GOD REWARDS THE DETERMINED SOUL (PART 3)
TEXT:
"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 many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, ... And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called." (Mark 10 verses 46 to 49, King James Version)
Again, only the Gospel of Saint John seems not to report the incident of blind Bartimaeus; although Luke not mentioning his name, called him "a certain blind man" (Luke 18 verse 35), while Matthew's account seems to allude to "two blind men" (Matthew 20 verse 30). Nevertheless, the story of blind Bartimaeus is incredibly captivating as it shows what desperation, coupled with faith can do for you.
Perhaps, blind Bartimaeus had learned that Jesus of Nazareth had healed others of blindness; so,
hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant and upon being informed that the Lord was passing by, he resolved that he was going to cry out to Him for help. His cry was “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me!”
But those that were there with him "rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, ..." This was desperation at its finest!
Truth is, blind Bartimaeus had made up his mind to call on the Lord for help and with resolute firmness, he was determined to do so in spite of challenges and opposition from those around him. This ought to be our approach as we make our requests to God. In the face of opposition from the world, we should strive to exhibit firmness and steadfastness as we seek God.
Blind Bartimaeus' case was of special significance for two reasons. Firstly, he was blind and couldn't see. Since this was the case with him, he seemed to have concluded that the only way he could get Jesus' attention was to keep crying out as loud as he could. For how long he did this, only God can tell, but for a desperate blind Bartimaeus, it was obviously for a considerable period of time, probably for hours. For hours, this blind man was crying out desperately in repeated succession "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me." The question to my dear reader this morning is, 'how desperate are you when you seek God for help'?
Secondly, upon being charged to be quiet, the Bible says that blind Bartimaeus "cried the more a great deal" (Mark 10 verse 48). I have recently discovered that the Lord Jesus was not particularly fond of noise and outcry. Matthew 12 verse 19 records of Him that "He will not strive nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets." This was the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, there was something about the cry of blind Bartimaeus that captivated and caught the attention of the King of Mercy. Like I said repeatedly in the previous parts to this series, extraordinary measures from us towards God have the tendency to touch His tender feelings to do us good. It was exactly so with blind Bartimaeus!
When the Son of God saw the determination of this blind man, and heard his desperate cry for help, the Bible tells us, “Jesus stood still.” and commanded him to be brought to Him. When he had come near, the Lord asked him, saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight” (Luke 18:40-41). Right away, Jesus commanded his healing saying, "Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee." Glory to God!
In our relationship with the Lord, I pray that we may be found by Him to be determined that we may earn that awesome reward that it offers to them that exhibited it, in Jesus name.
PRAYER:
Father, may You find me resolute and determined in my quest for Your intervention in my life's circumstances, in Jesus name.