10 Nov, 2011
Sight
Blind man uses his ears to see
Mark 10:46-52
The Message (MSG)
46-48They spent some time in Jericho. As Jesus was leaving town, trailed by his disciples and a parade of people, a blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting alongside the road. When he heard that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by, he began to cry out, "Son of David, Jesus! Mercy, have mercy on me!" Many tried to hush him up, but he yelled all the louder, "Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!"
49-50Jesus stopped in his tracks. "Call him over."
They called him. "It's your lucky day! Get up! He's calling you to come!" Throwing off his coat, he was on his feet at once and came to Jesus.
51Jesus said, "What can I do for you?"
The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."
52"On your way," said Jesus. "Your faith has saved and healed you."
In that very instant he recovered his sight and followed Jesus down the road.
What does God's Story scripture teach us about chasing after Jesus?
Over the years I have learned a few things that are kind of significant and cool about this story. First is that Bartimaeus was known. He wasn't just your run of the mill flat character from a story. We are told who his father is, this is a big deal. For your family to be mentioned they had to have some standing in the community.
Second, Bartimaeus leaves his coat behind when he heads to Jesus. A coat was the "red and white stick" of the first century. When you needed to get somewhere you would ask a friend to grab your coat and lead you to your destination. "Bart" left his coat behind, he didn't want to cling to the old life, he abandoned his crutch because he had to get to Jesus.
He didn't care about public ridicule. He didn't care about tripping. He just called for Jesus and then went after Jesus with reckless abandon.
How can we connect today's God's Story Scripture to our lives?
The story of blind Bartimaeus is an intense story. When I picture this moment in my mind I see a large man yelling, from his core, for Jesus. He has got to meet Jesus. I hear in his voice the guttural cry the teeters on the verge of weeping, because he understands the only person who can help him is close by. Have you ever felt that deep of a desire to get to Jesus?
- Sit in a quiet place and read the story again. Then close your eyes and imagine the scene unfolding before you. What catches your attention?
- Say a prayer asking Jesus to kindle in you a desire for him.
How can we connnect today's story, God's Story scripture, and our story to others?
- I love stories like Daniel's. They encourage me and remind me the excuses I sometimes use are weak. That's a good place to start a conversation, talk with a friend about the excuses you use to not do what you should.
- Maybe you have friend who is feeling like they are out of options. You can point to the story of Bartimaeus. Here is a guy who needed something big to happen in his life and only one person could do it.
- Still the best connection you can make is to live out a deep desire for Jesus in front of your friends.
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