[When] …a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, … heard that it
was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and say, “Jesus, Son of David (Messiah),
have mercy on me!” Many sternly rebuked him, telling him to keep still and be
quiet; but he kept on shouting out all the more, “Son of David (Messiah), have
mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call Him.” So they called the blind man,
telling him, “Take courage, get up! He is calling for you.” Throwing his cloak
aside, he jumped up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said, “What do you want Me to
do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni (my Master), let me regain my
sight.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith [and confident trust in My power]
has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Jesus
on the road.
Mark 10:46-52 AMP
Here is a beggar, a blind beggar, sitting on the side of the
road. Yet, nothing—not even the rebuke/intimidation of the crowd—would inhibit
him from crying out to Jesus, whom he couldn’t even see. When they told him to stop, he cried out "all the more."
But, when Jesus called him, he took courage and even jumped up when called, throwing
off his cloak—what hindered him.
There’s something else here. If you look back in this
chapter, and even in previous chapters, you will notice that this man being
blind “saw” while most of the crowd, even perhaps the disciples did not.
When Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, cried out to Jesus, he
recognized the Lord for who He is—the Son of David, the Messiah, and called
Him, “Rabboni (my Master).”
What an example of courageous faith!! He wouldn’t be stopped
until he was able to look Jesus in the face.
Are we as courageous when we pray?
Do we let the circumstances of our lives or the people in
them stop us from accessing Jesus—His presence and His power? Oh, may we throw
off what hinders us, jump up and come to Him. May we tell Him plainly our heart’s
desire—all because we know Jesus as “my Master.” He hears our cries for mercy.
