AUTHOR: Tom Kissell
Almost all of us would answer the question: “Who is your Lord?” with “Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior!”
But what lord do you listen to during times of anxiety, sickness, major family issues, job loss, etc?
I know that I am guilty in many of those circumstances to still say “Jesus is my Lord, “ but I am listening to another “lord.” No, I don’t mean that we are out there listening to the devil, though sometimes we open up ourselves for those attacks from the enemy. But WHO am I listening to? The doctor? Is HE my lord? Anxiety? Is THAT my lord?
So lets talk about the blind man named Bartimaeus. There he was sitting on the side of the road begging as most blind people of the time had to do…they depended upon others generosity for survival. You could almost imagine him sitting by the side of the road, holding out a cup…asking, “Alms for a blind man? Alms for a poor beggar like me?” He would be wearing a cloak that would be drab and tattered. He would be dirty. I am sure he stunk pretty badly. He was shunned and I am sure lived in constant shame.
But – God. God sent Jesus to walk down that road that day.
As Jesus walked by, Bartimaeus shouted out, “Jesus, Son of David – have mercy on me!” That’s when the “crowd” turned on him. What was in their thoughts to shout at Bartimaeus, “Be QUIET!!!” and rebuked him.
Now many who live marginalized and in shame would simply fade into the nothingness when confronted by the people as he was…but the same spirit that told him that Jesus was the “Son of David” – meaning, he already knew Jesus was the promised Messiah – rose up inside of him to yell even LOUDER, “Son of David have mercy on me!”
He didn’t listen to the “lord” of society telling him to shut up. He made it past all of the shame and always being a bother, always be someone that was inconvenient…he pushed past all of that for his healing. The people didn’t matter and what they thought – only Jesus mattered.
Jesus heard him and called for him to come over. Oh, how the crowd then turned to welcome this blind, stinky beggar….”Come, Come!” they said. “He’s calling you!” (reminds be of some people on Facebook)
And then it happened. The moment where poor blind, stinky, dirty Bartimaeus stepped into the Royal Life.
He threw his cloak aside and walked toward Jesus. He basically shed that identity that defined his life. He cast it off and was showing the world who he really was. Not a beggar. Not dirty and shabby. Not an outcast. But one who believed that Jesus was the Son of God, promised through the prophets – and that he WOULD be healed!
[I was inspired with this story as part of Andrew Wommack’s ministry teachings on healing.]