Do not shy away, don’t back down

Jesus, the disciples and the crowd were leaving Jericho. A blind beggar named Bart (Bartimaeus), was sitting beside the road. When he heard that Jesus was there, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” “Dude Be quiet!” the people yelled at him. But this only got him more excited, he shouted even louder, “SON OF GOD, HAVE MERCY ON ME!” When Jesus heard him, He stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up” they said. “Come on, He’s calling you!” Bart threw his coat down, jumped up, and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My teacher,” the blind man said, “I want to see!” – Mark 10:46-51 (paraphrase & emphasis mine)

I LOVE the quotes of Jesus, THIS is one of my favorite. Blind Bart, works his way to Jesus, VERY apparent he lacks the ability to see, Jesus being God … KNEW! Yet, Jesus asks… “ What do you want me to do for you?” When the people tried to hush Bart, would he quiet himself? NO, he was desperate! Bart initiated the ‘ask’, would he follow through? How often do ‘we’ ask, find we are perhaps scorned by others for it, and hush up. Are we desperate enough? Jesus wants us to come to the place that we tell Him… He already knows, but we say it. Notice too, that when Jesus asked, Bart’s response was NOT full of excuses or explanation, “Well, when I was 10, I was in a scuffle with my brother, I fell, my head injury resulted in my blindness, actually I am sure my brother pushed me. We haven’t spoken since. I have sought help from the doctors for years, but to no avail, it did not help. I am still blind, so here I sit every day waiting. What would I like? I would like to be able to see again.”

He simply stated, “I want to see!”

May we too, in Jesus’ presence, not shy away, don’t back down, stay desperate… get straight to the point… and ask of Him.

What happen to Bart? Jesus healed him.

In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love & good deeds.” – Heb. 10:24)