Zacchaeus and Bartimeaus - The Gospels

In this Bible Story, we learn about the silent faith of Zaccheaus and the loud faith of Bartimaeus. Both men are held back by sin or misfortune. However everything changes for them when they come in contact with Jesus. Zaccheaus uses his riches to feed the poor and destitute. Bartimaeus is blind, but has his sight restored. They are both examples of Jesus’ power to change lives. This story is inspired by Matthew 20:20-28; Luke 19:1-10 & Mark 10:46-52. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is Mark 10:50 from the King James Version.

Episode 205: The crowds were thick as Jesus was passing through Jericho, so thick that Zacchaeus, a short man, could not get a glimpse of the Rabbi. So, he climbed a sycamore tree to get a better view. When Jesus saw him, He told Zacchaeus that they were about to have dinner together. Zacchaeus, filled with joy at what Jesus did for him, made right the wrongs of his past. The next day sitting by the gates of Jericho, was a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. When he heard that Jesus was near, he began to scream for Jesus. The man could not be stopped. Whenever someone tried to quiet him down he screamed all the louder. And Jesus heard him.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray, and he, casting away his garment, rose
and came to Jesus, Mark ten fifty. Jesus, when I
begin to doubt whether I am good enough to walk
with you, I thank you that you remind me that
you came to die for me. You remind me that

(00:23):
I have been bought with your blood. Therefore, my worth
doesn't come from what others think, but from what you
have declared over my life. As I begin to walk
in my confidence, when I begin to press toward your presence,
give me the faith and boldness of blind Bartimaeus, who

(00:45):
would not allow the silencing and ridicule of the crowd
to stop him from receiving his blessing. Every time I
face rejection from others, I declare that I will shout
even louder. When one door closes on me, I will
boldly go to the next, because I trust that what

(01:06):
you've placed in me will be released through me. Give
me the power of persistence and the ability to know
that what is mine is mine, and nothing or no
one will be able to stop what you are doing
in my life. I am worth it, and I am

(01:26):
valuable enough to be entrusted with what you've placed in
me and over my life in Jesus name. Amen, thank
you for making prayer a priority in your day. To
learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story,
brought to you by Bible in a Year dot.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
Com, Zechius and Vardimius. In our last story, the sting
of death was thwarted when Jesus rose Lazarus from the
dead with tears in his eyes and a booming voice.
Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb and into life.

(02:11):
Now we learn about two men who followed Jesus, one
a rich tax collector with a checkered past, the other
a blind beggar with an inability to take no for
an answer. Inspired by the Gospels.

Speaker 3 (02:27):
I'm so glad you've joined us on the Bible in
a Year podcast today. But before we get to today's episode,
I want you to know that I would absolutely love
to send you my daily devotional that will give you
fresh encouragement every single morning and day, from the moment
we wake up to the moment our head finally hits
the pillow. There are thousands of things demanding our attention,

(02:52):
but it's in the midst of all this crush and
hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and
truth in God's Word. I want to help you spend
time each day growing in God's life giving, life changing
word by sending you my free daily email devotional PowerPoint Today.
So visit Jagraham dot org to sign up for your

(03:14):
PowerPoint Today devotional. That's Jagraham dot org Jack Graham dot org.
In our last episode, we heard of the miraculous resurrection
of Lazarus, whom Jesus commanded to rise up and walk
out of the tomb despite the fact that he had
been dead for four days. It was an amazing show

(03:35):
of the power of God over death that Jesus and
Jesus only can raise the dead. Today, we're going to
see how Jesus encounters two different kinds of men, but
he opens each of their eyes. Both men will be
offered an opportunity for a new life of purpose as
they followed the Lord. So let's listen to God's word.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
Jesus was passing through the city of Jericho. A sea
of people thrashed him about, struggling to catch a glimpse
of Jesus. The crowds were becoming so many in number
that one could barely even point out Jesus and the masses.
Among the throng of people was a tax collector named Zacheus.
Jesus entrigued him. He wanted to see what Jesus was doing.

(04:21):
He wanted to hear what Jesus was saying, and he
was willing to do so at all costs. He was
a small man, therefore had no way of seeing Jesus
unless he got creative. So as Jesus was walking, Zichius
ran ahead to climb a sycamore tree. He dangled below
the branches and lifted himself up. Then, just as he

(04:41):
was beginning to get a good glimpse of Jesus, he
fell to the grow. A few branches cracked underneath Zychius.
He rolled his toes to make sure there was no damage.
Then he sprung back up to his feet and climbed
the tree again. This time he lost track of Jesus.
The crowd was so long ardge that Jesus seemed lost.

(05:02):
Then a voice came from the ground below Zacchius. The
voice shouted. The tax collector darted his head in every direction,
trying to pinpoint who was calling his name. Zakias. The
voice yelled again, What are you doing up there? He
darted his eyes directly below him to see Jesus waving
up at him. Come down from there. I need to

(05:23):
stay at your home today. How does he know my name?
Ziqius thought to himself. How would Jesus know who I am?
Zacchius's attempt to climb down was clumsy and over excited.
He got his leg caught in a branch, tore apart
of his robe, and got leaves stuck in his beard. However,

(05:44):
he could not be more excited to host Jesus in
his home. The small tax collector grinned cheek to cheek.
As they were walking, Jesus could hear a few people
grumbling and whispering. He is a guest in the house
of a sinner, They hissed to themselves. Zekiah could feel
the judgment of others as he led Jesus to his home.
Was he worthy to house Jesus? Was he a good

(06:07):
enough man? These questions raced through his mind. Doubt and
fear welled up within him. But then he remembered some
of the teachings he heard from Jesus. He remembered the
parabole of the pearl in a field. He remembered the
Sermon on the Mount, so Zechius decided to take action.
He stood up before Jesus and raised his cup. My

(06:29):
Lord Zachius declared, I have decided to give half of
my goods to the poor, and if there is anything
I took by greed or defrauding, I will restore it
to that person fourfold. Jesus raised his cup to Zechius.
Today salvation has come to your household, Jesus said, for
the Son of God is come to seek and save

(06:50):
those that are lost. The next day, Jesus was walking
into Jericho. The gates were wide and filled with venders
trying to sell things for an approaching passover. Jesus spoke
to some of the people who were walking beside him. Begging.
At the side of the gate was a blind man
named Baromieas he could hear a stirring in the crowds
beside the gate, and asked what the commotion was. It

(07:13):
is Jesus of Nazareth. The man replied. Baramias, stood to
his feet and ran as fast as he could toward
the crowd. The blind man knocked down fruit carts and
broke baskets under his feet. Jesus, son of David, have
mercy on me, he shouted. Some men in the crowd
shoved him to the ground, but Baromieas was determined. He
burst through the men and flailed through the crowds. Some

(07:35):
others tried to hold him by his robe, but he
simply threw it off. Jesus, son of David, have mercy
on me, Barimias roared. Jesus nodded to his disciples, go
and get him for me. So the disciples brought him near.
Barimias was bruised from the crowd trying to shut him up,
but on his face he wore the largest grin in
all of Israel. Jesus matched his grin and said, what

(07:59):
can I do for you? Bartomias fell to his knees. Please, Rabbi,
I desire to see the skies again. I desire to
see the waters, the trees, and the birds. Please restore
my sight to me. Jesus held the man to his feet.
Go your way, Bartomias, your faith has made you well,
and in that instant, the beggar's sight was restored. Colors, shapes,

(08:23):
and movements surrounded him. Lights shone brightly, and the figure
of Jesus's smiles slowly came into focus. Botimius did not
return to his home. He followed Jesus. There was no
one else he would rather see.

Speaker 3 (08:41):
Today, in our story of Jesus, he is in the
city of Jericho. This town is known for the great
Old Testament battle, in which God brought the walls down
to give his people victory. But today our reading tells
not of physical walls, but of spiritual walls that come down,
the walls that separate us from God and each other.

(09:01):
First we meet a man of small stature and even
smaller regard for his community. His name, this wee little man,
is Zachias, and he is a hated tax collector. All
tax collectors were disliked by the Jews in that day,
as they were working for the oppressive Roman government and
they were taking a cut for themselves. They used to

(09:23):
charge exorbitant taxes and skim off the top for their
own personal gain. They were considered traders and cheaters and thieves.
Zachias was one such man. His dishonesty and deceit made
him very wealthy, but of course he was not respected.
In fact, he was hated. And yet we discovered that
he wanted to catch a glimpse of Jesus as he

(09:45):
was passing through his town. But he had a big problem,
and that was his little stature, and he had no
friends to help him get through the crowd or see
over the crowd. There was little hope that he could
ever catch a glimpse of Jesus. Among the throngs of
people who were lining the streets, it was like a
parade as Jesus came through. But Zachieas has a plan.

(10:09):
He climbs up the branches of a sycamore tree to
get a vantage point where he can see Jesus going by,
And to his great surprise, when Jesus comes his way,
the Lord doesn't walk by. He looks up and calls
him by name and says, Zachieas, come down for I'm
going to stay at your house today. What an amazing

(10:30):
turn of events for this man, and no doubt for
everyone in the crowd. Can't you just hear the grumblings
among the religious people and their followers and also all
the townspeople that Jesus would pay attention to this hated man.
How could this dishonest, deceiful man manage to get an
audience with Jesus, and why would Jesus associate with a

(10:50):
man like this guy. Zachias excitedly came down the tree
and ran to prepare his home to receive the Lord.
It was an encounter that changed the rest of his life.
Zachiah stood and told the Lord that he was going
to make right what he had done to defraud people
of their money, and not just that he was going
to give half of his great wealth to the poor.

(11:12):
Jesus said, Zachias, Salvation has come to your house, for
the son of Man, Jesus has come to seek and
to save the loss. This is a very important statement
that Jesus made. In a fact, it is his mission.
It is his mission statement. This is why Jesus came
to seek and to save the loss. So the meaning

(11:36):
of this man in Jesus was a personal encounter with
the Son of God that changed the heart of a
very broken man forever. When Jesus saw him, he called
him by name, and Zachiah's spiritual eyes were open to
the need, his need of a savior. His heart was
changed and his life was changed, and he began to

(11:58):
give to others out of jail, enterest gratitude to God.
Now remember this about salvation, what it means to be
saved from our sins. We don't do this for ourselves.
This is the gift of God. But once we become
believers and followers of the Lord, our hearts and our
lives are transformed. If anyone is in Christ, the Bible
says he is a new creation. That's Second Corinthians five seventeen.

(12:24):
And when we come to faith in Jesus, we follow
him and become more like him by the power of
the Holy Spirit. Next we hear about a man named
Bartimaeus who heard Jesus was coming to his town. The
man set by the roadside in darkness. He was desperate
for someone to help, so he began to cry out

(12:44):
again and again to Jesus. Those all around him tried
to shut him down, shut him up, but he didn't listen.
He kept saying, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.
Hearing his Christ, Jesus asked for the man to be
brought to him, and then in Mark ten, verse fifty one,
he asked an unusual question, and Jesus said to him,

(13:05):
what do you want me to do for you? This
man was blind, so his need was obvious. But still
Jesus asked, what do you want? Why would he do that?
Jesus wanted to know if this man was believing in him,
trusting in him. God is pleased when we show faith
by asking for what we need. He of course knows

(13:28):
what we need before we ask. But when we ask,
we are showing faith. This is what happens when we pray,
we are trusting God. The blind man shows that he
had faith and asked for his sight to be restored,
and Jesus said, your faith has made you well. Just
as it was with Zachias. This man's response in faith
brought him restoration and the healing of his eyes and

(13:51):
the opening of his heart. His eyes were open, and
so was his heart, and he began to follow Jesus
then and there, and his life was transformed for the
glory of God. Let's pray thank you Lord that, like Zachieas,
we were lost without you, but you found us. You
called our name, and we came to you, and like
that blind man Bartimaeus, we could not see you, but

(14:14):
we believed in you. The world says seeing is believing,
but we know you say believing is seeing. So Lord,
we look to you and in faith we trust you
and follow you with all of our hearts in Jesus' name. Amen.
Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas, and before we go,

(14:37):
I want you to know that I would love to
send you my daily devotional to give you fresh encouragement
every single day. So visit Jack Graham dot org to
sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's Jack Graham
dot org