Tuesday, January 25, 2022
Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Mark 10:46-48
Are You Impaired and Hopeless?
This scripture passage above is about a blind man named Bartimaeus. He had been dealt some pretty low blows in life that were not his fault. He came from Jericho, a cursed city because when Joshua captured it, he cursed it. He came from a dysfunctional family, he was blind, and he was a beggar. There was very little in his life to find hope in, and it wasn’t even circumstances that he created. He was not living in consequences of bad choices, just unfortunate circumstances. He was begging to survive, just existing from day to day.
Do you ever feel like that? Like you are just existing from day to day with no hope? Most of us have made bad choices that have led to our circumstances. Bartimaeus was impaired with blindness. We are impaired with the addictions, anger, financial burdens, etc. of our lives and we actually drive ourselves to a hole where we can find no hope.
Bartimaeus was surrounded by people who were not helpful. Maybe they were tired of seeing him day after day, or maybe they felt like he could help himself if he wanted to. But the bottom line is that they didn’t think he mattered. They told him to be quite and not call out to God. Have you ever been in a position where you felt like your life doesn’t matter to anyone around you? Sometimes we may treat people in society that way without realizing it. We judge silently and place people in boxes based on what we see. Today society is more sensitive to this but it definitely still happens. As we see in this story, all life is valuable to Jesus - especially the down and out, or the ones no one else thinks are important. He cares about the outcasts and the blind beggars - the ones who have absolutely no hope.
Like Bartimaeus, for us Satan tells us not to call out. He tells us that God will not help us. He tells us that we are unworthy. He tells us that there is no hope. He doesn’t want us calling out to God because He knows the power we have in just calling His name.
Bartimaeus was desperate. He ignored the voices in his ear that told him to be quiet and he cried out louder - but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!” In the same way, we have to roar louder than the voice of Satan in our ear! At some point, that is all we have. There is nothing else we do but call out to Him. There is no help we can see. We are helpless in our impairment. We are blind and desperate.
Bartimaeus knew that Jesus was near, and He was the only one who could help him because he knew who Jesus was. He didn’t want to miss the opportunity. He was desperate and this was his only chance. He knew he had been given a gift and he wasn’t going to miss it.
If you are impaired and hopeless today here are two important things to remember.
Jesus is our only hope. Bartimaeus begged for his whole life and until Jesus came, no one ever gave him hope. They may have put a coin in his hand, but no one ever gave him hope but Jesus.
Jesus cares. Even when you think He couldn’t possibly care about you because of the mess you have made in your life, He does. Shut out the devil and his lies and know that Jesus cares about your broken heart and your broken life.
Have you told Jesus what you want? Are you desperate enough? He wants you to call to Him. He wants you to lay your hopelessness at His feet and cry to Him for mercy and help. At His feet all hopelessness ends and true freedom in life begins.
“You have not because you ask not.” James 4:2
