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I don’t know about you, but I love reading the word. Every page, every chapter, every story is overflowing with life and love and people. From Creation to the Resurrection, life is proclaimed…life in God and life with God. Eternal life. In between those same two monuments, love is revealed…time and time again. The love of God for His people, for us, resounds through every act of kindness, every act of mercy….even through every act of judgment. And then there are the people. People in all their self-righteous, know-it-all, flawed humanity. People in all their sickness and in all their need. And that’s where I always find myself.
In my reading a few days ago, I found myself outside the city of Jericho, sitting at the side of the road alongside Bartimaeus. In case you don’t know him, Bartimaeus is a beggar….and he is blind. Or rather, he was blind. But I’ll get to that. So yeah, there he was, sitting beside the road in the dust and the heat when he heard people walking toward him. A lot of people. A multitude even (Luke 18:36). To Bartimaeus, that multitude presented a perfect opportunity, an opportunity to beg, to plead for some food, for a few coins, for someone to notice him. So, as the multitude drew nearer and began to pass by, maybe out of curiosity and maybe just out of intimidation by the size of the multitude, Bartimaeus called out: “What does it mean?”….”Why such a large group?”….”Why walking towards Jericho?”…..“Who are you?” And the answer? Jesus is passing by.
At that point, I realized that, clearly, Bartimaeus had heard of Jesus. As I stood there, in the presence of that multitude, I watched as a change came over Bartimaeus. He jumped up from his sitting position. He became animated. He became excited. He lost that timid demeanor which had previously characterized his begging. And then he began to shout. He cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:38). He cried out loudly, drawing a lot of attention. A lot of negative attention.
As Bartimaeus cried out for mercy, he received censure from the crowd; he received rebuke. Why? Good question. The Bible says they “warned him that he should be quiet” (Luke 18:39). Be quiet? As in “speak more quietly”? Or as in “shut up and leave Jesus alone”? I have a feeling it’s the second. I have a feeling that this multitude, this group of people walking with Jesus, wanted to silence Bartimaeus altogether. Even the disciples. I imagine they pushed him, maybe jostled him out of the way as he tried to draw nearer to Jesus. Maybe they were rough with him. Maybe they just didn’t care. But you know what? Bartimaeus didn’t care either…he didn’t care about their censure….he didn’t care about their rebuke….he didn’t care about their abuse…..and he certainly didn’t care about their quiet! You know what he did instead? “He cried out all the more”! ALL THE MORE!!
As Bartimaeus cried out all the more, pleading with Jesus for mercy, you know what Jesus did? He stopped. Right there in the middle of the road…in the middle of the heat….in the middle of the dust…..in the middle of the multitude. The Bible says Jesus “stood still and commanded [Bartimaeus] to be brought to Him” (Luke 18:40). And then Jesus asked Bartimaeus, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Luke 18:41). Bartimaeus’ response: “Lord, that I may receive my sight” (Luke 18:41). In that moment, Jesus heard Bartimaeus, truly heard him. He heard his cries…He heard his pain….He heard his neglect….He heard his need. Jesus heard him. And then Jesus showed mercy. Jesus said to Bartimaeus, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well” (Luke 18:42).
Can you imagine that scene? Bartimaeus opens his eyes and the first thing he sees is his Savior. Surrounded by the crowd, that multitude of people, Bartimaeus allows his gaze to rest on the Man who gave him sight…on the Man who showed him mercy. I can only imagine the adoration that must have filled those eyes, the tears that must have run freely down those weathered cheeks, the joy that must have lit up that dusty face. Can you see it too?
At this point in my reading, I have to stop and look at the multitude, at all that flawed humanity walking with Jesus along that Jericho road. Obviously the disciples are in that crowd…as are many of the others who have been walking with Jesus throughout His journey to the cross. People He forgave. People He cleansed. People He healed. Yet, those same people tried to silence Bartimaeus. Why??? These are the people who have watched Jesus perform miracle after miracle after miracle. They have just witnessed the cleansing of the ten lepers….they’ve heard the parable of the unjust servant….they’ve listened as Jesus spoke to the rich young ruler….they’ve watched as He cast demons into swine….they’ve stood by as he served 5,000 dinner from a few paltry loaves and fish. Yet those same people try to silence Bartimaeus. Again, why??? The only answer I have is that they are so caught up in their own agenda, in reaching Jerusalem where they imagine Jesus will somehow become king, fulfilling their vision of His ministry, that they lose sight of blind Bartimaeus sitting alongside that road…..they lose sight of Who Jesus is and What He is about….they lose sight of His mercy and compassion and love and kindness. Clearly they don’t begrudge Bartimaeus his healing, his sight, because they “gave praise to God” after the miracle was performed (Luke 18:43). They just begrudged the interruption to their plan, their mission. And in doing that, they lost sight (again) of Christ’s mission.
I walk away from this Jericho road, away from blind Bartimaeus, with two thoughts. First, I am filled with fear that, in some way, I might be like that crowd, that multitude who tried to silence Bartimaeus. As a result, because of that fear, I am filled with a desire to fulfill Christ’s mission, not interfere with it. I never want to be an impediment to someone else’s salvation or healing or liberty or mission. I never want to be found guilty of trying to silence someone who is sincerely crying out to God. Lord, help me. And second? Second (but maybe most importantly), I am filled with a desire to seek God ALL THE MORE….to cry out to Him ALL THE MORE….to love Him ALL THE MORE. Surely we have all noticed that this world is full of voices that are trying to keep us quiet, to keep us from receiving all the benefits Christ has bestowed upon us, to keep us from realizing our potential in Christ, to keep us from drawing attention to ourselves as Christ followers. Maybe those voices are in our own homes. Maybe they are in our own heads. Yet we see in Bartimaeus a willingness and a determination to push past those voices and to focus on His Savior. We see a willingness and a determination to seek Jesus, regardless of the shame others attempt to heap upon us, regardless of the mockery, regardless of the abuse….just regardless. Because Jesus is the goal. He is the prize. He has the words of life. He offers sight to the blind. He offers healing to the sick. He offers freedom to the captive. And Bartimaeus received it all, simply because he cried out ALL THE MORE! All because he cried out all the more.
What are you crying out to God for today? Is it healing? Is it sight? Is it courage? Is it faith? Let me encourage you with this story…let me encourage you to “cry out all the more.” Cry out ALL THE MORE! Don’t give up! Persist in prayer. Persist in seeking Him. Persist in crying out! Because we follow a Savior who listens and a Savior who cares. We follow a Savior who is willing to stop for us, just like He did for Bartimaeus. Thank God for that!
I would love to join my faith with yours today. If you are in need of prayer, feel free to leave a message or a comment. Together we can cry out all the more!