No Bar… Just You ( Mark 10:46-52) IDENTITY

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. – Mark 10:46

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If being blind was not bad enough, Bartimaeus was forced to beg too. But the story doesn’t even end there. He was just known as Bar-Timaeus, which means the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus was not significant enough, to even be given a name of his own. And begging by the side of the dusty road to Jericho seems to be about all that he was good at. 

But little did Bartimaeus know that his life was about to change and radically.

Bartimaeus heard the rumble of an approaching crowd. And as the noise kept growing louder and people’s voices clearer, he figured that this crowd was following Jesus of Nazareth, the Healer. Bartimaeus was excited and hopeful too. Maybe Jesus would heal him too? 

He raised his voice and called out in his most appealing cry. Wonder if he would be heard above the din of the crowd. But that didn’t stop him. Bartimaeus cried out loud. And Jesus stopped!

The moving crowd came to a grinding halt. Jesus asked for Bartimaeus to be brought! Among the crowd of people of varying importance, the cry of Bar-Timaeus the blind beggar mattered to Jesus. He may have had many important things waiting for Him, but Bar-Timaeus mattered enough to Jesus for Him to stop, give him time and hear his cry. 

You matter to Jesus. However insignificant you may feel, to Jesus, you are of worth, and worth stopping for. Would you call out to Him today?

Thank you for reminding me that I matter to you, Lord.

Extended Reading – Matthew 19; Mark 10

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