Naturally Supernatural Weekend with the Absaloms

Written By Hayley Lotter

Opening Prayer:

Lord God,

Help us be attentive and responsive to You in every moment of our lives.
In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Key Scripture:

46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Mark 10:46-52

  • We tend to be understated in describing our faith, or the state of our relationship with Jesus. But today we are going to look at someone who was the very opposite of quiet and understated. He was audacious in approaching Jesus. His faith in Jesus, and what Jesus could do, was robust and strong and changed his life.

    This is the story of Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52).

    Life for the blind in the first century (and anyone with a disability) was not easy. There was no social safety net, no medical insurance, nothing. If you couldn’t work, then you couldn’t eat, and begging was the only option, especially with no one to support you, aid you, or care for you.

    Bartimaeus hears that Jesus is passing by and thinks to himself “this is my only chance. It’s now or never”. So Bartimaeus yells and tries to get Jesus’ attention. He does not sit back and wait. He does not timidly call out. He yells and makes himself heard. He goes for it loudly and unambiguously.

    Bartimaeus had an expectation of Jesus. He had heard something about him. Things were happening, people were being healed. The kingdom of God that we long for can break out around us and show us glimpses of God at work.

    But what about the times when we pray for someone and it doesn’t work? It feels like our prayers are going nowhere and nothing will happen. We need to choose to persist and persevere. We need to be people who keep going, who keep praying, and who keep seeking God regardless of what happens or does not happen. We persist.

    Jesus asks Bartimaeus “What can I do for you?” What would you ask for? Would you be bold and ask exactly what was on your heart like Bartimaeus did? Or would you not want to intrude, not want to bother Jesus?

    Scripture says we should pray bold, audacious prayers. Not through entitlement, not because we feel God owes us, but through knowing the goodness of the One we pray to and knowing what He wants for us, His children.

    Bartimaeus doesn’t give excuses or easy outs. He doesn’t hedge his bets or add a rider to his request: for example, only if it’s your will Jesus etc. He asks straight out.

    This is because there is power in naming things. Jesus encourages us to pray specific prayers, to be specific in what we ask for. Often, we choose to ‘settle down’ and carry on quietly. Others press in and pray boldly and specifically.

    Press in, plant a seed of faith and see what happens. Lean into God and be bold when he asks us what he wants.

    In verse 50 Bartimaeus throws his cloak aside. The cloak was used for warmth at night, and in the day, it was his begging bowl, a device for his collection. It’s a source of comfort, identity and provision for Bartimaeus. Throwing it aside shows that he is throwing off all restraint in his desire to get to Jesus. Bartimaeus was throwing everything away in order to follow Jesus.  Nothing was going to inhibit him from following.

    What are the cloaks you are holding onto that you need to let go of?

    For example, do you:

    • think you’re unworthy?

    • think you have too much disqualifying sin in your life?

    • feel disappointed with God?

    • not feel sure God can do what you would ask him to do?

    We come as we are, we don’t have to make ourselves worthy first.

    In verse 52 Jesus tells Bartimaeus to “Go”. We need to “go” under Jesus’ authority. He sends us out. We get to go but we do so under His authority. Too often we tend to say let’s wait until we’re healed and then we’ll go. Or let’s wait until we’ve got everything together and all our resources in place and then go.

    No. Jesus says go. Now. Straight away. Often, it’s in the place of obedience that the miracle comes, that the healing comes, that the audacious prayer is answered.

    Bartimaeus followed Jesus along the road. In Greek it means “along the way”. Following Jesus physically down the road, but also following Jesus along the way of life, as a disciple. We are to follow Jesus along the way, in the path and pattern of the life of Jesus.

    Let’s not sit alongside the way, watching. We need to actively be on the way and join in, walking with Jesus. Bartimaeus had left fear behind. He asked Jesus big bold requests, threw everything aside and followed Him along the way. He asked and then acted audaciously.

    Are there times in our lives when we need to be like Bartimaeus and press through and not worry about reputation or what others will think? Times when we need to get past our fear and focus on what God thinks about us, rather than what other people think of us? We need to be like Bartimaeus and push through, regardless. We need to say, “It’s you Jesus, you’re my only option.” We need to pursue Jesus with our whole heart.

Discussion Guide:

This week we had Alex and Hannah Absalom with us, encouraging us in our awareness of the Spirit and courage to engage with God in this way. You can listen to both the morning and evening Sunday talks below. For this week’s guide we thought it would be good to put into practice what we learnt and have a go at hearing God and obeying. First through Scripture and then through a practical activity.

1. Scripture

Read the above Scripture, up to three times and in different versions if possible. Then ask:

  • What’s God saying in this passage?

  • What are you going to do about it?

  • Who are you going to tell?

2. Practical Activity

This week we thought it could be fun to practice hearing God through prophecy (hearing from God and sharing it). Below are a couple of fun exercises that can be practiced both individually and collectively. The key to these practices is the “first thoughts principle” — go with whatever pops to mind first. We also remember the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:3 “But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.”

Individually:

  • Ask Jesus — if we were playing a game, what would it be? And why?

  • Ask Jesus — if I was a Bible character who would it be? And why?

Collectively:

  • Pair up and ask those same questions but for your partner. e.g. “Jesus if ___ were a Bible character who would they be and why?”

  • Feed back to your group how you found that experience, was it easy? Difficult? Helpful? Did those receiving pictures/encouragement feel as though it resonated with them?

Perhaps there are ways in which you could incorporate a practice like this into your regular community rhythm. e.g. on someone’s birthday, gathering round to pray and share any prophetic words pictures for their encouragement.

Additional Resources:

Further Study Resources:

Hayley Lotter
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