In the Gospels, there are many stories where Jesus healed people. In some cases, the healing was spiritual. There were numerous instances where Jesus cast out demons. In other cases, the healing was physical, such as one man whose hand was crippled (see Luke 6). Of those who were healed physically, there are several cases of a person being blind and Jesus gave them sight. I was recently reading in the book of Mark about one such scenario.

Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

“Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him.

But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.”

So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.

“My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”

And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.”

Mark 10:46-52

Several things jumped out at me when I read this story.

I love how despite the way the people told this man to be quiet, Jesus heard Bartimaeus and saw Bartimaeus. Jesus stopped to give this man a moment of His time. In life we will have many people who dismiss us or overlook us. They will think our words are not worthy to be heard. But Jesus is always there. He will see us. He will hear us. Remember that no matter how others might make you feel, Jesus loves you beyond measure.

I also appreciate how this man kept yelling, even though others told him to be quiet. Bartimaeus kept calling out to Jesus. He didn’t allow other people to pull him away from the Lord. We too will have people, circumstances, and even the enemy attempt to pull our attention off of Jesus. We have to stand strong and keep our focus on Him, despite the difficulties that get in our way.

When Jesus called to him, Bartimaeus came running. May we too have a heart that runs after Jesus. When He calls to us, or when we are given a directive, may we immediately jump up and follow the Lord’s lead.

Something else that amazed me was the fact that Jesus was the first thing this man saw when he was healed. It is not believed that this man was blind from birth. In ESV, verse 51, Bartimaeus says, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And in the NASB, he says, “I want to regain my sight.” Nonetheless, we can imagine being blind was a tragic experience for him, no matter how long he suffered. But it is so beautiful to me that once his eyesight was restored, Jesus was right there in front of him. And then the man followed Jesus down the road. This prompted me to consider, how much do I keep my eyes on Jesus. In this world, we have many things that can keep us from focusing on Jesus.

May we learn to set aside anything that distracts us from Him. The rewards will be well worth it when we stay focused on our Savior. Let’s run after Jesus with joy!

Thank you for reading!