Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Mark 10:46-47 As Jesus went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. 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!"
JESUS GIVES SIGHT
Begging is rather humiliating. It shows a level of weakness and helplessness. We celebrated our nation's Independence Day not too long ago. When it comes to begging, we are a nation that really doesn't know the meaning of that word -- seeing our livelihood and blessings compared to the majority of the world. More often than not, we beg for things we probably don't really need. More often than not, we as a nation complain because what we have isn't enough or quite what we want -- or even, what we think we deserve.
When the Lord puts us to the test, however, He shows us the true meaning of the word begging: those times when we humbly remember we totally rely on our God for all things! Blind Bartimaeus we learn was humble as well. He was begging Jesus for mercy. He wanted his sight! Even though "many warned him to be quiet ... he cried out all the more" (v. 48) and begged Jesus for His help, knowing that Jesus alone could give him his sight back! Jesus simply gave the word, and it was so.
You and I aren't really all that different than blind Bartimaeus. Blinded by our own sin and the sin of this world, we too cry out to our Savior and beg for His mercy! We need Jesus' forgiveness and to give us spiritual sight! We need Jesus to open our eyes to the Light of His Word so that we can see clearly in this dark world! And Jesus had just revealed this truth to His disciples just before they met Bartimaeus. He said, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).
See the loving hand of our Savior not only with Bartimaeus, but with us also! Our Lord reminds us to, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me" (Psalm 50:15).
