Audio Messages:
Pastor Wade Burleson

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When the Son Stood Still

Mark 10:46-52

46. And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.
47. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
48. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.
49. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.
50. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.
51. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.
52. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

This text is remarkable for several reasons, but the primary one is that it is the only place in the Bible where it is said, Jesus stood still. We are told that Jesus went about doing good, and that he was constantly on the move. In fact, earlier in this chapter he had said to his disciples Let us go to Jerusalem where the Son of Man will be delivered over to the authorities. Jesus was on a mission saying, I set my face like a flint (Isaiah 50:7). As he follows the road to Jerusalem through Jericho we find a blind beggar calls out . . .

1. Jesus stood still . . .
   This stand at attention reminds me of a father who hears his child's voice call out. It is the posture of someone whose attention has been transfixed by a voice or a phrase. In Joshua's day the sun stood still . . . in the middle of the day (Joshua 10:13), but surely there is no greater miracle than the Son standing still on his way to Jerusalem to die.
2. Jesus called out . . .
   We are not sure what Jesus said. The NIV says Jesus said, "Call him," but those words are not in the original. We don't know if he called Bartimaeus by name or if he simply called out for the man to come. We do know that the call was very personal because everyone told Bartimaeus to go, because he calls for thee (v.49). There is no greater honor than the Son of God to call you into His presence as He did here.
3. Jesus reached forth . . .
   He reached forth to the blind man and said, What do you want me to do for you? (v.51). We can fathom a king beckoning a servant to do His bidding, but it is a rare thing for a king, much less the King of Kings, to ask a blind beggar what He can do for him. The question for us this morning is Will Jesus Christ ever do the same thing for me?

Jesus will walk right past the inn of erit . . . but he takes up residence in the inn of mercy. Mercy -- relieving one's misery with the understanding that the misery is deserved." "The tree of mercy will not drop its fruits unless shaken by the hand of mercy" T. Watson

He did not let his environment stop him. He did not let his friends or his past stop him. He needed a touch from the Savior, and he refused to stop until he found that which he needed. The works Christ performed were meant to be Visible verifications of invisible miracles.

This is a very strong word in the Greek (ekballon) which means "to cast off" or "to throw." Blind people don't cast things off unless they are convinced they can find them again. This story illustrates for us what it means to come to God for forgiveness, peace, or purpose. If you are a blind beggar spiritually, with no sense of God in your life, then llet me encourage you to realize that Christ is passing your way. Call to Him like Bartimaeus caled to Him.

WhenTheSonStoodStill.mp3

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Pastor Wade


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