Bartimaeus

Children love stories because they are impressive and vivid. They make us laugh, cry, teach us lessons and thereby influence our behavior. The evangelists weren't just portraying who Jesus is - they were telling us stories about what he did and whom he met because there is so much to tell about him.

Let's take a look at the story of Bartimaeus. «And they came to Jericho. And when he went out of Jericho, he and his disciples and a great crowd, there sat a blind beggar by the way, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus »(Mark 10,46).

First of all, we are shown that Bartimaeus knew his need. He did not try to hide from it but "began to scream" (v. 47).
We all have needs that only our Savior and Savior, Jesus, can resolve. Bartimaeus' need was obvious, but for many of us our need is hidden or we cannot and do not want to admit it. There are areas in our lives where we should cry out for the Savior's help. Bartimaeus encourages you to ask yourself: Are you ready to face your need and ask for help as he did?

Bartimaeus was open to his needs and it was the starting point for Jesus to do something great for him. Bartimaeus knew exactly who could help him, so he began to shout: "Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!" (Verse 47), with a name for the Messiah. Perhaps he knew what Isaiah said: "Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf" (Isaiah 3 Cor5,5).

He didn't listen to the voices telling him he wasn't worth bothering Teacher. But he could not be silenced, because he knew that it was worth it for him to shout even more: "You son of David, have mercy on me!" (Markus 10,48). Jesus stopped and said: Call him! We too are loved by God, he stops when he hears our cry. Bartimaeus knew what was important and what was unimportant. Interestingly, in the story, he left his cloak and rushed to Jesus (verse 50). Perhaps his cloak was very valuable to him, but there was nothing to prevent him from coming to Jesus. What are the things in your life that are not really important but that you value too much? What things should you let go of in order to get near Jesus?

«Jesus said to him: Go; your faith has made you well. And immediately he saw and followed him on the way »(verse 52). The faith of Jesus Christ also makes you spiritually seeing, it heals you from your spiritual blindness and makes it possible for you to follow Jesus. After Bartimaeus was healed by Jesus, he followed him on the way. He wanted to walk with Jesus and be part of his story wherever it led him.

We are all like Bartimaeus, we are blind, needy and in need of Jesus' healing. Let's put aside whatever is unimportant and let Jesus heal us and follow him on his journey.

by Barry Robinson