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.
This is what I see. I notice that Jesus listens, stops, and heals. He really cares and listens to my cries, prayers, worries, needs. He loves me so much that He stops – right there, right now. All of His attention is on me. He heals my blindness.
This is what I am going to do about it. I am going to ask Jesus to heal my blindness. In my case my blindnesses are pride, stubbornness, lack of forgiving, self-centered attitude (I only see me, my life, my stuff, my hurt), and my anger. I want to see Jesus. I know He hears me. I need someone to listen. I know He has stopped. If He stops to listen, I need to stop to be with Him. Stopping and being with Jesus is okay and in fact ‘very good”. He is not too busy for me, or unconcerned, or distant. Now I am going to follow Him as He heals my blindnesses – my stuff. I know this will be hard. He is listening, He has stopped just for me and He is God. He and He only can make that huge change in me that I need.
Pat Noonan, Pastor
El Puente – Concord
I am that blind man or I should be. Desperate for mercy from heaven, disregarding the jeers of the crowd and calling out to Jesus. The son of Timaeus having heard the invitation throws aside his cloak in hope and faith making his sightless way to Jesus.
Where the rich man yesterday was unaware of the one thing he lacked, Bartimaeus’ one thing is clear, “I want to see.”
Today I confess my blindness too and call out for the mercy of heaven. I hear the invitation. I stumble again to the mercy of Jesus and say, “I want to see.” I am that blind man. I make my way in faith to the love of Jesus.
One of my very favorite songs, Terry Talbot . . . I am that blind man . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9–unR3iTX8
Blind and calling out is where I feel I have been for the past few years. Many questions have been answered, but there are still so many more–or maybe its just the “one thing” I lack, whatever that is.
I can also totally relate to: 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet..” Although many have come alongside and there has been much confirmation, I feel the weight of those rebuking, doubting, and trying to hush me, and my failure to see clearly clouds most days in frustration–that I lack is so apparent, but what I lack is not so clear.
So, I “shout all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’” Father, I am desperate here in my blindness, have mercy on me, I want to see!
Today, this week, I will fast and pray, and I will shout out all the more.
I hear our cynical world saying, ‘Seeing is believing’. We all fall into that faithless trap sometimes. It is good to use your brain to evaluate things so you don’t follow every new (and probably false) teaching that comes along, but when it comes to God speaking (and we should all recognoze his voice by now) we should follow the mantra, ‘Believing is seeing’. The blind man’s faith allowed him to see => The Believing leads to the Seeing. I want some of that!
My ‘do’ is actually a ‘don’t’. Don’t demand that God let you see what lies ahead before you trust him, but to truly believe so you can see what he is doing.
“Thank you Lord for never being too busy to hear my cries.”
What if we started identifying with Jesus in these stories of healing in the gospels? We all start out being that healed person for sure, but then as we root our identity deeper in the person of Jesus and truly follow, WE should be healing, praying, and overturning temple tables. The disciples were there to “do” as Jesus did. Yes, they were called and rescued and being refined, but they would have been standing right there learning as Jesus acted. They were expected to follow right behind his footsteps and practice what they saw. I want to start seeing Jesus in me and myself as his disciple in these stories never forgetting that I was the healed and saved. For me to be looking out for those crying out to see, to walk, to be raised from the dead. Those who need the power of God to radically break through in their lives, may I be Jesus to them.
“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Once again these words are spoken by Jesus. Challenging words for sure. Will I fully (faith-fully)turn toward Jesus in my blindness? Thanks Pat for your honesty and you thoughts – I too will stop and be with Jesus today.