A Determined Man

“And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.”  Mark 10:47

On His way to Jerusalem, along with His disciples, Jesus went through Jericho, which was about ten miles northeast of Jerusalem.  Lots of people had gathered to get a glimpse of this Man that they had been hearing about.  As He made His way out of the city, the people were still following Him.  Along the roadside sat a blind man named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus.  Since he was blind and unable to work to support himself, he begged travelers for any money that they could give him.  (I recall a blind and crippled man who sat in front of the five and dime store in my city when I was a child.  He, too, begged for money, but he did have pencils to sell.  I was fearful of him, but I also felt sorry for him.)

When Bartimaeus heard people speaking Jesus’ name, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.”  He apparently was embarrassing the crowd, and some of them told him to “shut up”, but not those words exactly, but rather for him to “hold his peace”.  He was having none of it.  He didn’t care what the other people thought.  He desperately wanted his sight, and he knew that Jesus could heal him so he cried out even louder, “Thou Son of David, have mercy on me”.  I would speculate that Bartimaeus was thinking in his mind, “You folks don’t know what it is like to not be able to see anything and have to beg for a living.  This may be my one and only opportunity to be healed.  I am not going to shut up”.  He was certainly a determined man.

Jesus heard him.  Even if the blind man had also been unable to speak, Jesus still could have heard his silent cries of anguish.  Jesus called for him to come to him.  Some of those folks who had told Bartimaeus to be quiet were likely surprised that Jesus didn’t ignore him like they were all trying to do, but instead singled him out.  However, by their response to Bartimaeus, they seemed pleased for him.  They told him to “be of good comfort, rise; He calls thee.”  I suppose the crowd was eager to see a miracle.

Bartimaeus threw off his outer garment, arose, and went immediately to Jesus.  I suppose that many in the crowd were cheering him on and helping him toward Jesus.  He came face to face with the Son of God who asked him, “What will you have Me to do for you?” (paraphrased).  We might wonder why Jesus asked him that since Jesus knew what he desired, but Jesus wanted the man to verbalize his need.  The man answered, “Lord, that I might receive my sight”.  Jesus immediately healed him and told him to go on home because his faith had made him whole.  But he didn’t go home.  He became a follower of Jesus Christ and desired to keep close to the One who had opened his eyes physically and spiritually.

The lesson of this passage that stands out to me is that we should never give up praying for a need or a desire of our heart.  What if Bartimaeus had listened to the crowd, had given up calling for Jesus, and just went home?.  He may not have been healed.  Thus, let’s not let the naysayers, the party poopers, and the unbelievers try to discourage us from seeking the Lord.  There have been some naysayers in the news lately who criticize when folks speak out about praying for the conditions of our nation, or when a shooting occurs, or other tragedies that happen.  These unbelievers say that prayer is a waste of time, but they have likely never really gotten down on their knees and sought the Lord with their whole heart.  God is always ready to hear us when we call on Him, and He really wants to hear from us.  He is just a whisper away.