They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way”
I have always liked this passage from Mark’s Gospel. I once heard it used for Lectio Divina on a middle school youth retreat. The kids were told to close their eyes and think about the person they were most like in the story. I think we all go through points in our where we can relate to Bartimaeus. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, it seems like there are always people telling us to stop. There are always people trying to keep us where we are. Bartimaeus asks Jesus for mercy. "Jesus has mercy on me.” We have to keep shouting out and standing up for what we are fighting for. We often know what we need, or even what we want, but we don’t always try and get it. In my own life, I feel like there is something holding me back something or someone telling me to be quiet. It is as if someone is telling me that I need something else and I am throwing my life away.
“Take heart; get up, he is calling you”
This is my favorite part of this story. “Take heart,” the blind man is told. I see this as meaning take courage! I always seem to find myself at a place where I need to be reminded to have courage. Sometimes you just have to go. Get up! Jesus is calling you. Jesus is already calling you to do great things. Are you going to follow Him? Take heart and do it. Take courage and live your faith in all that you do! Take heart and love the Lord with your whole mind, body, and soul! Have courage and be who God is calling you to be.
This can be hard sometimes. I always ask the Lord to help me to have this courage to do His will. The Lord isn’t going to ask something of you without giving you the grace you need to complete it. People will always try to knock you down or tell you to be quiet. However, take heart the Lord is calling you! Never be afraid to stand up for your faith.
Just my thoughts.
Go With God.
Duncan
