… As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus, was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
Mark 10:46-51 (NIV)
As if He didn’t know.
He is Jesus, the Son of God, after all.
Don’t you think He knew exactly what Bartimaeus wanted? So desperately wanted? He didn’t offer, He waited. He let Bartimaeus do the asking.
Can you hear the urgency is his shouts? “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Bartimaeus knew. This was his chance – right here, right now – to be healed. To be free. To be liberated from his disability.
“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
He wasn’t afraid to ask. He wasn’t embarrassed to cry out, to make a scene, to beg. He knew that there was only one possible cure.
The cure was Jesus.
He threw off his cloak, and he jumped to his feet. He was blind – but he didn’t hesitate, he didn’t walk carefully, or timidly. He jumped at his chance.
So often we bear our failures like a garment. A cloak of shame and burden we wrap around ourselves.
Afraid to ask. Afraid to make a scene. Afraid to reach for that one, perfect cure.
The cure is Jesus.
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!
I throw off the burden of my sin, my failures. I throw off the cloak of shame for all the times I yelled when I shouldn’t have, when I let them down. When I made the wrong choice. When I wasn’t the support I should have been.
When I was selfish. Unkind. Judgmental.
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!
Jump at the chance for healing and forgiveness – don’t walk, run. Throw off your burden, and go.
“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Bartimaeus, healed, knew what he needed to do. He didn’t run home, he followed. He stayed with the One who healed.
Go and do the same, friends, go and do the same.
God’s love is not wearied by our sins and is relentless in its determination that we be cured at whatever cost to us or Him. ~ C. S. Lewis
Read more at www.AdelleGabrielson.com.
Leave a Comment
Beautiful and powerful truth! Increase our vision, Lord.
I needed to read this today-thank you. Holly
Wow.
Goosebumps.
I love the close inspection of the story. It makes me see things like I have never seen them before. This inspection of the story prompts another inspection. One of self.
How many times have I not asked God for what I needed, or been vocal about it in front of others in an effort to dodge embarrassment. Obviously, God knows what I need. He is God. But if I was going to be honest with myself, other probably do too. Although we humans are complex creatures we are seldom able to mask the ailments of the soul.
Thank you! Very convicting and eye-opening. I am sharing!
I never looked at it this way, but you are so right. I always pictured it would be easy for a blind man to yell out way back in that time, or a prostitute or whatever. But if anyone of us (present day) had to yell out in front of *all of our peers*, “Jesus help me, I am an alcoholic!” Or “Jesus help me, I had an abortion!” Or “Jesus help me, I robbed my company!” It would be humiliating, and most wouldn’t be able to do it. Sometimes reading these stories from the Bible seem hard to picture as anything other than a *story*, but your post brought it to current day for me. I am so relieved we can call out to Jesus in our hearts, and he hears us. 🙂
Love the quote you put in this post by C.S. Lewis : God’s love is not wearied by our sins and is relentless in its determination that we be cured at whatever cost to us or Him…especially that God’s love is not wearied by our sin. For I find myself very wearied many times by my own failure to give out the same grace given to me…wearied by my judgemental spirit, wearied by not being slow to speak, wearied. It’s when I try to love others with my human love and fail I get so wearied in my spirit and it shows in my contentant.
This prayer rose up in me:
God give me the courage of Bartimaeus to face my failures and without thought to anyone except Jesus open my mouth and speak those same words…Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me. Everyday new mercy waits to hear just those words from all His children. Thank God Thank God for new mercy and thank you Adelle for a very thought provoking post I think must have come through a teachers heart for it is laid out so well all would have to place ourselves in the story. Great inspired writing.
I love this post. Thank you.
Following blindly, in complete submission and praise–absolutely!