Devotional Messages

DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE

Mark 10: 46-52 – They came to Jericho.  As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside.  When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”  Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.”  And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.”  So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.  Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?”  The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.”  Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.”  Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.  (NRSV)

Is this a story about persistence?  Is it a story about faith?  About healing?  Is it about being willing to do whatever you have to in order to follow Jesus, no matter how much others may disapprove?  The story can be many things, depending on where you’re at on your spiritual journey at the moment.

Have you ever been in a place, spiritually, when you could hear about Jesus but not see him?  What did that feel like?  Frustrating?  Discouraging?  Did it make you want to shout?  So often, when we’re having trouble connecting with God, we give up too easily.  We try to fill the God-shaped hole in our hearts with other things, simply because we’re having trouble seeing Jesus from where we’re sitting.  We let others talk us out of searching too hard, to avoid embarrassment.

What if we took Bartimaeus’ approach instead, not letting anything stop us from chasing Jesus done, yelling at the top of our lungs, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”?  One of the most striking verses in this passage describes what came next:  “Jesus stood still.”  Bartimaeus had gotten his attention.  Jesus stood still.  And from that stillness came mercy and blessing and healing.

Has your journey been rough lately?  Have you had trouble seeing Jesus well enough to follow him?  Are you tempted to give up?  Are you tempted to scream?  Go ahead, just make sure to cry out the right thing – “Son of David, have mercy on me!”  And then, hold on until that moment of stillness comes, bringing with it mercy and blessing and healing.