A brief prayer is offered that you can add to your daily prayers. The scripture is from our 20 September Sunday Service Bulletin. We are in a series of sermons regarding Christian love that looks at the life of the early Christians and today’s topic is “Sozo” [sode-zo] a Greek word meaning “to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction” or “to make well, heal, restore to health.” Some of the themes or content in the devotion are directly from the footnotes innet.bible.org.
Mark 10: 46-52 (English Standard Version)
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. 47 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!" 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49 And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart. Get up; he is calling you." 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 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." 52 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.
”Devotion: “Sozo”
The author, John Mark, is describing a healing miracle (a Sozo) in Jericho. Possibly he included the name of the beggar’s father, Timaeus, because contemporary readers knew him. There are two descriptions of Jesus that give us a clue to the faith of the blind Bartimaeus. Some of Jesus’ contemporaries called Him “the Nazarene” and Bartimaeus, as soon as he heard it, loudly proclaimed that Jesus is the “Son of David.” Yes he believes that the prophesied Messiah is Jesus. So Jesus did perform a miracle but Bartimaeus’ strongly proclaimed faith is the means by which it was accomplished. Bartimaeus pictured discipleship clearly. He recognized his inability, trusted Jesus as the One to give him God’s gracious mercy, and when he could ‘see’ clearly he began to follow Jesus. We need to trust in God’s healing and/or saving power when we get in a situation where we seem to be at our wits end. God loves us and wants to save us. As much as we have confidence in our abilities, it is ultimately God in charge. Submit to Him.
Pray: Lord, help me remain steadfast in faith. Amen
Blessings,
Joe
1. Knowing yourself: In Mark’s story it is a time that Jesus was walking the earth and His presence stirred up Bartimaeus’ faith. In our time, what stirs you up that causes you to proclaim or show your faith? Is there anything that might cause you to keep your faith inside?
2. Scripture: Verse 47 has Bartimaeus using a Messianic title, ie “Son of David”. Take a look at these passages and see if you see a connection: Mk 11:9-10; Mk 12:35-37; 2 Sam. 7:8-16; Isa. 11:1, 10; Jer. 23:5-6; Ezek. 34:23-24.
3. Application: What can you or your church do to promote healing in this fractured world?