As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,
Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,
sat by the roadside begging.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say,
“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” (Mk 10:46-48)
The story of the son of Timaeus always amazed me.
He had a lot of courage to keep hollering when everyone in the crowd told him to be quiet.
He had heard about Jesus’ works and he had come to believe that Jesus could help him.
Because of that, when he heard that Jesus was coming down the road, he kept crying out to the Lord. He was not going to let anyone shut him up.
His persistence paid off.
Jesus had him called over and asked him what he wanted.
The son of Timaeus’ answer was immediate: “I want to see!”
We often go through life rather blind. Blind to the needs of others, blind to oppression, blind to our own miserable faults.
We need our eyes opened as well.
They can only be opened if we trust the Lord to reveal Himself and His truth to us.
We are at the side of the road.
Jesus is coming.
Are we going to be silent? or are we going to yell to Him for mercy?
FAITH ACTION: Have you given up asking the Lord for something because someone told you it was foolish or because you think God was not listening? Ask Him again today. Count on Him to hear you.