There is a story that I love about Bartimaeus found in the book of Mark.
The scene in chapter 10 begins with Bartimaeus on the side of the road.
Being blind and hearing a commotion, I’m sure that Bartimaeus asked
those around him what was happening. Someone told him that Jesus was
passing by.
Maybe you have seen a similar place as described above. I have spent
some time in Haiti. I don’t know how it is now, but back when I lived
there, you could go downtown in Port-au-Prince and see certain
intersections that were inundated with beggars. I saw everything to
include blind people, those who were missing limbs, mothers with sick
babies, and just about every type of misfortune that you could imagine!
There were some that looked like they could have been dead, and there
were others who wished they were. Every day a group of beggars could be
found doing the exact same thing they had done the day before, which was
begging for money.
I suppose it is fair for us to assume that Bartimaeus probably lived in a
similar environment. He was there on the side of the road, heard the
noise and commotion of a crowd going by, and then he inquired as to what
was going on. Those around him replied, “Jesus of Nazareth is coming”!
Suddenly, faith arose in him as he had heard about this Jesus, the Son
of David. As faith increased in Bartimaeus, he began to cry out, “Jesus,
Son of David have mercy on me.” He might as well have said, “Messiah,”
as that’s what Son of David means.
Everybody was trying to shush Bartimaeus to keep him quiet. They
probably said things to him such as, “He doesn’t care about you; you’re
just a beggar. You’ve always been blind; you will always be blind. Stop
calling out to Him; He’s not going to change your situation. You’re not
one of the ‘lucky’ ones.” On the contrary, what Jesus heard was the
voice of faith calling out, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” When He
heard that faith, He stopped and signaled for Bartimaeus to be brought
to Him. Suddenly, those who were trying to get him to shut up, now began
to encourage him: “Get up because He’s calling for you!”
It’s amazing how our friends can be so fickle. There are a lot of people
who want you to fail so they can speak ill of you. There are also those
who are waiting for you to succeed so they can get attached to you.
People watch us; they don’t want to be aligned with failures, so they
may not step out in faith with you.
Let this be a word to somebody. They first have to see you succeed, and
then they’ll say, “Yeah, I was with you. I believed in you the whole
time.” They didn’t believe in you the whole time. In private they were
saying, “I don’t think that he has a chance. I don’t think he can make
it.” Then, by the grace of God and your willingness to follow and obey,
things begin to open up and suddenly they want to partner with you.
“Man, I always knew there was something in you.” It reminds me of the
old song, “Nobody knows you when you’re down and out.” Do you remember
that one? The good news is that somebody does know ya! The Son
of David, Jesus, the Christ . . . He knows exactly where you are and
what He’s put in you. He didn’t call you to live a “down and out” life.
He wants you to live a life that is “up and over.”
Grace and peace,
pg
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