Insights from Bartimaeus

Bartimaeus exemplifies persistence, reverence for Christ, and humility, and he is rewarded by Christ healing him and giving him sight, both physically and spiritually.

Insights from Bartimaeus

This week's devotions are written by my son, Bryant Forshee, Lead Student Pastor for Cross Church, Springdale, AR campus.

- Pastor Danny

"Jesus said to him, 'Go, your faith has saved you.' Immediately he could see and began to follow Jesus on the road."

(Mark 10:52, CSB)

In my quiet times with the Lord, I have been reading the gospel of Mark. Mark has been very engaging for me because of all the action. There is not too much dialogue; there is just action on action on action. There is a story right after the famous line of Mark 10:45: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." It is the story of Blind Bartimaeus.

If you are unfamiliar with the story, it is found in Mark 10:46-52. For our purposes in this devo, I want to discuss what we can learn from Jesus and what we can learn from Bartimaeus.

JESUS
Jesus and His disciples were on their way out of Jericho when this encounter with Bartimaeus occurred. Jesus had His disciples with him, and a large crowd followed Him. The large crowd did not stop Jesus from calling Bartimaeus over to Him and engaging Bartimaeus in conversation. Not only did Jesus stop for Bartimaeus, but he also asked Bartimaeus what he could do for him. Finally, Jesus healed Bartimaeus of his blindness, both physically and spiritually, because of Bartimaeus' faith.

In this story, we can learn a few things about Jesus: He cares for anyone and everyone. Jesus didn't let Bartimaeus' social status get in the way of healing him. Jesus has a heart and a desire for all to come to repentance and encounter Him in a real way. Jesus also asked a question of Bartimaeus. It wasn't that Jesus didn't know what Bartimaeus wanted; Jesus wanted to see where Bartimaeus' faith was. Finally, Jesus has saving power! Not only did Jesus save Bartimaeus from his physical blindness but also his spiritual blindness!

BARTIMAEUS
Bartimaeus repeatedly cries out for Jesus to have mercy on him, even though the crowd keeps telling him to be quiet. Bartimaeus comes to Jesus in respect and admiration and asks to see. Upon receiving his sight, Bartimaeus follows Jesus.

In this story, we learn a few things from Bartimaeus: First, be persistent in our requests to Jesus. Sometimes we get discouraged by multiple asks, but Bartimaeus' multiple asks and persistence brought him in front of Jesus. Another lesson we can learn is to have reverence for Jesus. Bartimaeus calls him "Rabboni," an endearing term from those times. Finally, humble faith produces massive results. Now, I'm not saying that all faith results in miracles on par with the blind receiving sight, but I do believe that if we have more faith in who Jesus is and what He can do, despite the circumstances we might be in, our faith and trust in Jesus will grow, even if the outcome is not one we wished for or wanted. Finally, when we have a life-changing encounter with Jesus, a life following after Jesus is the only proper response.

What are some of the truths that stick out to you about the encounter between Bartimaeus and Jesus?

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Podcast of the Week

Content in Christ, Pt. 1

God has really spoken to me through Philippians 4:8-13 and used it to challenge me. Contentment is a rare Christian gem and provides a wonderful blessing and freedom for all who possess it. Contentment is the topic of today's episode, as well as the next one. Let's dig into this topic of contentment in light of Philippians 4:8-13 as well as other passages of Scripture.

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