Good morning. My name is Matthew Capone and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today.
Special welcome if you're new or visiting with us. We're glad that you're here and we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats, but because we're following Jesus together as one community.
And as we follow Jesus together, we become convinced that there's no one so good. They don't need God's grace and no one so bad.
They can't have it, which is why we come back week after week to hear what God has to say to us in his word.
We're continuing our series in the Gospel of Mark and you'll remember that the Gospels tell the story of Jesus in his life and his death and his resurrection.
And as we were going through the beginning, chapters 1 through 8, we asked this question, who is Jesus?
We saw in the middle of chapter 8, Peter answers it definitively for us, that Jesus is the Christ.
He's the one who's come to be the ultimate prophet, priest, and king for God's people.
And so now we've been on a journey with a slightly different question heading out from that, which is what does it look like to follow after Jesus?
And over the last few weeks, we have seen, as Jesus literally heads to Jerusalem, that the kingdom operates in a way that is upside down.
It operates in a way that is different from the world.
We've seen that when it came to marriage and sex.
We've seen that when it comes to children, when it comes to money, and then last week when it comes to power and glory and success and fame.
Now this week, it might appear on the surface that we've turned away from that, that we're simply looking at another healing story.
In fact, this is the last healing that Jesus will perform before Holy Week begins in chapter 11.
But it is actually not just another blind man who's given sight.
Jesus is using this, Mark is using this, as a conclusion to the upside down nature of the kingdom.
In fact, it in some ways connects all the stories that come before what we've seen over the last month or so,
as Jesus gets right at the issue of desire.
Because all the things that we've looked at, marriage, children, money, power, get at what it is that our hearts most long for.
What we dream of, what we want, the results that we look for.
And so it's with that I invite you to turn with me to God's word.
We're in Mark chapter 10, starting at verse 46.
You can turn in your worship guide, you can turn on your phone, you can turn in your Bible.
No matter where you turn, remember that this is God's word.
In Proverbs chapter 30, verse 5 tells us that every word of God proves true.
He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
And so that's why we read now, starting at verse 46.
And they came to Jericho.
And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd,
Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside.
And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say,
Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.
Verse 48.
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he cried out all the more, son of David, have mercy on me.
And Jesus stopped and said, call him.
And they called the blind man, saying to him, take heart, get up.
He is calling you.
Verse 50.
And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.
And Jesus said to him, what do you want me to do for you?
And the blind man said to him, Rabbi, let me recover my sight.
And Jesus said to him, go your way.
Your faith has made you well.
And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.
I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word.
Our Father in heaven, we come again to your word.
And we thank you that you promise that it won't return to you empty.
But it will accomplish all of your purposes.
And so we ask that you would honor that promise this morning,
that you would use it to accomplish your purposes in our hearts, in our minds, in our lives.
That you would do for us what we can't do for ourselves.
That you'd change hearts of stone into hearts of flesh.
That you'd show us our need for you and your salvation.
And you'd also show us your grace.
Most of all, we ask that you would show us Jesus,
that we would see exactly how beautiful he is.
And we ask these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
When I was in seminary,
the seminary that I went to also offered a counseling program.
And there were a variety of men that I came in with
who came in thinking that they were going to be pastors.
And they left instead being counselors.
Some of my best friends, in fact.
And there was an exercise that some of those counselors had to do
in their very last year of the program together when they were doing their internship.
Meaning they were practicing with actual clients in real life situations.
And then they would meet together to be coached and mentored and to discuss these things.
And some of them in their coaching groups were required to do an exercise
that they referred to as goaling.
Goaling, going along with the word goal.
Something that you want or desire.
And that was, in fact, the purpose of the exercise.
It was for them to answer this question.
What is it that you really want?
What is it deep down that your heart longs for
that maybe you've not been willing to say out loud before,
but now you need to say something you've not been willing to admit to anyone?
And it turned out to be a much harder exercise than it sounds like on the surface
because it involves grappling with what it is we want most of all.
The person who presents a public image of having this carefree existence that they love,
full of trips and experiences,
has to wrestle with whether they actually are deeply lonely
and want to find someone to settle down with.
The person who presents as a family man has to ask himself
if deep down he wants professional success more than anything else.
Maybe someone works for a company nine to five
and what they're afraid to say out loud
is that they wish that they could work for themselves.
Maybe it's something as simple as being comfortable financially.
Maybe you just want to have friends who you can trust,
who enjoy you, and whom you enjoy.
Desire is a funny thing,
and often we haven't slowed down enough to know what it is we actually want.
We can be caught off guard by them when they appear.
Now, when these counselors were given this exercise,
the story that I heard they were told at the very beginning,
a sobering one was of a man who did the goaling,
and he decided at the end of it
that what he wanted more than anything else,
his desire, what he was going to head for,
was he had a number in his head of his annual salary.
This man wanted to make $500,000 a year.
And at the end of the year,
after he had completed his goaling exercise,
he had accomplished what he set out to do.
He was making $500,000 a year,
except that there was a catch.
In that year, he had also lost his family.
Desire is a dangerous thing.
The heart is a risky thing.
And as they say,
we have to be careful what we wish for
because we might have the misfortune of actually getting it.
I told you on the surface,
this might look like just another healing story for Jesus,
but actually it's deeply connected to our passage from last week.
It's so connected, in fact,
that I almost preached last week's passage
and this week's passage as one sermon rather than two,
and it's because there's this phrase that appears in both stories.
There's this connection that ties them intimately together.
It's Jesus' question that he asked last week in verse 36.
Remember, James and John come to him and they say,
we want you to give us whatever it is that we ask for.
And Jesus responds by saying this,
what do you want me to do for you?
It's not a coincidence that that same exact question appears in this passage.
This blind man is crying out to Jesus.
Those around him are trying to silence him.
Jesus calls him to come.
And what is it that Jesus says to him?
The exact same words.
What do you want me to do for you?
Mark has placed these two stories together
because he wants us to put them side by side.
He wants us to see this same question asked of two different people
and for us to realize how radically different the answers are.
One answers that they want power, honor, and glory.
The other one answers that he just wants to be able to see.
Verse 51,
Rabbi, let me recover my sight.
I've told you before that repetition in the Bible matters.
And this repetition here is not just meant to tie these two stories together.
It is to turn the barrel of the story straight at us, the readers,
because the question that Jesus asks of James and John,
the question that he asks of this blind man,
is the same question Mark means for his readers to answer.
What is it that you want Jesus to do for you?
When we come into this story, verse 46,
they're crossing the Jordan River,
which means that they're heading from the west towards the east.
This is to remind us that Jesus is getting closer and closer to Jerusalem.
And so as he's nearing the cross,
things are coming into greater and greater focus.
Next week, chapter 11 is going to start out with his triumphal entry into Jerusalem
when he rides a donkey as a conquering king.
I've told you before that as the gospel of Mark continues,
we're going to see three groups of people merge into two.
It's been pointed out that as we begin in the gospel,
there are folks who love Jesus,
folks who are opposed to Jesus,
and folks who are ambivalent to Jesus.
As we continue in the gospel,
that middle category disappears,
and we only have two.
Either we love Jesus and want to follow him,
or we're opposed to him and reject him.
It's in that that we see this man,
verse 47,
he's crying out.
Maybe he's ashamed,
maybe he's embarrassed,
but he is too desperate to care.
He does something else that's interesting.
In verse 47,
he hears that it's Jesus of Nazareth,
but he doesn't cry that out.
What does he say instead?
Did you notice it?
He says,
Jesus,
son of David.
That son of David is language that refers to Jesus as the king,
because remember that David was the quintessential king of Israel,
and it was from David's line that the greater king was meant to come.
And so this blind man,
at least at some level,
understands Jesus' identity.
He knows something about the fact that Jesus is the king.
But unlike the disciples,
unlike James and John,
he also understands something about himself.
Verses 47 and 48,
we hear twice,
have mercy on me.
Verse 48,
they try to silence him,
but it doesn't matter because his need is too great.
Brothers and sisters,
the point is this.
Jesus is not going to be beautiful to us
unless we know,
until we know,
that we need his mercy.
Jesus is not going to be beautiful to us.
Until we know,
unless we know,
how much we need him.
If Jesus is boring and unattractive,
if he seems irrelevant,
if you are wondering why it is that you're plotting along in the Christian life,
I can tell you there's at least one reason,
and it's this.
You don't think your situation is that bad.
Maybe you need some tweaks,
some life hacks,
but you don't need something as radical
as going from death to life,
from a heart of stone
into a heart of flesh.
This man, though,
this blind man,
has a physical problem
meant to teach us a spiritual lesson.
His need is so great.
He is so desperate
that he doesn't care
who tells him to shut up.
He doesn't care
how awkward or embarrassing
the situation is.
He needs the son of David
to heal him.
And glory and power
and honor
which are at the front
of James and John's mind
are irrelevant to him.
Because there is something
much, much more important.
I warned you at the beginning
of the Gospel of Mark
when we preached chapter 1,
verses 1 through 8,
that it was not going to be
an intellectual.
We're not here
to have just profound insights
into God's word,
but we are instead here
to be saved.
I told you over and over
that we have to admit
real need,
that that's the price
of admission
when it comes to Jesus
and his kingdom.
And the Gospel of Mark
does just that.
If you're reading carefully,
if you're listening,
if you're feeling it,
the Gospel pushes on you.
Mark is demanding
a response.
Brothers and sisters,
Jesus himself
demands a response.
Either we are for him
or we are against him.
We were meant to answer
at the beginning
who we believe he is.
And now Jesus
presses us to answer
what it is
our hearts most long for.
The reader is meant
to connect the dots here
and answer this question
for herself.
And so I ask you again,
what is it that you want
Jesus to do for you?
Have you slowed down enough
to know what it is
your heart craves
and longs for?
Maybe like James and John,
you're hoping Jesus
will finally provide
the approval of others.
That if you can say
the right things
at the right time
in church,
that you'll be significant
and powerful,
that your life will matter.
Maybe you're hoping
that Jesus is going
to provide you
with a simple
and easy family
where things
always go smoothly.
Maybe you're hoping
he's going to provide you
with a spouse.
Maybe what you want
from Jesus
is simply to give
those you love
the worldly success
that you want for them.
maybe you just want
to be left alone,
comfortable
and at ease.
And it doesn't feel
like you're asking
for too much.
It probably didn't feel
like too much
to James and John.
And we know that it didn't
because they did.
And Jesus is actually
offering something
far better.
Jesus says here,
I will give you sight
if you're willing
to admit you're blind.
I will give you sight
if you're willing
to admit
that you're blind.
What is it
that you actually want?
What is it
that you want me
to do
for you?
And so really
Jesus here
is pulling together
everything we've seen
over the last
four weeks
and beyond
because this is
the upside down
nature of the gospel
all over again.
It is not
for the strong
but for the weak.
It's not for those
who are well
but for those
who are sick.
Remember John the Baptist
at the very beginning
came to prepare
the way for Jesus
and he prepared
the way for Jesus
in this sense
specifically
that people had
to come to him
and repent
of their sins.
That they were
naming what was wrong
so that the doctor
the great physician
could come
and heal them.
And that's exactly
what Jesus does here.
Verse 52
Go your way
your faith
has made you well.
And what is this man's fate?
That he knows
how great his need is
and he doesn't give up
until Jesus answers.
That is what we are meant
to want Jesus
to do for us.
We are meant to see
our great need of him.
Jesus offers
to heal you too.
if you will let him.
If you will admit
your need.
If you can say
with the blind man
son of David
have mercy on me.
as we think
and look
at our desires
it may be
sobering
and convicting
it may be hard
and challenging
you may be filled
with a certain sense
of conviction
and need
to change
and duty
and guilt
and shame
will not help you.
In fact
that is what we just sang
in our new song
this morning.
I invite you to look there
with me on page 6.
What we sang
right before the sermon
is a song
about what it takes
for Jesus
to be beautiful to us
for our desires
to be pointed
in the right direction
and we are told this
in the second verse
at the end
it is not a sense
of right
or duty.
Duty will not change
what our hearts
long for.
Knowing what is right
will not change
what it is
we love
but instead
we are told here
the sight
of peerless worth.
In other words
the sight
of knowing
and seeing
that Jesus
is more beautiful
and more precious
and greater
than anything else.
And what is it
that is going
to lead us
to look at Jesus
and see his beauty
as more
than any other beauty.
It is going
to happen
when that diamond
is set
against the black backdrop.
It is going
to happen
when we see
God's grace
and we know
our need.
Food is beautiful
to a hungry man.
Hospitals
are welcome
to those
who need
healing.
Guilt
won't
get you
there.
Duty
won't
get you
there.
It is
Jesus
and his
beauty
that
changes
our
hearts
and
our
desires.
And so
this passage
is calling
us to ask
this question
that we've
seen
already.
I've mentioned
many times
what is it
that you
want me
to do
for you?
What is
the desire
of your
heart?
What is it
that you
long for
more than
anything
else?
Is it
leading you
to life
or to
death?
The blind
man here
gives us
the model
and the
answer.
What we
need more
than anything
else is to
be healed.
When we
know that,
what we
will long
for more
than anything
else is
for Jesus.
that is
the sight
of
peerless
worth.
In the
Lord of the
Rings
trilogy,
the very
beginning,
we meet
this character
named
Gollum.
And while
he might
not appear
or act
like it,
Gollum was
a hobbit
at one
point who
has been
twisted by
the years
that he
spent with
the ring.
The thing
that he
loves and
desires more
than anything
else, he's
been with
it for
500 years
and it
still hasn't
been enough
to satisfy
him.
And Yegala
keeps running
after it as
we get to
the end of
the third
book, the
return of
the king.
Frodo and
Sam have
made it near
the end of
their journey.
They just
need to get
into Mount
Doom so
that they
can drop
the ring
into the
lake of
fire and
destroy it
forever.
But as
they journey,
Sam notices
that someone
is following
them,
and he
realizes that
Gollum is
still after
the ring.
When they
sleep at
night, then
he and
Frodo take
turns staying
up, afraid
Gollum will
come to
steal and
kill.
As the
journey
continues,
Frodo is
so warned
that Sam
has to
carry him
at points
to get
to the
top of
Mount
Doom.
And near
the end,
it's so
hard that
they crawl
on hands
and knees
to enter
in so
that they
can get
to this
place to
destroy the
ring once
and for
all.
Sam thinks
that they're
done with
Gollum until
the very
last moment
when he
comes,
knocks Sam
aside and
begins a
wrestling match
with Frodo.
He wants
the ring so
much that he
bites off
Frodo's
finger and
then cries
out in joy
that he
finally has
it.
gollum
and then
gollum
falls off
the ledge
and he
dies because
he's burned
in the
fires of
Mount
Doom.
Gollum
gets
what he
desires
and it
kills him.
he burns
in the
lake
of fire.
What do
you want
Jesus to
do for
you?
This
passage tells
us it's a
matter of
life and
death.
Let's pray.
our
father in
heaven we
thank you
this morning
that you
know that
we're feeble
and fragile
people and
that you
meet us at
that place
with your
grace.
We ask
that you
would show
us what
it is that
we long
for and
love.
That you
turn us
to want
you and
your grace
more than
anything else.
You'd show
us our need
for your
mercy and
that we
would run
to you
with joy.
We ask
these things
in the
mighty name
of Jesus
Christ.
Amen.
I invite
you to
stand for
our closing
hymn.