Bartimaeus

In the mornings lately, I have had the privelage of going through one of Priscilla's bible studies that will be coming out in print this summer. Let me just tell you that this study is so where my heart is. I appreciate Priscilla for many different reasons, but I'm so blessed by her hunger and thirst for the Lord.

I was reading about Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52
I'm really growing to admire this guy. Bartimaeus was a blind beggar. Doesn't really have much going for himself. But what I love about him is that when he heard Jesus was coming and would be walking in front of him, he just started shouting. I just picture myself walking into church on Sunday and seeing a blind beggar shouting for Jesus outside the building and wonder if I wouldn't also rebuke him like the crowds did who were around him. But the beautiful thing is that Bartimaeus didn't stop shouting when everyone was telling him to be quiet; he shouted all the more, begging for Jesus' mercy. So Jesus stops and calls Bartimaeus over to him and asks him what he needs, as if it wasn't obvious enough. Bartimaeus asks Jesus to heal him, and because of his faith, He heals him.

There are so many things to draw from this guys story, but what I admire so much in Bartimaeus is that despite the adversity, or the unpopular thing to do, or the fact that he was despised and made fun of by the people, his community, and believers in Jesus for that matter, he kept shouting out to God all the more. Because he had heard about this man, Jesus, and knew that He could heal him. And I just have to ask myself if I tend to draw closer to the Lord in times of great difficulty when it is very much the absolute opposite of what everyone else thinks I should be doing? Is my faith strong enough to heal my blindness? I don't know.

It just makes me want to shout and beg for Jesus' mercy upon me today. Jesus is asking us to come to him today. He is also telling us to ask Him what we want Him to do for us today. Jesus didn't walk over to Bartimaeus, he tells Bartimaeus to come to Him. Sometimes we have to get up from where we are and go to where Jesus is. Do you need God's mercy today? Get up and follow Him. Your faith will restore you.