Ryle on Mark 10:46-52

Imported boundary: J. C. Ryle's Expository Thoughts on Mark from the Internet Archive DjVu OCR for the 1858 Robert Carter St. Mark volume. Title pages, preface, contents, running heads, page numbers, OCR boilerplate, and indexes are not mirrored. The source includes Ryle's printed Scripture text and exposition; this scan-derived text remains needs-verification.

Primary passage: Mark 10:46-52.

Source Text

4b And they came to Jericho : and as he went out of Jericho with bis disciples and a great number of people, blind BartimaeuB, the son of Timseus, sat by the highway side begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of Da- vid, have mercy on me. 48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace : but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David have mercy on me. 49 And Jesus stood still, and com- manded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise ; he calleth thee. 50 And he, casting away his gar- ment, rose, and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus answered and said unto Him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee ? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might re- ceive my sight. 52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way ; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

We read in these verses an account of one of our Lord's miracles.

Let us see in it, as we read, a vivid emblem of spiritual things. We are not studying a history which concerns us personally any more than the exploits of Caesar or Alexander. We have before us a picture which ought to be deeply interesting to the soul of every Christian. This is a point that ought to be remembered in interpreting some of the passages in the Epistles where the words " baptism" and " baptized" are used. In such texts, for instance, as " baptism doth save us," (1 Peter hi. 21,) or " as many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ," (G-al. hi. 27,) it is clear that something more is contained than any mere outward ordinance. In both cases, the baptism of water is undoubtedly meant, but it is no less evident that something is implied also of deeper moment than any ordinance administered by man. In both cases it is a baptism which is accom- panied by true faith, and a heart-reception of Christ, such as was the baptism of the Philippian jailer. To quote such texts in support of what is commonly called the baptismal regeneration of infants, is to wrest and pervert them from their proper meaning. The conclusion of the text in St. Peter, for example, seems to place this beyond ques- tion. He emphatically warns us not to suppose that he means nothing more than the washing of water, or bodily reception of a sacrament, by the word baptism. It has been a wise act on the part of translators of the New Tes- tament to adhere to the Greek words "baptize" and "baptism" in rendering the Bible into the vernacular tongue of each nation. No other words could possibly imply all that the two Greek words

In the first place, we have here an example of strong faith. We are told that as Jesus went out of Jericho, a blind man named Bartimseus u sat by the wayside begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Na- zareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me." Bartimseus was blind in body, but not in soul. The eyes of his understanding were open. He saw things which Annas and Caiaphas, and hosts of letter-learned Scribes and Pharisees, never saw at all. He saw that Jesus of Nazareth, as our Lord was contemptuously called - Jesus, who had lived for thirty years in an obscure Galilean village - this very Jesus was the Son of David - the Messiah of whom prophets had prophesied long ago. He had witnessed none of our Lord's mighty miracles. He had not had the opportunity of beholding dead people raised with a word, and lepers healed by a touch. Of all these privileges, his blindness totally de- prived him. But he had heard the report of our Lord's mighty works, and hearing had believed. He was satis- fied from mere hear-say, that He of whom such wonderful things were reported, must be the promised Saviour, and must be able to heal him. And so when our Lord drew convey. All other expressions would either weaken the sense of the inspired writers, or convey a false impression to the mind of the reader. To take one solitary instance, what could be more meagre or unsatisfactory than to render the passage now before us in the fol- lowing way, " Can ye be sprinkled with the sprinkling, or dipped with the dipping, that I am sprinkled or dipped with " - The firm- ness of the British and Foreign Bible Society on this point, ought to be cause of thankfulness to all the Protestant churches. In re- volving to use the Greek words " baptize" and " baptism," in all their versions, they have exercised a wise discretion. 223 near, he cried, " Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me." Let us strive and pray that we may have like precious faith. We too are not allowed to see Jesus with our bodily eyes. But we have the report of His power, and grace, and willingness to save, in the Gospel. We have exceeding great promises from His own lips, written down for our encouragement. Let us trust those promises implicitly, and commit our souls to Christ unhesitatingly. Let us not he afraid to repose all our confidence on His own gracious words, and to believe that what He has engaged to do for sinners, He will surely perform. What is the beginning of all saving faith, but a soul's venture on Christ ? What is the life of saving faith, when once begun, but a continual leaning on an unseen Saviour's word ? What is the first step of a Christian, but a cryiog, like Bartimaaus, " Jesus have mercy on me " What is the daily course of a Christian, but keeping up the same spirit of faith ? " Though now we see Him not, yet believing we rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory." (1 Peter i. 8.) We have, in the second place, in these verses, an ex- ample of determined perseverance in the face of difficulties. We are told that when Bartimasus began to cry out, " Jesus, thou Son of David have mercy on me," he met with little encouragement from those who were near him. On the contrary, " many charged him that he should hold his peace." But he was not to be stopped. If others did not know the misery of blindness, he did. If others did not think it worth while to take such trouble, in order to obtain relief, he, at any rate, knew better. He cared not for the rebukes of unfeeling bystanders. He heeded not the ridicule which his importunity probably brought on him. " He cried the more a great deal/' and so cry- ing obtained his heart's desire, and received his sight. Let all who wish to be saved, mark well this conduct of Bartimgeus, and walk diligently in his steps. Like him, we must care notbing what others think and say of us, when we seek the healing of our souls. There never will be wanting people wbo will tell us that it is " too soon," or " too late" - -that we are going " too fast/' or " too far" - that we need not pray so much, or read onr Bibles so much - or be so anxious about salvation.

We must give no heed to such people. Like Bartimeeus, we must cry the more, " Jesus have mercy on me." What is the reason that men are so half-hearted in seeking Christ ? Why are tbey so soon deterred, and checked, and discouraged in drawing near to God ? The answer is short and simple. They do not feel sufficiently tbeir own sins. They are not thoroughly convinced of tbe plague of their own hearts, and the disease of their own souls. Once let a man see his own guilt, as it really is, and be will never rest till he has found pardon and peace in Christ. It is tbey who, like Bartimseus, really know their own deplorable condition, who persevere, like Bartimaaus, and are finally healed.

In the last place, we have, in these verses, an example of the constraining influence ivhich gratitude to Christ ought to have upon our souls. Bartimeeus did not return home as soon as he was restored to sight. He would not leave Him from whom he had received such mercy. At once he devoted the new powers, which his cure gave him, to the Son of David who had worked the cure. His history concludes with the touching expression, he " followed Jesus in the way."

Let us see in these simple words, a lively emblem of the effect that the grace of Christ ought to have on every one who tastes it. It ought to make him a follower of Jesus in his life, and to draw him with mighty power into the way of holiness. Freely pardoned, he ought to give himself freely and willingly to Christ's service. Bought at so mighty a price as the blood of Christ, he ought to devote himself heartily and thoroughly to Him who re- deemed him. Grace really experienced will make a man feel daily, " What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits. " It did so for the apostle Paul : he says, " the love of Christ constraineth us." (2 Cor. v. 14.) It will do so for all true Christians at the present day. The man who boasts of having an interest in Christ, while he does not follow Christ in his life, is a miserable self- deceiver, and is ruining his own soul. " As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they," and they only, " are the sons of God." (Rom. viii. 14.) Have we had our eyes opened by the Spirit of God ? Have we yet been taught to see sin, and Christ, and holiness, and heaven, in their true light ? Can we say, One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see ? If so, we shall know the things of which we have been reading, by experience. If not, we are yet in the broad way that leadeth to destruction, and have every thing to learn.