward God reveals the quality of our faith in Him.
 
**Full theme**: Persistence reveals faith
 
1. Introduction
    
    1. _[Read Mark 10:46-52]_
    2. Two requests of Jesus
        
        1. Same phrase, "What do you want me to do for you?"
        2. Approaches
            
            1. Very different
            2. James and John came demanding something in selfish ambition
            3. Bartimaeus came begging mercy
        3. Response from Jesus is the same
        4. Questions asked are similar
            
            1. Wanting something only Jesus could give
            2. Wanting something for themselves
        5. Outcomes were different
            
            1. Jesus unable to give His left and right seats away
            2. Bartimaeus given his sight
            3. More similarities in how Jesus responds:
                
                1. With grace
                2. With kindness
                3. With some explanation
    3. Somewhat of a theme in these two stories: how we interact with the Lord and why He may respond in the way he does
    4. How we approach God reveals the quality of our faith
        
        1. In James and John, their manner of approaching Jesus revealed their ambition
        2. In Bartimaeus, his manner of approaching Jesus revealed a faith unto salvation
        3. One particular aspect is highlighted: persistence 3. What does persistence look like?
    
    1. **Persistence shown by Bartimaeus**
        
        1. Manner of his calling out
            
            1. As soon as Jesus was near (v47)￼_He begin crying out as soon as he heard Jesus was the one passing by.__￼_
            2. Loud, obnoxious calling out (v47, krazo)
            
            _κράζω is a word like “croak,” It uses kr + vowel + guttural to suggest a rough or raucous sound. It is based on the croaking of ravens.1 The meaning is a. “to croak or cry with a loud and raucous voice_
            
              
            
            _Grundmann, W. (1964–). κράζω, ἀνακράζω, κραυγή, κραυγάζω. G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.), Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 3, p. 898). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans._
            
              
            7. Continual calling out (v47 "began to cry"; v48 "kept crying out", "all the more")￼_The verbs indicate ongoing action, not a one-time action._
              
            9. Despite resistance (v48)￼_He continued calling despite many sternly telling him to be quiet._
              
            11. With undiminishing hope (v50)￼_He was ready and expecting when Jesus called him (not surprised he was finally answered)._
              
            
        2. Content of his calling out
            
            1. "Jesus" - knew Jesus
            2. "Son of David" - knew His heritage
            3. "Have mercy on me" - knew his own need
          
        
        _[Transition: why did Bartimaeus have to show such persistence to get Jesus' attention? Why is it so highlighted in this story?__￼__Was it just happenstance in this instance?_  
        _Or, is this something expected of us too?]_
        
          
        
    2. **Persistence encouraged by Christ**
        
        1. Luke 11:5-13 - two parables
            
            1. Neighbor needing bread: persistence is rewarded
            2. Son asking for a fish or egg: when good is asked, evil is not given!
        2. Luke 18:1-8
            
            1. Purpose: pray at all times, not lose heart
            2. Conclusion: if even an unrighteous judge is moved by persistence, how much more will our righteous God and Father
          
        
        _[Transition: why does Jesus teach such persistence?__￼__What's the purpose of it?_  
        _It's one of the more confusing aspects of the Christian life to me. Are we annoying God into doing something for us? Is He testing us to see if we stick with it?__￼__Jesus tells Bartimaeus: "Your faith has made you well."_  
        _Jesus asked, "will He find faith on earth?"._  
        _I think this the key to the purpose and effect of persistence. It is a matter of faith.]_
        
          
        
4. How does persistence reveal faith?
    
    1. **How did Bartimaeus show faith?**
        
        1. Jesus said, "Your faith has made you well".
        2. We saw in Bartimaeus
            
            1. Persistence
            2. Virgo
            3. Expectation
            4. Hope
        3. What does this tell us about what was going on in his head?
            
            1. Jesus' authority: He believed Jesus could grant him mercy
            2. Jesus' compassion: He believed Jesus would not reject his call
            3. Jesus' power: He believed Jesus could heal his blindness
            4. Jesus' trustworthiness: He believe Jesus would not trick him￼
    2. **Why might God have us wait and show persistence?**
        
        1. The biggest reason: we don't know the big picture
            
            1. We simply can't see how it all fits together
            2. God can see all of it and knows the right timing to give an answer
            3. Look at Christ's genealogy
                
                1. What happened because Abraham and Sarah couldn't wait for a baby?
                    
                    1. Turmoil in the family
                    2. Ishmael born and from him a people that have continually been at odds with Israel
                2. What if Rahab doesn't believe the two spies and leaves her house during the attack?
                3. What if Ruth doesn't go back with Naomi?
                4. What if Joseph caved to pressure to put Mary away?
                5. God would have worked things another way, but it shows how small, seemingly unrelated events in our lives affect the big picture.
            4. It takes faith to believe this
                
                1. Trust that God is doing what is the very best for us and everyone
                2. Trust that temporary (even life-long temporary) suffering may fit best into the whole picture￼
        2. Test our own conviction of the need
            
            1. Ever been convinced you needed something or something needed to happen? But then, when it didn't, over time you realized how unimportant it was?
            2. TV shows for me illustrate the experience
                
                1. Have to watch the next episode!!
                2. But when we just go to bed, sometimes I forget we were even watching the series
            3. Or maybe the opposite? As time passed, you realized all the more how important it was to do something--you become more sure it is right.￼
        3. Practical reasons: Daniel 10:10-14
            
            1. God answers prayers in practical ways: not magic
            2. Gabriel needed to be the one to answer Daniel, but he was delayed, so Daniel had to wait 6. Conclusion
    
    1. In Bartimaeus we see his faith revealed in his persistence in calling out to Christ for mercy
    2. What we see revealed is what he truly believed about God
        
        1. He is good
        2. He will hear me
        3. He will not turn me away
        4. He will show compassion
        5. He will answer at the right time
        6. He will do me good
      
    
                  

Bible Chapel of Shawnee  
January 27th, 2019  
Adult Sunday School