MARK 10:46-52 – 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. 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!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 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.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately here covered his sight and followed him on the way.”

It is a good exercise and study to read the Gospels paying attention to the many ways Jesus recognizes true faith in Him. There are the accounts of the centurion (Matthew 8); the woman with the blood disease (Luke 8); the friends of the paralytic man (Mark 2), and the Syrophoenician woman (Mark 7) to name a few. The reason why this is a worthwhile study is to remind us faith goes beyond mere profession of faith by words. Each of these accounts and the one in today’s scriptures, identify at least two qualities Jesus recognizes as true faith in Him.

First, true faith in Christ knows without His Person, power, and intervention in life, there is no hope either in the physical or spiritual realms. There is an attitude of desperation in true faith that casts oneself on Christ to “sink or swim.” In many of the Gospel accounts, this faith in Christ was toward physical healing that was beyond the help of any human being. Yet, it applies in saving faith as well. One will not come to Christ for salvation until one sees there is no salvation apart from Him. So true faith in the Lord Jesus always contains elements of desperation and abandonment to Christ.

Another quality in true faith in the Lord Jesus is the confidence He can do what is asked of Him. Granted this faith might be small but it isn’t the amount of faith in Christ that saves us but the object of faith that saves us–Jesus. This is illustrated well by the leper who sought Jesus for healing. We read – When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed (Matthew 8:1-3). The leper didn’t question Jesus’ ability to heal Him, just His willingness. He displayed confidence in Christ’s power though he knew little of Christ’s willing heart, yet, Jesus recognizes this as true faith.

So, true faith according to Jesus. It is an interesting study worthy of our time. It will help us, and keep us from redefining faith as we think it is instead of what Jesus declares it truly is!

PRAYER: “Father, grant that I might understand faith in Your Son goes beyond mere words of profession.”
QUOTE: “True faith in Christ is grounded in confidence in His Person and abandonment to His power.”

Because of Him,
Pastor Jim