Mark 10: 44-52 tells the story of a blind man, who was sitting by the road begging.
His name was Bartimaeus.
Bartimaeus had likely been blind for a long time. Unable to work, he had been forced into a life of begging.
He was used to it. The people around him were used to it. Some even called him Blind Bartimaeus.
He was used to begging. The people around him were used to his cries. Some ignored him. Some threw a little something his way now and then.
Bartimaeus was used to rejection, ridicule and often getting nothing for his efforts. But he kept trying. What else could he do? He wasn’t ready to die yet.
But then one day, he heard a new sound. He heard Jesus was coming. He had heard people talk about Him. They said He had special powers to heal people.
He wondered if it was really true. A small beacon of light turned on inside him. He was not familiar with the feeling. It is called Hope.
Step into that scene for a moment.
Is there something you have struggled with for a long time? Has it majorly affected your life? Have you become defined by it? You have accepted this is just the way it is.
You have gone through the various stages of grief and arrived at acceptance over and over again. You have not dared to hope for quite awhile now. Hope always led to disappointment.
But today … today feels different. Maybe … maybe … you can’t even let yourself consider it. But you hear yourself call out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Bartimaeus did that. Immediately those around him tried to get him to be quiet. But he was determined. He called out louder than their rebukes.
He knew even if someone forcibly carried him away, he would continue to call. No matter whether this Jesus could heal him or not, he wanted to get closer to Him.
Then it seemed time stopped.
The world got quiet.
Bartimaeus got quiet.
There was only one sound. Bartimaeus heard The Voice that had spoken him into the world. Every cell in his body rejoiced.
Jesus said, “Call him.”
Bartimaeus froze. Who was Jesus calling? There was a crowd. Bartimaeus could feel them around him. No one expected Jesus would choose him. Bartimaeus himself knew he had nothing to offer anyone. He had never been chosen by anyone.
But someone next to him said, “On your feet! He’s calling you.”
Bartimaeus jumped to his feet, threw off his ragged coat, and walked toward The Voice.
He did not know what he expected other than mercy. When he had called out to Jesus, he had just asked for mercy. He wasn’t even sure whether mercy and pity were the same thing,
He just wanted to be noticed … to be taken seriously … to be treated with respect … not to have to fight so hard for the basics of living like food and clothes.
But now, as he got closer to Jesus, none of those things seemed to matter. He just wanted to be close to Jesus.
Now he was close. And Jesus was talking to him.
Jesus asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
Let’s go back to you. Jesus is with you and He asks you the pivotal question of your life.
“What do you want Me to do for you?”
What is your answer? No long list. Just one most important thing. What do you want Jesus to do for you?
Now back to Bartimaeus. Why would Jesus ask him that? Wasn’t it obvious what Bartimaeus needed? Perhaps to some.
But Jesus wanted Bartimaeus to focus mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Most importantly he wanted him to see himself seeing.
Bartimaeus said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
And in that moment, Hope blossomed into Certainty. He knew Jesus had all Power and Authority to make it so. He knew Jesus had chosen him and Jesus wanted to make it so.
He knew The Creator of The Universe and all that was in it was touching him. His eyes were opened and the First Face he saw was Jesus’ Face.
He would have stayed in that moment forever, but Jesus said, “Go, your faith has healed you.”
Bartimaeus did go, everywhere Jesus went. He saw more than he ever imagined.
Whatever is going on in your life, Jesus sees you. He is stopping. He is calling you. You are His Only Priority right now.
He is asking you, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
How will you answer?
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