From Blindness to Sight: Faith and the Reformation (27th October 2024 Sermon)

A blind man named Bartimaeus was sitting on the side of the road where the Lord Jesus was passing by. When he heard that it was Jesus, the Rabbi, he cried out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Though the crowd tried to stop him, Jesus heard his cry and called him to come to Him. Someone said, “Cheer up! On your feet! He is calling you.” Bartimaeus, throwing his cloak aside, jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. He pleaded, saying, “I want to see.” Jesus said, “Go, your faith has healed you.”

The Western Church Reformation began on October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg. Though there are many interpretations of his controversial Theses, it was an eye-opener to return to the Word of God, a call to revive the church, and a spirituality focused on the Bible and honouring the supremacy of the Word of God.

People need to be receptive to the Good News and respond as Bartimaeus did: throw away the cloaks that stop you from going to Jesus, meeting Jesus, and receiving healing from Jesus. Not only the word that Jesus preached is Good News, but Jesus Himself is Good News.