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46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. (Mark 10:46-52 NIV)
A happy and wondrous Monday for you, ConCafe Family! And may this bless you in being with God during this devotional time, Friend, is my prayer for you. May we continue to lift our prayers for baby Hudson, who continues to need our prayers. Please continue to pray for all who seek God's help and healing. Pray for one another and pray for your needs.
A dear friend of a certain age and I were speaking of our experiences with glasses. I did not need glasses until I was about forty-two years old. I was blessed with wonderful vision but age began to claim it away from me. I clearly remember the day I graduated to wearing bifocals, but instead of the lined kind, it was a progressive lens. I remember the anger I felt for not having the correct perspective on depth perseption and was angrier when I had to walk down some stairs. I am thankful I had Nellie to calm me down. My gripes pale with the bigger issue Jesus deals with in this passage. Jesus encounters a man who is blind. This was a man whose birth during the days of Jesus meant he was severly limited in what he could do and couldn't do without sight. He did not have the luxury of seeing an eye doctor and getting a prescription with which to get corrective lenses with which to see. Here was a man who could not see a thing and totally depended on the kindess of strangers. He could not hold a job nor a trade with which to support himself or a family. That's a nice way of saying he was sentenced to a life of begging,which is what Jesus hears as He enters into the city of Jericho. Upon hearing the name of Jesus, this man, whose name was Bartimaeus, begins to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Those who heard him rebuked him and ordered him to be quiet; this made him yell all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" The man had heard the stories and rumors about Jesus and came to have faith in this man who is going around Israel and doing the undoable, the miraculous, and the unexplainable. To have a reputation for givin the blind new sight was in line with what the prophets had spoken about the coming Messiah. The scriptures also spoke of the One who would proclaim release from captivity, including the prison of total blindess and so the faith of this blind man grew, and soon he came to believe that Jesus could be truly the Son of David, and that makes him an early Messianic believer. Bartimaeus knew the history and the prophecy and even though he was blind, as the sheep above said, He "saw" the Messiah when he heard he was there, he knew who Jesus was. His faith upset those who also knew the prophecy and did not regard Jesus or anyone as the true Son of David. Their expectations were different; Bartemaeus knew Who the Son of David could truly do for Israel and him. The "mercy" he cried for was for the opportunity to just see which would make him a different person, with more opportunity to provide for himself and his family. Jesus tells the disciples to call him and Bartimaeus made his way to Jesus who asks what it was that he wanted. All he knew to say was, "Rabbi, I want to see." Jesus replies, "Go, your faith has healed you." At that instant he could see and followed Jesus along the road.
Only the Son of God, the Messiah long expected by Israel could do the impossible. He gave sight to the blind. And to be the one on the receiving end of such a miracle made you special and blessed. To receive light after a lifetime in darkness is a miracle. It is freedom to live in a new way and to face a world now with unexplored opportunities and possibilities and that may have been both exciting and frightening. Yet, to have the One who gave you this miracle near you made a big difference in what tomorrow might be like; the Son of God has given you sight, and that also means He has given you hope. This was among the main themes of Jesus' ministry; to make real the God of scripture and to know the love that our God has for all people.
Today many people live in darkness, some even totally blind to God and God's presence and power in their lives. Some sadly, die from not ever seeing life as it could be with seeing God at work in their lives. Some even die in blindness. As we move on as a society and culture, we find the competition for our attention grows. So many things offer themselves as attractive and alluring and we take God for granted or we ignore Him. The idea of surrendering to Him and His way of living seems dull or unattractive or impossible. What saved Bartemaeus was his thirst for something more. It was that thirst that perked his ears to hear that there was quite possibly a remedy or cure to this blindness; he heard loudly, "You don't have to live in this way anymore because there is someone who can make you better and lead you in a way to a life you did not know really existed. And it became evident on that day that Jesus entered into his realm that he just had to cry out and say, "Jesus, here I am in need, and only You can make me better!" And truly that was what made a difference, a life-changing difference in him and he reached a point where he knew that his life would never again be the same.
Dear one, we don't have to live in darkness. We are near enough to Jesus to ask of Him that which would open our eyes and make us see the brighter and more dynamic life that comes from letting Jesus open our eyes. What would hold you back from asking of Him that which would change you for the better?
PRAYER: Awesome Father, We know we am close enough to Jesus to ask Him for what we truly need for our lives to be better. We wamt to see more, experience more, and love more, and We know that is possible because of what You offer. Give us the courage to ask for what we need; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Seek to see like God would have you see! And help others to do the same.
Receive my blessings of peace and joy,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
