Posted by Greg McKinney
Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Large crowds of people of many different motivations are still following Jesus. I’m convinced most still don’t realize who it is they are following, and certainly do not understand where and why He was now headed. The closest to Him, the twelve, didn’t completely understand, and He had just plainly told them.
A crowd has a sound of it’s own. Dozens, if not hundreds of conversations, debates, arguments, chants, cheers, (probably some jeers) all going on at once combine chaotically. Through all of this, Jesus hears a distressed voice calling out.
The voice calls out ‘Son of David!’ and asks for mercy.
That Jesus hears this voice is incredible enough. But the ‘address’ the voice uses makes it stand out above all else that is going on. ‘Son of David’ carried a weight of recognition. Isaiah understood the weight of it. Jeremiah understood. Ezekiel understood. It was the prophetic term they used to prophesize about the ‘branch’ of David. The Messiah. And it stood out to Jesus as clearly as a mother’s child’s voice stands out among dozens of other children’s’ voices in a crowded playground.
Jesus recognized the voice immediately as belonging to one of his children and stopped everything to address him.
And then face to face, the blind man called Jesus his ‘Teacher.’ For some reason, it struck me as more than just being polite. It was sincere. Personal. And I think Jesus took it that way.
The whirlwind of a crowd cannot drown out the voice of those Jesus calls his own. Circumstance cannot. Lowly stature in this world cannot. He hears our voice. He wants communion with us. He wants our dependence. Though those closest to the blind man tried to hush him, Jesus contradicted, and told them to bring the man to him.
(It is noteworthy that this record follows Jesus’ instruction to the Twelve about the ‘greatest’ in His kingdom and servanthood…)
In the past, when reading the accounts of Jesus’ ‘miracles’ I found it very hard to understand Jesus’ statement to the fact that ‘your faith as healed you.’ I never could understand what the person had done to demonstrate faith.
A couple of thoughts occur today. I am reminded that the Lord sees and knows our heart and deeds, very much as He demonstrated with the Samaritan woman at the well.
The act of coming to the Lord during tribulation can be an act of faith in itself. But it is not complete in itself. Even unbelievers pray when their backs are against the wall. I believe the Lord recognizes a ‘heart of faith’-a humble heart, a heart that is not self-sufficient, a heart of sincere dependence upon the Him, that has demonstrated deeds of faith, and is open to acts of faith/obedience in the future. Though it is not in the text, I believe that was the heart of this blind man, not visible/recognizable to other men. Jesus did not have to ask the man to recite the Apostle’s Creed or to give some proof of faith at that moment. Jesus simply said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ He declared the man faithful. He saw the man’s heart. It was what marked this man as a child of the Lord, and Jesus responded.
We either come to the Lord with a ‘heart of faith’ or do not.
Lord, Son of David, thank you for your devotion to us. Thank you for hearing me above the commotion of this present circumstance. Help me protect my heart and incline it towards you, that I may hear your voice above my circumstance as well.