Mark 10:46-52
And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

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In Mark 10 we read about a man named Bartimaeus. He was blind and made his living by begging on the roadside outside of Jericho. Then one day, Jesus passed his way. At that time, Jesus was famous for the miracles He had performed. Bartimaeus cried out to Him for mercy, and Jesus healed his eyes and saved his soul. We read that “Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way” (Mark 10:52).

Though I’ve read this account many times before, as I was meditating on it recently, the Spirit of God reminded me, “You were like Bartimaeus.” My physical circumstances were very different than his—I was a little girl, raised in a Christian home in Newfoundland, Canada, and had no physical impairments. Yet, I can identify with his spiritual experience. He had heard about Jesus and the miracles He could do but had never met Him. I was a five-year-old girl who had heard about Jesus at Sunday school but also had never met Him before. Bartimaeus didn’t understand all that Jesus could do for him—he was just hoping to be healed of his blindness—but Jesus was capable of so much more. I also didn’t realize what Jesus could do until I opened my heart to Him, and then, like Bartimaeus, I found much more than I had expected. I had victory in my soul!

The account of Bartimaeus is all about the power of Jesus Christ being experienced in a real and personal way. What happened to Bartimaeus is the same thing that happened to me, and the best news is that it can happen to each of us. Age, background, ability—none of these can prevent us from receiving what Jesus has for us. What matters is our hearts and the way we respond to Him. If we can recognize the opportunity He is presenting and respond the right way, each of us can experience the powerful, life-giving touch of Jesus.

A divine appointment

When this meeting with Bartimaeus took place, Jesus was passing through Jericho on His way to Jerusalem. It is interesting to note that just a few days later, He would go to Calvary, bearing your sins and mine, as well as the sins of Bartimaeus. Jesus had His own burdens to carry, but that did not prevent Him from caring about the burdens of others.

As Jesus passed through Jericho, Bartimaeus was at the outskirts of the city, begging on the roadside. That day, he heard something different than usual—what sounded like a crowd coming down the road. At first, he did not know what all the commotion was about, but then he was told that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.

We might wonder, What were the chances that Bartimaeus would happen to be on the roadside at just the right time to meet the Lord? It wasn’t a chance at all—it was by divine appointment. God knew where Bartimaeus was and went to meet him.

This is encouraging because the same God who went to Bartimaeus will come to us. Wherever you happen to be hearing this message now is not by chance. It is by divine appointment. Most of us have our own plans for today, but God has a plan too. Jesus knows exactly where we are and He wants to meet with us. More than anything, He wants each of us to not only hear about this glorious Gospel, but to experience it, and it will thrill our souls if our hearts are open to receive it. Bartimaeus’ heart was wide open, and what Jesus did for him thrilled his soul.

Seek the Savior

We don’t know how much Bartimaeus knew about Jesus, but evidently, he had heard that Jesus was a miracle-worker. However, when Bartimaeus began to cry out to Jesus, he wasn’t addressing Him as just a miracle-worker. He called out, “Jesus, thou Son of David.” That was a name for the Messiah, and Bartimaeus was acknowledging Him as such.

Jesus is a miracle worker, but more than that, He must be our Savior. If we need His help today, when we seek Him as our Savior, every problem we have will be settled. That doesn’t mean that every obstacle will go away, but we will have Someone with us who can take care of them. We must first seek Jesus as our Savior, and receive His offer of salvation from sin, and then He will provide whatever we need.

Ask for mercy

Although Jesus hears the faintest cry, Bartimaeus cried out with a loud voice. When people told him to be quiet, he cried out all the louder. He wanted to get to Jesus!

There is something to be said about a desire so deep that it is expressed with the type of intensity that was in the voice of Bartimaeus. It takes faith to ask for God’s help. When Bartimaeus cried from his heart, his faith was expressed through his words. Bartimaeus probably didn’t even realize he had faith, but he did. The Word of God teaches us that God has given a measure of faith to everyone. Glory be to God, that He would love us so much that He would drop faith in our hearts so we can seek Him and find what we need.

Bartimaeus was hoping to be healed of blindness. That was the need he brought to Jesus. And the cry of his heart was, “Have mercy on me!” Another way of asking for mercy could be, “Give me something I don’t deserve!” Perhaps he didn’t even know he needed salvation, but he knew he needed what Jesus had for him and he knew he didn’t deserve it. When that prayer was done, he had more than he’d hoped for. He had salvation!

I can relate to this because the day Jesus met me, I didn’t know I had sin in my life. Jesus had to show me my need. That evening, my uncle was at our house. He was a minister of the Gospel, someone who had Jesus within and longed to share Him. I was already in bed for the night, but I heard my uncle ask my parents if he could pray. It breaks my heart to say this now, but when he started praying, I didn’t like what I heard. Yet in that moment, Jesus met me at my point of need. He showed me that there are two voices that can speak to a little girl, and He told me not to obey the wrong one. Soon after that, I prayed, asking Jesus for something I didn’t deserve, and He saved my soul. He changed my heart, and now I love to hear someone pray.

When we bring our needs to Jesus and ask for mercy with hearts that are open to what He has for us, we will leave rejoicing.

Jesus is calling you

Think about the circumstance that Bartimaeus was in. He wasn’t in a church surrounded by a band of believers. He was surrounded by people who shouted and told him, “Just be quiet!” It was as if to say, “Jesus doesn’t have time for you.” He sought the Lord under what could have been very discouraging circumstances. Yet, somehow he fixed his heart on the Savior. Then someone said, “Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.” Hallelujah! It always amazes and humbles me when I read that the Son of God stood still and called for him.

If you are not saved, Jesus is calling for you right now. Can you fathom that? The Son of God is calling you! He’s giving you the same kind of attention that He gave Bartimaeus. He loves you just the same way and He never changes.

Jesus’ call is personal. He doesn’t call a crowd; He calls an individual. There were several people in our house the night when I reached out to Him, but Jesus called me and showed me my need. That is also what He did for Bartimaeus, and that is what He will do for each one.

His call is also precious. We do not know when it might be our last opportunity to respond to His call. I do not say that as a fear tactic; that is the truth. God only promises us one call. He may call many times, but we need to recognize that His call is precious.

When Jesus calls, it is also powerful. I could never deny that moment at age five when the God of Heaven spoke to my heart. I knew it was Jesus and no one had to tell me.

If you have felt in the past that Jesus doesn’t have time for you, that is a lie from the enemy of your soul. Jesus desires to take time for you. He is calling you. His call is personal, precious, and powerful, and like Bartimaeus, we have a responsibility to answer the call of God.

An invitation

To the thirsty soul, Jesus is calling: “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (John 7:37). Are you thirsty for living water? No matter how long we have been saved, our souls should still thirst for God. To keep the living water overflowing in our hearts, we keep pouring our hearts out to Him in prayer so that He can pour in His Spirit.

To the hungry, Jesus says, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever” (John 6:51). Spiritual hunger is just as real as physical hunger. It is something God put in us. He is the only One who can satisfy our spiritual appetite because He is the Bread of Life, and He is offering it to us. In the physical sense, if I had only eaten one meal five years ago, I would not be alive today. We have to continue to supply our physical needs, and the same is true for spiritual needs; we have to continually partake of the Bread of Life. We must keep hungering after Him.

In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” There could not be a plainer invitation. This verse is often shared with sinners, but it was actually part of a message for the churches of that day. Some of the believers had backslidden and some had become lukewarm in their faith—they were no longer hungry or thirsty for God. That is dangerous, and that is who Jesus was calling.

In Revelation 22:17 Jesus said, “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Now, there is an invitation that ought to bring us on our faces before God! Jesus’ call goes out to each one of us.

Rise up

Imagine what would have happened if Bartimaeus had only asked for physical healing. In that case, he might not have received anything from God, but he certainly would have missed out on the greatest blessing. Thank God, that is not what happened! He surrendered everything to Jesus and the Lord saved his soul and healed his body.

Are you ready to receive what the Lord wants to give you? It’s one thing to hear about an encounter with Jesus, and it’s another thing to experience the Christ of Calvary for ourselves. The Word of God is alive, and He is the same from generation to generation. The people told Bartimaeus, “Rise; he calleth thee,” and it is time for us to rise up now and tell Jesus, “I need You to supply my every need, and I give You everything.” A full surrender is the way to bring the blessings of Heaven. No matter what your need is, the same Jesus who met Bartimaeus and who met me as a child, will meet you today.