Praise by Expecting and Following

September 19, 2021 Background Scripture: Mark 10:46 – 52; Luke 18:35 – 43 Lesson Passage: Mark 10:46 – 52 I thank God for the three writers of the synoptic accounts of the gospel. The Bible declares "by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established”. There is a contentment derived from knowing that a matter is corroborated by others. Furthermore, when it comes to the written accounts of the gospel, when more than one writer records the same incident, it implies the importance of the information to ensure the complete revelation of the gospel is conveyed. There is much overlap in Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s accounts. That’s important considering the likely sources of the information. Matthew was a disciple of Jesus; therefore, his account is considered a firsthand eyewitness testimony. Mark is believed to have been an understudy of the Apostle Peter. Mark’s account is likely a secondhand account based on the teaching and preaching of Peter. Luke, being a Gentile, undertook the task of recording a written account for the purpose of instructing non-Jews. Luke wrote that his account is based on the testimony of many eyewitnesses that he interviewed. The fact that Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s accounts of the gospel convey the facts in harmonious agreement should allay the concerns of skeptics about the accuracy of the information. The differences between the accounts are likely based on the different intended recipients addressed by the writers. For example, Luke explained certain Jewish traditions and holy days to his Gentile recipients who would have been unfamiliar with them. With this understanding, we now look at the account of Jesus and the blind men near Jericho. Mark records the name of one of the men, Bartimaeus. Both men are left anonymous by the other writers. The blind men could hear that there was a crowd passing by, but they did not know for what purpose. So, inquiry was made concerning it. When they were told that Jesus of Nazareth was passing through, they began to cry out to Jesus for mercy. It seems clear that they had heard about Jesus’ healing power. They continued to cry out to Jesus over the objections of some in the procession. Jesus stopped and sent for them. He asked them what they wanted him to do for them. They requested sight. Jesus told them it was granted because of their faith and told them to go on their way. Instead, they followed Jesus and glorified God because they could now see. Also, some in the crowd praised God when they saw that the men had been given sight. Those blind men cried out to Jesus because they had heard about his power, and they believed that he would have mercy on them. They were not just hoping to be healed, but they were begging Jesus and expecting to be healed. There is much to be said about blind beggars throwing aside their garments, but that is about faith. The focus today is on praise. When believers reflect on the power of God, it should bring forth praise from their lips. When anyone sees the results of God’s power, then praise should be given for the results. God is worthy to be praised whether He uses His power or not. Jesus’ healing of the blind men did more than educe praise from their mouths. They were motivated to follow Jesus—at least at that moment! Additionally, others in the crowd gave God praise when they saw that He had healed the blind men. Sometimes God will position us for others to see us get blessed. They will then offer an overflow of praise. We don’t know if those who were praising God for the miracle were the same as the ones criticizing the blind men for crying out to Jesus for mercy. We do know that God is able to turn critics into worshipers. Why were those in the crowd following Jesus? Were they looking for a blessing of their own or did they just want to see him work miracles for others? Whether they were expecting from Jesus or just following him, sooner or later God was going to bring forth praise from their lips. Robert C. Hudson August 13, 2021