“Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him telling him, to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!“ Mark 10:46 – 48
Jesus was on His way out of Jericho heading towards Jerusalem, accompanied by His disciples and a great crowd of followers all wanting to see the great Teacher, to hear Him speak, and to watch Him heal. They were looking for miracles.
Bartimaeus, a blind beggar sat beside the road, as he likely did most days, hoping that the passersby and pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem would take pity on him and give him food or coins.
Upon hearing a loud commotion and sensing a crowd of people coming his direction, Bartimaeus began asking “who is coming?” – “what is happening?” He quickly learned that the crowd was following Jesus. Even the blind beggar had heard of Jesus’ reputation; he knew Jesus was the Great Healer and he knew that he needed healing.
Immediately, Bartimaeus began calling out to Jesus, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” As the people near him tried to hush him, Bartimaeus cried out all the louder. This was his one chance to meet Jesus. His one chance to be healed of his blindness. Bartimaeus was determined that he would get Jesus’ attention; he would not be silenced by the crowd. He continued to cry out, “Jesus!”
And Jesus stopped.
Jesus then called for Bartimaeus to come to Him. Bartimaeus threw off his cloak, leaped to his feet, and ran towards the sound of Jesus’ voice.
Mark 10:51-52 records the encounter between Jesus and Bartimaeus in this way “…Jesus said to him, what do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way, your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed Him on the way.”
Take a moment to think about how Jesus responded to Bartimaeus’ urgent and impassioned cries:
- Jesus HEARD him. A blind beggar crying out “Jesus” from the side of the road, surrounded by the deafening roar of the excited crowd, still Jesus heard Bartimaeus’ cries for help.
- Jesus SAW him. Jesus’ eyes pierced through the crowds to see Bartimaeus, the blind beggar sitting on the side of the road hidden behind the crush of people walking with Jesus.
- Jesus STOPPED what He was doing. Jesus was on mission for His Father as He traveled to Jerusalem where He would be crucified, yet He paused to show His Father’s love and compassion for a man who was physically and spiritually blind.
- Jesus RECOGNIZED him. Jesussaw past Bartimaeus’ physical brokenness and financial poverty to recognize in him a soul in need of the Savior.
- Jesus CALLED HIM. With all of the people crowded around Jesus, Jesus singled out Bartimaeus, inviting him to come to Him.
- Jesus LISTENED to him. Jesus knew without asking what Bartimaeus needed, but He asked anyway because He wanted Bartimaeus to acknowledge his need and ask for His help. Jesus listened not only to Bartimaeus’ words, but also to his heart.
- Jesus KNEW his heart. Jesus recognized the faith in God that Bartimaeus displayed in his words and his actions; Jesus knew that Bartimaeus wanted complete healing that would open his eyes and change his life forever.
- Jesus ANSWERED him. Jesus responded to his need
- Jesus HEALED him body and soul. And Bartimaeus followed Jesus, his Healer and his Savior.
- Jesus GAVE him DIGNITY and a NEW IDENTITY. As a blind beggar sitting by the side of the road, Bartimaeus had no status, no place of respect in the community; he was an outcast and rejected by society; he depended on the kindness of strangers to make it day by day.
When Jesus, the popular religious teacher and respected rabbi, invited Bartimaeus to come to speak to Him, His acknowledgment and acceptance of Bartimaeus gave the beggar a level of respectability and dignity that otherwise would not be given to someone in Bartimaeus’ position in life.
More importantly, when Jesus healed Bartimaeus physically and spiritually, Bartimaeus took on a whole new identity. No longer a blind beggar, a social outcast sitting by the side of the road; his physical eyes were opened to the beauty of God’s creation and his spiritual eyes opened to beauty of His Savior. He was a child of the King, clothed in righteousness not his own imputed to him by His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
If the discouraging words of the crowd had succeeded in silencing Bartimaeus, he would have never met Jesus, his blind eyes would have never been opened, and his sin-sick heart would have never been healed.
The crowds, the world, and the lies of sin and Satan will try to silence you, sometimes even your own sin-stained nature will try to stop you from crying out to Jesus.
Let your voice cry out to Jesus, whatever the need, whatever the situation, you can know with certainty that Jesus:
- HEARS you.
- SEES you.
- GIVES you HIS FULL ATTENTION.
- RECOGNIZES you.
- CALLS you to HIMSELF.
- LISTENS to you.
- KNOWS you and KNOWS your heart.
- Will ANSWER you.
- Will HEAL you.
Don’t let the crowds silence your voice.
“…They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’” Zechariah 13:9b