Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, October 8, 2023

The Freedom of Letting Go.

Today, Pastor Michael is covering the story of a man who had to let something go that was the most crucial thing he had.  Freedom is found when we learn to let go.

We are following Jesus as they make their way from Galilee in the north to Jerusalem in the country’s center.  They are going to celebrate Passover.  Nearly everyone went to Jerusalem and would go through Jericho to get to Jerusalem.  The distance between Jericho and Jerusalem is about 14 miles, and thousands of pilgrims would pass through Jericho on their way to Jerusalem.  Many beggars were on the side of the road during this time, and Jewish tradition heavily emphasized giving to the needy. 

So Jesus was passing along this route, and Bartimaeus, a blind man, reached out to Jesus, asking Him to have mercy on him.  Many warned him to be quiet, but he cried out more and more.  It’s important to note that Bartimaeus called him “Son of David,” a very important point.  This acknowledges Bartimaeus as recognizing Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, by calling him the “Son of David.”

Bartimaeus shed his outer robe, itself a significant act because in those days, outer garments were some of the most important things people owned.  By shedding it, Bartimaeus placed total faith in Jesus and “let go” in total trust.  He let go of a good thing to have a better thing.

Bartimaeus asked for his sight back, and Jesus told him, “Go your way, your faith has made you well,” and Bartimaeus’ sight was restored.

(CSB Bible Notes) 10:52 In contrast to his healing of the blind man in 8:22-25, Jesus simply announced your faith has saved you, and Bartimaeus could see.

Verses can be found in Mark 10: 46 - 52.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.