"And they came to Jericho: and as He went out from Jericho, with His disciples and a great multitude, the son of Timmus, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the wayside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, You Son of David, have mercy on me. And many rebuked him, that he should hold his peace; but he cried out the more a great deal, You Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and said, Call him. And they called the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good cheer; rise, He calls you. And he, casting away his garment, sprang up, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered him, and said, What will you that I should do unto you? And the blind man said unto Him, Rabboni, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him: Go your way; your faith has made you whole. And straightway he received his sight, and followed Him in the way." (Mark 10:46-52,RV)
All Blind Beggars
All the miracles that Jesus did are written: "That you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through His name." (John 20:31)
Every one of them illustrates some feature or features of the great work of salvation from sin and death. This miracle is one of the most striking, since the blind beggar so aptly represents all unconverted persons, in the church as well as out. It is to the church that Christ says: "Because you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked; I counsel you to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich; and white raiment, that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness do not appear; and anoint your eyes with eyesalve, that you may see." (Revelation 3:17-18)
All who are not in Christ are but blind beggars, wretched and miserable, and at the best clothed only in filthy rags. "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6)
From this miracle we are to learn that the acts of kindness and mercy that Jesus exhibited for the poor, blind beggar, He is ready and anxious to perform for all. God has chosen the poor of this world, and there are more promises specially to the poor than to any other class.
Consciousness of Need
The first thing to note is, that the blind beggar was conscious of his condition. Most people like to think that they are well off, even if they are not. They will not listen to correction or reproof, for their pride resents it. They may even pray for the Holy Spirit, but when He comes as a convincer of sin, as He always does at first, He is rejected. So they go on blindly in the way that seems right to them, and the end thereof is death.
To be keenly conscious of one's lost condition is one of the greatest blessings. One is never nearer salvation than when confessing sin. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
Perseverance in Spite of Discouragements
But the one who seeks salvation will often find many who try to discourage him. Even professed Christians often hinder sinners from coming to Jesus. The people near Bartimaeus rebuked him, telling him not to make so much noise. What would the great Teacher, who had thousands following Him, and hanging on every word, care for a poor, insignificant, blind beggar? So many a poor soul is told: "You have committed the unpardonable sin;" or, "You are not one of the called; you are not of the elect;" or, "The Lord cannot be bothered with so unimportant a person as you."
Many such doubts will be suggested by the devil personally, or by some of his agents; for be it known that every soul who utters a single word of doubt or discouragement to any other soul is doing the devil's work.
This poor man, however, was not to be discouraged. The more the people tried to keep him from Jesus, the more determined he was to attract His attention. "He cried out the more a great deal." (Mark 10:48)
He had of course never seen Jesus, and had never known personally of any of His wonderful works; but he had heard of Him, and he recognized His opportunity now that Jesus was passing by. He believed in the power of Jesus, and hoped in His mercy. Let him be your example in perseverance, and let rebuffs and discouragements only strengthen your courage.
Called by the Lord
Jesus stood still at the call of Bartimaeus. Everything in heaven waits on the faintest cry for help. He who listens when the ravens cry, and who opens His hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing, will never ignore the cry of suffering humanity. "Like as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities them that fear Him." (Psalm 103:13) "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. ... He will ever be mindful of His covenant." (Psalm 111:4-5)
No matter what the Lord is doing, He will always stop "To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death." (Psalm 102:20) "And He said, Call him." (Mark 10:49,RV)
The word which Jesus speaks by other men is just as valid as the word that sounded from His own lips from the mountain top, in tones that shook the earth. "[He] confirms the word of His servant." (Isaiah 44:26)
To us God has committed the ministry of reconciliation, and He has put the word of reconciliation into us. Therefore the word which God speaks by the mouth of any of His servants is as sure and as steadfast as though He used no human agent. We have not, therefore, to distinguish between the writers of the Bible, and to say, "This is from Moses, and this from Isaiah, and this from Paul." No; all is from God.
The Assurance of the Call
They that were sent said to the blind man, "Be of good cheer, rise, He calls you." (Mark 10:49,RV)
How many doubt that they have been called. "If I only knew for certain that I was one of the called, I should be happy," is a statement that we often hear. We assure such a one that the Lord has called him, but he repeats, "O, if I only could know it."
Well, how did blind Bartimaeus know that the Lord had called him? The Lord did not lift up His voice, and He had not directed a single word to him. All the assurance he had was the statement of those who did hear Him. Suppose Bartimaeus had not believed them? Well, perhaps Jesus might have come to him, and called him personally, for He is wondrously kind and long-suffering; but such a manifestation of doubt would have been to tempt the Lord. Then, "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him?" (Hebrews 2:3)
Has God really called us? Yes; "He has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world." (Ephesians 1:4)
And, "The promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts 2:39)
That is, the Lord has called "all that are afar off." This means everybody. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
God sent the word of salvation unto His people, "preaching peace by Jesus Christ, (He is Lord of all)." (Acts 10:36)
Note the statement "He is Lord of all," in connection with the fact that God was preaching peace by Jesus Christ; it indicates that He preaches peace to all. So we read, "I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, says the Lord; and I will heal him." (Isaiah 57:19)
All, both near and far, are called. "Look unto me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else." (Isaiah 14:22)
When one comes to another with these words of the Lord, and that other refuses to believe that he has been called, he is as unreasonable as Bartimaeus would have been if he had demanded that Jesus come to him in person, instead of sending messengers.
Be of Good Cheer
"Be of good cheer, rise, He calls you." (Mark 10:49,RV)
That is reason enough to be of good cheer. Everybody on earth ought to rejoice, because God has called all. "Be of good cheer;" when? Now, no matter what your condition or circumstances. "In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
In the midst of tribulation, our joy may be full, from the mere knowledge that we are the chosen of God. "He loves me, and has chosen me," sings the heart of the maid, as she thinks of the lover, who to her is best of all. Even so our hearts should sing for joy, as we remember that "[He] loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
He has given the highest possible proof of His love to us and all mankind.
As showing the call to be "joyful in tribulation," "Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation." (2 Corinthians 7:4) note the fact that Bartimaeus was still a blind beggar when he was told to be of good cheer. He was not told to be cheerful because he had been healed, or had received a legacy, but simply because Jesus had called him. That was enough. Some of the sweetest songs and the most joyful testimonies have come from poor, blind cripples whose hearts were aglow with the thought of God's unbounded and impartial love.
Leave All You Have
Bartimaeus cast away his garment, and "sprang up" to go to Jesus. He was a beggar, and lacked clothing, but that did not make him keep what he had, when Jesus called him. He was going to an audience with the King, and the more needy he was, the more he could expect to receive. "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." (Isaiah 64:6)
Yet how many gather their rags about them, and cling to them, trying to make them appear to be clean garments. This is when we try to minimize our faults, or even to make out that they are virtues. Better far to acknowledge them, and cast them away, that Jesus may give us an entire new suit of white raiment. Yes, even though some of our clothing were not so bad, it is better to give all up, for: "No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly." (Psalm 84:11)
And if we get back anything from His hands we are sure that it is right.
There was no delay, no hesitation. The blind beggar "sprang up, and came to Jesus." (Mark 10:50)
Why should he not do so? He had called to Jesus; why should he not make haste to come as soon as the word of the Lord came to him? If he had not, he would have shown that there was no real sincerity in his call.
Many bemoan their condition, separate from the Lord, and make many requests to Him, and then timidly shrink back when they get the assurance that they are called. Thus they cast doubt upon their sincerity in calling. If they did not believe that Jesus would give them what they needed, why did they call on Him? and if they did believe when they called, why do they not accept as soon as He speaks?
Saved by Faith
Jesus asked what Bartimaeus wished Him to do. Not that He did not know, but a thing that is worth having is worth asking for. God knows that we have need of food before we ask Him, yet He tells us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." (Matthew 6:11)
Asking for a specific thing fixes our attention on it, and thus causes us to recognize God's gift in response. The request was simple and direct: "Lord, that I might receive my sight." (Mark 10:51) And the answer came, "Go your way; your faith has made you whole [or, "saved you." RV, margin]" (Mark 10:52)
He was told to go away while he was still blind, just as the ten lepers were told, while still leprous, to go and show themselves to the priest. And immediately he received his sight. "Whatsoever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them." (Mark 11:24)
Do you believe this story about Bartimaeus? If you do, you know how to receive forgiveness and perfect righteousness from God. These miracles were recorded, "that believing, you might have life through His name." (John 20:31) "With the heart man believes unto righteousness." (Romans 10:10)
The blind beggar's faith brought him sight, yes, and full salvation, too; for Jesus said, "Your faith has saved you." (Mark 10:52,RV,margin)
In the gift of sight, Bartimaeus got everything he needed. So:
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need, in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
--Charlotte Elliott, Hymn: Just As I Am, 1834.
--Present Truth, November 29, 1900--International Sunday-school Lesson for December 9--Mark 10:46-52.