"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road (Mark 10:52)
Bartimaeus followed Jesus after receiving his eye sight healed by Jesus’ word. Here many episodes of the story were omitted. If Bartimaeus received his sight then his family, relatives and neighbors would have been greatly delighted. They might have arranged a great feast of joy to celebrate the miraculous healing of Bartimaeus’ blindness. Many people must have gathered to see him and to hear the news. In this case, he might not have followed Jesus immediately after receiving his sight.
Furthermore, those who have received their sight for the first time in life would require a period of time for adaptation and familiarization with the new environment he has to adjust with. Think of the person who sees the world at the first time. It might be a greater change and challenge for him than that of a larva just hatched out to become a butterfly. The world comes to them in a completely different way. Bartimaeus must have also lived in a status of complete puzzle for quite long time. In such status, as the content of today says, he could not have immediately followed Jesus.
The authors of Bible did not include all the insignificant details. The important fact of this story is that the blind man, Bartimaeus has been saved and would go the way of disciple, the way the saved people should go. At this point, the above verse is the summary of the entire gospels. It says that those who are saved from sin and death become disciples of Jesus and follow him.
We all are Bartimaeus of today. Our status might be the status of a beggar and of the blind man. We cannot eat and live by ourselves. Though we have great power with us, we can only live depending on others. The fact we cannot see the real truth is exactly similar to helpless status of Bartimaeus. However, our destiny entered into totally different level through Jesus. By virtue of Jesus’ love, we are now able to see the truth and the life. Those who have such joyful experience cannot but follow Jesus for Jesus indeed is the source of life.
Showing posts with label Mark 10:52. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mark 10:52. Show all posts
20090918
Faith and Salvation (3)
"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road (Mark 10:52)
Jesus says, “Your faith has healed you”, and immediately Bartimaeus received his sight. Such miracle had happened with a very simple word. It is a simple thing to believe it. Now the author of Mark’s gospel does not have much concern on the healing process of Bartimaeus. If it was a magical incident, such performance of magician or a sorcerer would have been evidently recorded in detail. However, the gospel does not have any interest in such evidence.
The gospels only try to highlight Jesus’ kingly and divine authority. Whether Jesus touched the other’s body or not it was not much important point in the gospels. The importance lies in the fact that a Messianic manifestation has happened through Jesus. The gospels were written according to the viewpoints of the ancient people.
Messiah is the Savior. If Jesus is the Messiah, showing his salvation power is natural. Yes. Jesus was able to say, “You are saved” or “Today salvation has come to this house.” In the case of Bartimaeus the salvation for him was to receive his sight.
What relationship does salvation and recovery of sight have? Salvation means deliverance of Israelites from the jaw of the enemies. Israelites were delivered from the Red Sea through the leading hands of God. Indeed Bartimaeus was saved for he was delivered from the world of total darkness. Human should be delivered from poverty, isolation and diseases. Ultimately human should be delivered sin and death which is the result of sin. Jesus is the Messiah for he saved human from sin and death. It was the understanding of the early Christians that Jesus is the savior.
Jesus says, “Your faith has healed you”, and immediately Bartimaeus received his sight. Such miracle had happened with a very simple word. It is a simple thing to believe it. Now the author of Mark’s gospel does not have much concern on the healing process of Bartimaeus. If it was a magical incident, such performance of magician or a sorcerer would have been evidently recorded in detail. However, the gospel does not have any interest in such evidence.
The gospels only try to highlight Jesus’ kingly and divine authority. Whether Jesus touched the other’s body or not it was not much important point in the gospels. The importance lies in the fact that a Messianic manifestation has happened through Jesus. The gospels were written according to the viewpoints of the ancient people.
Messiah is the Savior. If Jesus is the Messiah, showing his salvation power is natural. Yes. Jesus was able to say, “You are saved” or “Today salvation has come to this house.” In the case of Bartimaeus the salvation for him was to receive his sight.
What relationship does salvation and recovery of sight have? Salvation means deliverance of Israelites from the jaw of the enemies. Israelites were delivered from the Red Sea through the leading hands of God. Indeed Bartimaeus was saved for he was delivered from the world of total darkness. Human should be delivered from poverty, isolation and diseases. Ultimately human should be delivered sin and death which is the result of sin. Jesus is the Messiah for he saved human from sin and death. It was the understanding of the early Christians that Jesus is the savior.
Faith and salvation (1)
"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. (Mark 10:52)
Till now I have been dealing with the meditation of Bartimaeus by focusing on his existential situation. The themes were ‘Have mercy on me’ and ‘I want to see’. These themes might be slightly got off the subject of the content. It may incorporate with the depth of faith in its own way but was not the point the author wanted to say. Though this story deals with Bartimaeus’ existential situation he was not a hero of this story but Jesus.
The above verse was just the central point the author of Mark would like to say. Hearing Bartimaeus’ answer to see, Jesus said, “Go, your faith has healed you.” Jesus did not any visible action to open his eyes. He neither touched Bartimaeus’ eyes with his hand nor did he put spit-mixed mud on his face. He just said, “Your faith has healed you.”
What is Bartimaeus’ faith here? He might not even believe Jesus as the Messiah. If he had confessed toward Jesus, “You are the Christ and Son of the living God” the author could have written about it. Then was it his conviction that his infirmity would be healed? To find out the answer about this is really difficult. However, it is also not very essential.
To some people this phrase is accepted as an emphasis of faith. They say, “Look, Bartimaeus was healed of his blindness by faith!” By applying this story, the Korean church justifies the doctrine of “Faith omnipotence”. The concept of faith like “Your Best life now” is one of such beliefs. The doctrine of faith omnipotence contradicts with the reality and does not have harmonious relation with the central point of the Bible.
Till now I have been dealing with the meditation of Bartimaeus by focusing on his existential situation. The themes were ‘Have mercy on me’ and ‘I want to see’. These themes might be slightly got off the subject of the content. It may incorporate with the depth of faith in its own way but was not the point the author wanted to say. Though this story deals with Bartimaeus’ existential situation he was not a hero of this story but Jesus.
The above verse was just the central point the author of Mark would like to say. Hearing Bartimaeus’ answer to see, Jesus said, “Go, your faith has healed you.” Jesus did not any visible action to open his eyes. He neither touched Bartimaeus’ eyes with his hand nor did he put spit-mixed mud on his face. He just said, “Your faith has healed you.”
What is Bartimaeus’ faith here? He might not even believe Jesus as the Messiah. If he had confessed toward Jesus, “You are the Christ and Son of the living God” the author could have written about it. Then was it his conviction that his infirmity would be healed? To find out the answer about this is really difficult. However, it is also not very essential.
To some people this phrase is accepted as an emphasis of faith. They say, “Look, Bartimaeus was healed of his blindness by faith!” By applying this story, the Korean church justifies the doctrine of “Faith omnipotence”. The concept of faith like “Your Best life now” is one of such beliefs. The doctrine of faith omnipotence contradicts with the reality and does not have harmonious relation with the central point of the Bible.
20090115
Faith and salvation (2)
"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. (Mark 10:52)
Through yesterday meditation, I told that the doctrine of faith omnipotence crashes on a reality and doesn’t harmony with the central point of the Bible. I would like to replenish these two matters.
Christian faith should firmly stand on a reality. As we often see around, it is wrong to insist faith as a certain incident of the other world that isn’t related to a reality. In this actual world we are living we cannot heal the handicap of sight by faith or prayer. Do not ask me the possibility of such miracle. Such things even can be happened without prayer and faith. If such miracles can be happened whenever we pray this world may fall into chaos in a moment. Christian faith should respect the reality of the world as it is that God created.
Some people may think strangely the saying, “The doctrine of faith omnipotence doesn’t harmony with the central point of the Bible.” Beside this doctrine, according to “Your faith has healed you” we may think faith is clearly the foundation of salvation. I also agree with this. If we don’t have faith how can we experience spiritual power? It is very clear that we are justified by faith and undergoing the way of sanctification by faith. At this point, it is not going too far to say that Christian faith is thoroughly connected to faith, its beginning, processing and the end.
The point here I would like to emphasize is not faith based on the relationship between faith and salivation but the fact to focus on salvation. Faith is human attitude but salvation is God’s gift. Though the attitude man should take before God is important but still it is relative. God’s salvation sovereignty only is absolute. There is the hegemony of salvation history.
Through yesterday meditation, I told that the doctrine of faith omnipotence crashes on a reality and doesn’t harmony with the central point of the Bible. I would like to replenish these two matters.
Christian faith should firmly stand on a reality. As we often see around, it is wrong to insist faith as a certain incident of the other world that isn’t related to a reality. In this actual world we are living we cannot heal the handicap of sight by faith or prayer. Do not ask me the possibility of such miracle. Such things even can be happened without prayer and faith. If such miracles can be happened whenever we pray this world may fall into chaos in a moment. Christian faith should respect the reality of the world as it is that God created.
Some people may think strangely the saying, “The doctrine of faith omnipotence doesn’t harmony with the central point of the Bible.” Beside this doctrine, according to “Your faith has healed you” we may think faith is clearly the foundation of salvation. I also agree with this. If we don’t have faith how can we experience spiritual power? It is very clear that we are justified by faith and undergoing the way of sanctification by faith. At this point, it is not going too far to say that Christian faith is thoroughly connected to faith, its beginning, processing and the end.
The point here I would like to emphasize is not faith based on the relationship between faith and salivation but the fact to focus on salvation. Faith is human attitude but salvation is God’s gift. Though the attitude man should take before God is important but still it is relative. God’s salvation sovereignty only is absolute. There is the hegemony of salvation history.
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