"Jesus stood still and commanded him (Bartimaus) to be called"
Mark 10:49
John paints portraits, and gives us in his matchless gospel wonderful pictures of Jesus. And in a good portrait you can learn a great deal about the one whose portrait is painted, and also you can learn a certain amount about him who paints. John was a wonderful portrait picture painter, and presents us with awesome scenes of Jesus.
Mark is different: he gives us snapshots, you can almost hear his camera....click,click,click. Colorful, vivid alive; and he has an almost uncanny way of recapturing a scene - enough detail for the essentials to be clear, but not too much detail to distract from what he wants us to see.
A very good example of his artistry as a snapshot taker can be seen in this little story in Mark ch 10: 46-52
The town, Jericho. The disciples were on the watch to see all was going ok. The crowd, noisy as only an Eastern crowd can be. And the beggar, blind, pathetically standing by the roadside, listening to hear what was going on, as the crowd jostled by. In the middle of it all our Lord, serene and calm and unflurried.
The crux of the story. The call, the confrontation, and the question, "What do you want me to do for you?" So straight, so direct, so monosyllabic! And the answer "O Master that I might receive my sight!" The Call, the Confrontation, the Question, and the Cure. The word of power, sight, joy, All in these few verses.
No need to elaborate further. Mark wanted to get the point across that here was a man in desperate need, in confrontation with the Lord of life and the Lord of sight. A direct question, and a direct answer, that is Marks point.
"What do you want me to do for you?"
As we progress into this New Year, tell Him what you want. He is asking I am sure, and He remains the same Jesus
Mark 10:49
John paints portraits, and gives us in his matchless gospel wonderful pictures of Jesus. And in a good portrait you can learn a great deal about the one whose portrait is painted, and also you can learn a certain amount about him who paints. John was a wonderful portrait picture painter, and presents us with awesome scenes of Jesus.
Mark is different: he gives us snapshots, you can almost hear his camera....click,click,click. Colorful, vivid alive; and he has an almost uncanny way of recapturing a scene - enough detail for the essentials to be clear, but not too much detail to distract from what he wants us to see.
A very good example of his artistry as a snapshot taker can be seen in this little story in Mark ch 10: 46-52
The town, Jericho. The disciples were on the watch to see all was going ok. The crowd, noisy as only an Eastern crowd can be. And the beggar, blind, pathetically standing by the roadside, listening to hear what was going on, as the crowd jostled by. In the middle of it all our Lord, serene and calm and unflurried.
The crux of the story. The call, the confrontation, and the question, "What do you want me to do for you?" So straight, so direct, so monosyllabic! And the answer "O Master that I might receive my sight!" The Call, the Confrontation, the Question, and the Cure. The word of power, sight, joy, All in these few verses.
No need to elaborate further. Mark wanted to get the point across that here was a man in desperate need, in confrontation with the Lord of life and the Lord of sight. A direct question, and a direct answer, that is Marks point.
"What do you want me to do for you?"
As we progress into this New Year, tell Him what you want. He is asking I am sure, and He remains the same Jesus
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