The Lutheran Hour

"Asking for Help"

#71-10
Presented on The Lutheran Hour on November 16, 2003
Speaker: Rev. Ken Klaus
Copyright 2025 Lutheran Hour Ministries

Text: Mark 10:46-52

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! By the Holy Spirit’s power, by the Father’s great grace, with the eyes of faith, this day look into the empty tomb of the risen Lord. No matter the worries of your life, the weariness of your soul, the living Lord Jesus Christ comes to you with words of hope, and joy, and life.

Reginald was dying. There was nothing the physicians could do. As the grim reaper approached, he turned to his wife and managed to gasp out, “You know, Ludmilla, you have always been with me. Do you remember the time I was unexpectedly fired from my job? You were right there, you never left my side. Do you recall the time that I was cleaning the gutters and I fell off the roof? Once again, you were right there to call the ambulance; you were there with me during that long convalescence as my broken hip healed. Then there were the terrible days of the depression. We didn’t have two nickels to rub together. Way back then, you were there. And now, here I am lying at death’s door. Can I say that I’m not surprised to find that you are still here by my side? I have to say, Ludmilla, you are bad luck.”

Now, I’m certainly not saying that you should believe in bad luck, but all of us have known individuals who have had more than their fair share of the stuff. If there is a nail on the road, their tire will find it. If there is a table in the darkness, their toe will get stubbed on it. Such a man, I think was blind Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus was one of those folks who had lived most of his life with three strikes against him. Take a look. Here’s strike one: Bartimaeus lived in the city of Jericho. Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world, located hundreds of feet below sea level. Jericho boasts a rich water supply, an extremely hot climate, and a curse. That’s right, a curse. When Joshua led the Children of Israel into the Promised Land, the first city they besieged was Jericho. After the city’s miraculous fall, you know, the walls came a tumblin’ down, Joshua pronounced a curse upon the place.
Today, almost all of us live in places that enjoy looking down on, and poking fun of other places. Minnesota makes fun of Iowa, and Iowa loves a good Minn-e-so-ta joke. Texas teases Oklahoma, and the Sooners harass the Lone Star State. But there’s a big difference between joking about a place and cursing it. Joshua cursed Jericho. (Joshua 6:26) He prophesied when the foundation of new Jericho would be laid, the builder’s oldest son would die and when the gates of the city were hung, his youngest son would pass away as well. Hundreds of years later, Jericho was rebuilt, and Joshua’s curse was fulfilled. (1 Kings 16:34) True, over the centuries Jericho’s Chamber of Commerce had made considerable strides in restoring the town’s reputation, even managing to attract a school of prophets. (2 Kings 2:5) But during the time of Jesus, Jericho’s reputation had suffered some serious setbacks.

Crazy King Herod, the same one who ordered the murder of Bethlehem’s baby boys when Jesus was born, had the high priest murdered. Where did it happen? In Jericho! Later, at the end of his life, Herod was sharp enough to figure out murdering little children and high priests had not endeared him to his people, nor had it moved him up in the popularity polls. Wishing to be mourned, Herod ordered the roundup of all the important people in his land. He locked them away. Where? In Jericho! He ordered his soldiers to slaughter these VIPs as soon as news of his death became public. That way, Herod calculated, there would be universal weeping and wailing upon his demise. The fact that his orders weren’t obeyed doesn’t change things. The blind man lived in a city with a curse. Strike one.

Of course, you can live just about anywhere if you have the encouragement of your family. Bartimaeus apparently wasn’t so lucky. People who skim through this story seldom realize that the name Bartimaeus isn’t a name at all. Just as the name Ericson originally meant “son of Eric” and Johnson meant “son of John”, Bartimaeus means “son of Timaeus.” That’s a beautiful sounding name, isn’t it? The son of Timaeus. Does your opinion change if I tell you the name Timaeus means “defiled,” (Barnes Bible Dictionary) “unclean,” (Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionary) nasty, dirty, corrupt, filthy? That makes Bartimaeus the “son of the nasty guy.” Bartimaeus lives in a cursed town, and if names mean anything, he hasn’t received many supportive pats on the back from his father. Strike two.

You already know the third strike. Bartimaeus is blind. We don’t know whether he was born this way, or whether his blindness was a recent occurrence. We do know his was an age where there was no assistance for those who were sightless. There were no public programs to provide support, and it will be another 1800 years or so, before Braille begins writing, or seeing-eye dogs show the way. Strike three. Bartimaeus was out. Literally. Bartimaeus was out on the street, doing the only job someone with his qualifications could do: he begged. He put away his pride, disregarded his dignity and asked for alms. Positioned before the city gate, he counted on the coins of charity. No runs, no hits, a lot of errors. Each day of his life began with three strikes. Each year of his life would end the same way.

Now that you’ve met the blind man with three strikes against him, let me stop for just a moment. Let me ask, “How are you doing? How is your life going? Filled with home runs, is it? Or do you feel that you have been thrown a strike or two? When you look in the mirror, do you walk away shaking your head, because things don’t seem to be quite right? How’s the money situation? The job? The bills? The children? The friends? The neighborhood? Want me to keep on going? I probably don’t need to. You know, you knew as soon as I asked, didn’t you? Things aren’t turning out the way you thought they would, are they? Disappointment, dreariness, depression, discouragement, denial, doubts, things people have done to you, things you’ve done to yourself. Things that should have been done which never were accomplished. Sin, anger, greed, lust, loneliness, hate, they are all there. Has love evaded you, or did you find it, only to find it go sour? Has that special someone turned out not to be special. How many strikes do you have? Like Bartimaeus, do you look into the future and see a drab, dreary darkness? Be honest: “How many strikes are there against you?” Keep that list, won’t you. We will come back to them directly. Right now, let’s go visit with Bartimaeus. We’ve left him alone for too long.
As we get closer to the blind beggar, he cocks his head. He hears something that eludes us who depend mainly on our vision. Ah, there, I hear it now. Commotion. Something’s going on. A quick inquiry tells us that Jesus of Nazareth, with His cortege of disciples, is passing through. You should know, this is not a pleasure trip for the Savior. Jesus is almost at the end of His public ministry. He is on a farewell tour that will take Him through Jericho, to Jerusalem, and crucifixion. He has already told His disciples about what will happen to Him there. (Mark 10:33,34) Jesus knows that He will, in these next days, shoulder the sins of every person who has ever lived. He will be sold out by a friend; denied by another and deserted by the rest. He, the sinless Son of God, will be falsely accused, badly beaten, spit upon, crowned with thorns, found guilty of trumped up charges, whipped, and crucified. Jesus is completing a life’s journey that began in Bethlehem. He is fulfilling God’s mission, set into motion before time began, to save the souls of all who believe on Him as their Redeemer. Jesus is buying back the world at the cost of His life.

No doubt, Jericho’s town leaders want to put their best foot forward. I would imagine they’ve heard of this Jesus from Nazareth: Prophet, Rabbi, Teacher, Lecturer, Miracle Worker, whatever. They’ve heard, and are hoping that He might stay for a bit. Maybe they thought He would help the economy. Maybe they thought He would tell others of the vacation paradise that is Jericho. It was almost too much to hope that He might do a miracle or two. A miracle would bring in the halt, the lame and the blind, wouldn’t it? Maybe they could even put up a plaque saying, “Jesus Slept Here.”

I don’t want to seem judgmental, but did you see Bartimaeus perk up when I said the name Jesus? It looks like our blind beggar is becoming agitated, his head moving from one side to another. I think he’s zeroing in on the sounds, trying to filter the junk from the good stuff. He wants to know what’s going on. Goodness, what was that? What’s he saying? What’s he shouting? Is he angry? Is he upset? What is he saying? Something about Jesus . . . He’s not saying “Jesus of Nazareth,” he’s not calling, “Jesus, Rabbi, Teacher.” Look he’s going to yell again. I’ve got it. He’s saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” That’s the title the prophets reserved for the Messiah Who was to come and save the world.”
Get ready. He’s shouting again, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” Look, go tell him. No, I’ll tell him, “Bartimaeus, people are looking at you. Can’t you tone it down a bit?” Oh, great, here comes a delegation, they are not happy. They’re putting their finger to their lips. They want you to be quiet. What do you mean, you don’t care what they want? Oh, great, he’s going to shout louder.

Tell you what. Let’s move away from Bartimaeus for a minute. He’s not paying attention, and his yelling can be a tad distracting. You know, I think I can understand why Bartimaeus is shouting the way he is. It’s almost like he’s read Shakespeare. In the Fourth Act of Julius Caesar, it says, “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries.” I think Bartimaeus believes this is his tide. He thinks it’s now or never. Either he gets the attention of the Savior right now, or he will never have the opportunity again. Either his life will be changed today, or he will live with three strikes against him. You know, he may be right. If you read Scripture, you will see times when Jesus came to individuals or communities, and they ignored Him. And Jesus never came their way again. They missed the tide, and all the rest of their lives were bound in misery. They missed the help that Jesus alone can give.

Rather than trying to shut Bartimaeus up, or ignore him, I think maybe I ought to help him. Maybe you Christians out there might want to do the same for those people you know who are spiritually blind and wandering in the dark. Maybe you can help those folks you know who have a whole bunch of strikes against them. Now may be the time to share Jesus, the merciful Savior. Listen, I recently heard a story about a supermarket clerk. Part of his job was to collect the carts that people left in the parking lot. He was on such a “cart run,” when he saw a lady who was struggling with her groceries. Her cart was overflowing, so were her arms. He watched as the lady put one package on the roof of the car while she popped the trunk and car doors. He watched as she loaded her packages, as she got into her car, started it up, and started to drive away. Seeing she had left her package on the top of her car, the clerk left his carts and started running toward her. He reached her, just as she stopped and made the turn which would take her to the street. He reached her just as the package slid off the roof. He reached her in time to catch the package, her baby, before he hit the pavement. Goes to show you, you don’t want to miss an opportunity.

Christians, the day Bartimaeus called out for Jesus, there were two groups present: one that told him to shut up and sit down; and the group that said, “Cheer up – on your feet, Jesus is calling for you.” Two groups. You who are saved by Jesus know which group you should be in. This is the time to talk to that person you know who has three strikes against them. Now is the day to talk to them about Jesus, the Savior. They need His help. Christians, if you cannot find the words to share, if you are afraid, then get a copy of this message. Call in for a tape, a transcript; go on the web, download it. Take your friend to the computer and listen to it. Christians, “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries.” To you who have been saved, let “The Lutheran Hour” help share that salvation with others. Let us who know Jesus, share His mercy with those who are living in the darkness.

What’s happening to blind Bartimaeus? Let’s get back there. We’ve left him alone long enough. Those of you who don’t have Jesus as Savior, don’t forget your list of strikes. Not much change in Bartimaeus is there? He keeps yelling. People keep shushing him. Wait, there is a change. Jesus has stopped. I should have known He would do that. As long as I’ve been acquainted with Him, I’ve never heard Him say to people in need, “Have your people call my people, and we’ll do lunch.” He never says, “Take two aspirins and call me in the morning.” Jesus always stops. Bartimaeus is only the last of a long line of people for whom Jesus has stopped. He met a widow from Nain who was burying her son. Jesus stopped the funeral and brought the man back to life. There was a centurion whose servant was ill. Jesus stopped for him, too. He stopped a sermon to heal a paralytic; I’ve seen Jesus stop for a woman who had a bleeding disorder, for ten lepers, for anyone who comes to Him in faith. Jesus stopped for them. He’ll stop for you too, you know. Remember those strikes you’re carrying around?

The rest of the blind beggar’s story unfolds quickly. Bartimaeus is brought to Jesus, and the Savior brings him from darkness to light. That’s one strike you can forget about. Bartimaeus decides to leave Jericho and follow the Savior. That’s a reasonable thing for a thankful heart to do. When you meet the Lord who lived and died to bring you out of darkness, you want to follow Him. For Bartimaeus that means you can forget about that second strike. As he follows the Savior, Bartimaeus will soon find a new family among Jesus’ followers. The new family will be one that will support him, that will care for him, that will try to love him as the Savior loved him. Let me see, how many strikes is the ex-blind beggar carrying around now? I think there are none.

Which makes me wonder, what are you going to do with those strikes that you’ve been carrying around? I suppose you can continue to carry them, to lug them around. If that’s what you really want to do, I can’t stop you. I can tell you though that Jesus is in your town, right now. Think of it, a life that offers forgiveness for all past sins. Think of it, a life with no strikes. Think of it my friends, “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries.” Call us at “The Lutheran Hour.” Amen.

LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers)
Topic: Children of God

ANNOUNCER: Now it’s time for questions and answers with Pastor Ken Klaus. I’m Mark Eischer.

KLAUS: Hi Mark. So what’s on the docket for today?

ANNOUNCER: Adoption. I’ve noticed that you often talk about Christians being “adopted into God’s family,” and I thought we could discuss what that means.

KLAUS: Excellent. Maybe the easiest way we can do that is to start with Romans 8:15. There St. Paul wrote, “You did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba Father.’”

ANNOUNCER: And how does Jesus set a person free from that slavery?

KLAUS: By taking our place, Jesus became one of us. He took upon himself the punishment that we deserve for our sins. He died, He rose again. Now, when we encounter the unknown, we know we are not alone. Jesus was there before us.

ANNOUNCER: But I thought we were going to talk about adoption today?

KLAUS: Well, we were, and we are. Look at the next part of the verse: “You received the Spirit of adoption.” Here, God’s Holy Spirit comes and invites us into the family of faith.

ANNOUNCER: Now exactly what does that mean, to be adopted into God’s family?

KLAUS: In the time of the Apostles, adoption was a very special event. Four things happened when you were adopted. First, you left your old family and gained the rights of a child in your new household. Second, you became an heir of the new family’s estate. Third, your old life, it was wiped out – all your debts were wiped out. You were part of a new family, with a new life, and no past. Lastly, in the view of Roman law, as an adopted child, you were a real son of your father. Compare that adoption to our spiritual adoption. The Heavenly Father wanted and promised to do something for us. Jesus, through His life and death, takes our place and He extends an invitation. The Holy Spirit delivers that message of invitation and leads us into the family called Christian. In such an adoption, our old family – the family of sin, death, and Satan, no longer has any claim on us. Before we were enemies of God, now we call God, “Father.” Some commentators on the passage would say the word “Abba” would almost better be translated “Daddy.” It’s a term of endearment. Whichever way you see it, we’re no longer outsiders looking in with our noses pressed up against the glass of salvation. Because of Jesus’ intercession, we adopted children can go to the Father with our fears, our requests, our hopes, our thanks – that’s a special relationship.

ANNOUNCER: So either you are in God’s family, or you are not, on the basis of faith in Christ?

KLAUS: I can’t think of any other option.

ANNOUNCER: Is there any other way once you’re in God’s family, you can get back out again?

KLAUS: Well you can renounce your adopting family. You can tell the Lord you don’t want anything to do with Him. Paul talks about something like that in Second Timothy (4:10), he says, “For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world.” It is certainly not what God wants, He would have all people to be saved and become part of God’s family.

ANNOUNCER: Is there anything else we should say about this adoption into the Christian family?

KLAUS: I think one more thing, Mark. When we’re adopted into God’s family through the power of Word and Sacrament, a transformation takes place.

ANNOUNCER: Transformation? What kind of transformation?

KLAUS: Well, in an earthly adoption, we don’t expect the adoptees to take on the genetic resemblances of the adopters. People don’t say about an adopted child, “He’s the spitting image of Uncle Carl.”

ANNOUNCER: You know, I’ve always wanted to know what a spitting image was?

KLAUS: Well, that will probably have to wait for another day. Anyway, you wouldn’t expect an adopted child to look like his adopting parents. But you would expect him to act like a member of the family, wouldn’t you?

ANNOUNCER: I would think that an adopted child would take on the values of the new family.

KLAUS: So too, I think when we’re adopted into God’s Family, we will take on the values of our Savior. Values like loving our enemies, doing good to those who persecute us; following to the best of our ability, the will and wishes of our Father.

ANNOUNCER: And the Holy Spirit who made us God’s children will also enable us to act like God’s children would.

KLAUS: Exactly.

ANNOUNCER: This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.