A BLIND PERSON WITH VISION
Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. (Mark 10:46 NLT)
Bartimaeus was a burden to society and they didn’t expect anything from him, but look at the Bible passage. Even though there was a great multitude, why was Bartimaeus’ name mentioned?
- Jericho was a symbol of the adverse circumstances in his life. Bartimaeus was a blind person who lived in a cursed city, but God is not interested in where we’re born, rather what we are and who we can be.
- Bartimaeus was on the side of the path. In the same way, there are people who conform, and simply wait for things to happen and nothing does actually happen. They stay next to the path.
- He was a beggar without vision. He lived a life without vision, asking for anything. God’s purpose is greater than going through life.
- Jesus stopped with Bartimaeus. He had more faith than anyone else, as when he heard Jesus coming, he started to cry out to him.
When Bartimaeus 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.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” (Mark 10-47-49 NLT)
- He didn’t wait for Jesus to do everything. He persisted more, and he didn’t care about criticism. We shouldn’t listen to the other voices.
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My Rabbi,[a]” the blind man said, “I want to see!” And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road. (Mark 10:51-52 NLT)
God is asking you: What do you want? Just come close to Him as his child, believing, not begging, and be specific like Bartimaeus. If you identified with Bartimaeus in your tragedy, identify with him in victory.
Think about it:
If God asked you, “What do you want?”, what would you say?
Have you let criticism stop you from getting close to God?
What do you need to have success in life like Bartimaeus?
