Sermon Synopsis
This sermon expounds Mark 10:46–52, focusing on Bartimaeus as a model of faith, spiritual insight, and decisive response to Christ. Through his cries from the lips and the heart, the message highlights how Jesus is communicated through compassionate invitation and personal encounter. The sermon challenges hearers to examine their response to Christ—whether remaining by the wayside, going their own way, or choosing to follow Jesus in His way. The intended impact is to stir renewed evangelistic urgency and wholehearted discipleship.
Please note: This transcript is provided as close to verbatim record of the sermon.
Communicating Jesus Christ
Mark 10:46–52
Introduction
Good morning again.
We come to the last study of our tacio series, and this is the only occasion in which the word tacio was not used by the Lord Himself. It was used by others, and hence I have entitled this message “Communicating Jesus Christ.”
We are going to look at a very familiar passage of Scripture to get a flavor of the use of this word. If you would turn with me to Mark chapter 10, we will begin reading from verse 46 to the end of the chapter. As we read, keep in mind these three thoughts:
[Scripture reading: Mark 10:46–52]
May the Lord again bless us in the public reading of His precious Word this morning.
There are two cries that Bartimaeus made that day. One was a cry from his lips, and the other was a cry from his heart.
He cried,
“Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.”
Now, a lot of people did not think very well of Bartimaeus at all. He was unsighted. He was a beggar. He was just sitting by the wayside.
But as I studied this passage in preparation for this message, I must confess that I became very impressed with Bartimaeus.
He addressed Jesus as “Jesus, Son of David.”
Now where did he get that from? Jesus of Nazareth—Jesus, Son of David.
I looked at a few commentaries, and most commentators just gloss over this title. But my curiosity was strong, so I dug deeper.
I found that, like all Jewish boys, Bartimaeus would have undergone the usual education. He would first be taught the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. After that, he would be taught the Tanakh, the Hebrew Scriptures, what we call the Old Testament.
If you go through the Old Testament, you will see numerous promises made by God to the children of Israel. One of them concerns the line of David—that there would be a Son greater than David, and His kingdom would reign forever.
I am sure that Bartimaeus was enlightened that day.
This Jesus of Nazareth is none other than the Son of David.
So he shouted that very title. And when the crowd tried to silence him, putting ourselves in his shoes, I think we would all shout even more.
This title, “Son of David,” has clear messianic implications. It shows how much Bartimaeus knew about his Scriptures. From Jesus of Nazareth, he moved to Jesus, Son of David.
But that is not all.
When he came before Jesus, he called Him by a very rare Hebrew title. In our English Bibles it is translated “Lord,” but in the Greek it is Rabboni. According to Vine’s Dictionary, this title is used for one who is highly respected—more than a rabbi. It can be understood as “my great Master.”
So we see a progression:
Before he met Jesus, his prayer was general: “Have mercy on me.”
But when Jesus asked him, “What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?” he got straight to the point.
“There is nothing else in the world that I want more, that I need more—give me my sight.”
Sometimes our prayers are general, but when we come before our Heavenly Father, we need to get to the point—express our need and submit ourselves to His sovereign will.
There was also a cry in his heart that was never uttered, yet the Lord heard it.
In all probability, Bartimaeus thought to himself, “This is my only opportunity before He passes me by. I must seize it.”
Perhaps the cry of his heart was simply this:
“Good Lord, do not pass me by.”
Those words are not mine. Let me share a story from the annals of Fanny Crosby.
Fanny Crosby lost her sight as a young girl, but she discovered she was gifted with words. She wrote about 8,000 poems, many of which became hymns. What is less known is that she was also an itinerant preacher, sharing her testimony and preaching Christ.
One day she was invited to speak at a detention center. At the end of her message, she heard one inmate cry out,
“Good Lord, do not pass me by.”
She was so moved that she went home and wrote a beautiful hymn, later set to music by William Doane:
Pass me not, O gentle Savior, hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by.
Friends, if you are still lingering, still considering whether to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, I urge you to do so quickly. Jesus may pass you by in the sense that you may lose an opportunity today.
The crowd said to Bartimaeus,
“Be of good comfort. Rise; He calleth thee.”
There could have been no sweeter words for him that day. Indeed, no words sweeter in his whole life.
“He calleth thee.”
That is the gospel in its simplest form.
When we say “He,” we speak of His person, His work on the cross, and His worth.
“Calleth” speaks of His invitation—to sinners unto repentance, and to saints unto sanctification and service.
There is a simple chorus that summarizes this gospel call:
Bartimaeus’ Response
His response was threefold:
These were all actions of faith.
I want to focus briefly on the first: casting away his garment.
This garment was his outer cloak—used at night for warmth and by day as his tool of trade, spread out to receive alms. By casting it away, he showed he believed he would no longer need it. He was burning his bridges. He was not going back to his old life.
So it is when we come to Jesus Christ. We must put away things that hinder us.
Some of those things are:
I remember having lunch with a senior lawyer who knew I was a Christian. He told me,
“I make so much money now. I can go anywhere, buy anything. I don’t see the need for Jesus.”
He was not prepared to give up what held him back.
Coming to Christ requires us to leave behind pride, self-sufficiency, and worldly security. As the Lord Himself said, if we do not deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him, we cannot be His disciples.
III. Choices of Life
Notice the progression in the passage:
Bartimaeus had no choice regarding his condition, but he had a choice of response.
After healing him, the Lord graciously said, “Go thy way.”
He could have gone home, enjoyed life, pursued pleasure.
But thankfully, he did not.
He chose to follow Jesus in His way.
There are three groups represented here:
Would to God this morning that all of us would fall into this third group—like Bartimaeus of old—and follow Him in His way.
Conclusion
May the Lord bless us for this lesson to our hearts this morning. As we have looked at the last reference of tacio, may we be people who communicate the Lord Jesus Christ—to a lost world, to those who have gone their way, and bring them back to the fold.
Let us pray.
Messages: 6
