46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Jesus passed through Jericho and as He was leaving with his disciples and a great crowd they passed a beggar on the side of the road. Bartimaeus was blind but as he heard that it was Jesus walking past he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” He acknowledged that Jesus was the fulfilment of David’s everlasting throne—the Messiah. Many in the crowd told him to be quiet but he called out even more. Jesus stopped and called him. The fickle crowd changed from rebuke to calling him to Jesus. He threw off his cloak and ran to Jesus. Jesus asked him what he wanted and he asked for his sight to be restored. Jesus told him that his faith had made him well and immediately his sight was restored. He then followed Jesus on his way.
We can be like that crowd, so comfortable in how we are following Jesus that we don’t want to be inconvenienced by helping the helpless along the way.
Bartimaeus showed faith though he was blind while seeing Israel remained spiritually blind. Bartimaeus threw off his cloak, probably the only thing he owned, and followed Jesus. The rich man from a few days ago was so consumed by all he had, he wasn’t able to leave it behind to follow Jesus. What is holding you back from fully following Jesus in faith?