Jesus Knows Your Name
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average person’s age in America is 38.1 years. My wife and I have been married longer than most people have been alive! Yikes! One benefit of our long marriage is that I recognize her voice. We can be with a small group of people or an entire, noisy congregation, and I can still find her by her voice; I’m not sure this is reciprocated – guys, marriage is not symmetrical. 😉 Anyway, this ability to “hear” a specific person’s voice in a crowd is what we’re considering today.
46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.
Mark 10:46–52
Two Lessons
In our Internet age of skimming while answering three text conversations and listening to music, I hope you read this Scripture. These Words of God feed our souls and display Jesus to us in a way we often forget. Though there are many lessons in this passage, I want to point out two of them.
First, when Jesus calls, we need to be like blind Bartimaeus. Out of so many people healed by Jesus during His earthly ministry, only a few responded with vigor. Let’s be vigorous Christians! We should throw off any encumbrance, spring up, and run to Jesus.
Secondly, from verse forty-six, we find Jesus surrounded by his disciples and a crowd. Nearly all the people that followed Jesus did so to ‘get something.’ For some, it was an adrenaline rush from times when the Pharisees challenged Jesus and were defeated. Others followed Him like a rich man, hoping to gain favor and get something in return. Still others followed for fun. They got a kick from watching Jesus do His miracles. But these were not the motives of Bartimaeus.
Make Your plea to Jesus
Bartimaeus had faith in Jesus. Bartimaeus called Jesus the “Son of David,” a title for the Messiah. Bartimaeus knew his only hope for healing was by God, and he was in the presence of Jesus, ‘God with us.’ So Bartimaeus made his plea to Jesus – Bartimaeus asked Jesus to “let me recover my sight.” His request was specific, concise, and born in faith. And Jesus did what Bartimaeus requested.
So, I hope you are changed by these five-hundred’ish words in this post. Let’s all be vigorous Christians. Don’t allow the crowds that surround Jesus to hinder you, and don’t let Christian leaders dissuade your faith in “God with us.” Call out to Jesus in faith. Jesus knows the sound of faith. No pressing crowd can mask that cry. No ecumenical leaders can obfuscate the vigorous sound of faith. Jesus found the woman with the ’issue of blood; He found Bartimaeus; He will find you if you speak faith to Him.
Photo by Jonathan Sebastiao on Unsplash
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