You Must Throw Off the Cloak to See

Mark 10:46–52

Having eyes does not mean you can see. Some people see without eyes.

In Mark chapter 10, the same question is asked twice. In verse 36, Jesus asks James and John, "What do you want me to do for you?" The two disciples answer, "Let us sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." Disciples with good eyes asked for a place for themselves.

Then in verse 51, Jesus asks the blind beggar by the roadside the very same thing. "What do you want me to do for you?" He answers, "Teacher, I want to see."

The same question, and a very different answer. If the Lord asked you today, what would you say?

1. A Cry That Would Not Stop (verses 46–48)

It was near Passover, and pilgrims were going up to Jerusalem. Bartimaeus sat by the road and begged. When he heard, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by," he cried out, "Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me!" This is the first time the title "Son of David" appears in Mark. The disciples still could not accept the cross, yet this confession burst from the mouth of a blind beggar.

The crowd scolds him. They tell him to be quiet. But he shouts "all the more." The Greek word for "cried out" is ekrazen. It is in the imperfect tense, which means he did not cry once and stop. He kept on crying. The more they tried to stop him, the louder he cried. This is desperation.

He stops for this cry. Do not misunderstand. Desperation is not a power that controls the Lord, and it is not something we earn. Faith is an empty hand that receives grace. But when someone cries out with that empty hand, the Lord stops.

2. The Cloak He Threw Away (verses 49–50)

When Jesus says, "Call him," the same crowd that scolded him changes its words. "Take heart. Get up. He is calling you." Then the text says, "Throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus."

For a beggar, a cloak was almost everything he owned. It was also the only blanket he had at night (Exodus 22:26–27). The text does not give a reason, but his cloak probably covered his poor body and caught the coins people gave him. It may have been the last bit of pride he had left.

The Greek word for "throwing off" is apobalōn. It means to cast something off and away. He threw it off before he could see. He could still see nothing, and he threw it away. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1). It means standing up like a man who has already received, even though nothing can be seen yet.

In October 1821, Charles Finney went into the woods at Adams, New York, to pray. In his memoirs he writes that he was afraid someone passing by might see him. Then he saw the truth. Here was a sinner on his knees before a holy God, and he was ashamed of human eyes. His cloak was his good name. That pride was broken, and he testifies that he was converted that very day.

Can a doctor heal a patient who keeps the bandage on the wound and says, "I'm fine"? We do the same before the Lord. We cover our shame and say, "I'm doing well." What is your cloak? Is it your good name? Your success? A smile that hides your failure? The title "believer"? If you keep clutching your cloak, you cannot answer honestly when he asks, "What do you want?"

3. At the End of the Road (verse 52)

"Go your way; your faith has saved you." The Greek word sōzō can mean both healing the body and saving the person. Jesus said, "Go." But he did not go home. He followed Jesus on the road. That road led to Jerusalem. It was the road to the cross.

At the end of the road where Bartimaeus threw off his cloak, the Lord is the one who is stripped. The soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross and shared out his clothes (Mark 15:24). The beggar threw off his cloak by his own choice. But the Lord took our sin and our shame, and was nailed up with even his clothes taken from him. As he said in verse 45, just before this story, he came to give his life as a ransom for many. And on the third day he rose from the grave.

The Lord carried our shame for us. So no one who believes in him will be put to shame (Romans 10:11). In place of the cloak we throw away, he clothes us in the garments of salvation (Isaiah 61:10).

Conclusion

Let me ask you. Do you have a desire like Bartimaeus? Not a desire for your own place, but a desire for the Lord. When the voices against you grow louder, will you cry out louder still? Will you throw off that cloak today?

If you have never yet called on the Lord, call on him today: "Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me." The Lord stops for this cry. And when he meets such desperation and faith, he works. The shape of his answer is for him to decide. But the Lord is near to all who call on him in truth (Psalm 145:18).

[Declare it together.] "The Lord is calling me. I throw off my cloak."

Now hear the Lord's voice.

"I have stopped. I heard your cry. Take heart and get up. Put down what you are clutching, and come to me. I have already given up my own clothes for you. What do you want?"

Prayer

Lord, today I lay down before you the cloak I have been hiding behind. I lay down my good name, my pride and my hidden wounds. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, who was stripped for me, who died, and who rose again. Amen.