Text reading of Mark chapter 10, verse 46 through 52 in the New Living Translation of the Scriptures.

Then they reached Jericho and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him.

A blind beggar named Bartameas, son of Tameas, was sitting beside the road.

When Bartameas heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.

Be quiet.

Many of the people yelled at him, but he only shouted louder.

Son of David, have mercy on me. When Jesus heard him, he stopped

and said, tell him to come here. And so they called the blind man. Cheer up, they said. Come on, he's

calling you. Bartameas threw aside his coat, jumped up and came to Jesus.

What do you want me to do for you? Jesus asks.

My rabbi, the blind man, said, I want to see.

And Jesus said to him, go, for your faith has healed you.

And instantly, the man could see and he followed Jesus down the road.

I'm talking today from the subject, the power of the stretch, the power of the stretch.

You may be seated.

So amazing here how Jesus encounters a blind man and delivers him out of his blindness. Consequently, Jesus healed more cases of blindness than any other type of illness that

is called out in the New Testament healings of Jesus, more cases

of blindness than anything else.

And I think that it speaks of the spiritual blindness that people have in the world, that

it is one of our greatest conditions that plagues the world because evil proliferates out of spiritual

blindness. And so Jesus came to be able to open the eyes of the blind. And I'm grateful for that.

And listen, I notice he said instantly the man could see and he followed Jesus down the road.

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