The story of blind Bartimaeus has some secret codes you should learn in your walk of Faith. It’s worth noting that Faith is your currency and it gives you the power to withdraw from God’s unlimited resources.
Bartimaeus might have heard a lot about Jesus so when he heard that Jesus was passing by, he knew it was a great opportunity he wouldn’t miss. Mark records that there were many people around Jesus. This would mean that one has to do something extraordinary in order to get Jesus’ attention.
In Bartimaeus’s case, all he could do was to shout when he felt Jesus was near since he couldn’t see and his helper (probably) wasn’t around. He didn’t want to miss this opportunity so he shouted “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” This humble cry for help became a nuisance to the crowd. Consequently, he was rebuked and told to shut up. However, the people’s reaction didn’t deter Bartimaeus from grabbing his opportunity so he even shouted louder till Jesus heard him.
Bartimaeus didn’t see Jesus as those around him did yet he believed that Jesus was his last stop. I believe this was what caught Jesus’ attention.
Finally, the people who once shut him up began to cheer him up when Jesus heard his cry and called him to come.
Lessons:
- Know what you want: Often we assume that God sees our situations and that we expect an automatic reaction from Him. From Bartimaeus case, one would have thought that Jesus would call him and perform the miracle but it’s one thing seeing what a person is going through and another thing knowing what that person want. Therefore when you go to God in prayer, remove assuptions and be real with your feelings and needs. Bartimaeus was straight with his needs. In simple words he said “Rabbi, I want to see”.
- Make every effort to seize opportunity when it passes by: When you know what you want, it becomes easier to see opportunity. Bartimaeus was a beggar. People saw him as a person who wants money, food, etc. It may never have crossed their mind that he needed something more than that. Yet his demonstration when he saw Jesus proved that he wanted to be free from that mess. This energized him to do all he could to get Jesus’ attention. Do you know that many people around would have been an opportunity for him to ask for more money, food, etc? But he knew his priorities. He knew that that day was for a higher purpose. Some opportunities don’t appear every day, especially those that can change your life for good. Thus when you see one, make every effort to grab it.
- Focus on what you want and not the people around you: People rebuked him and told him to shut up but the same people turned around and told him to cheer up when his effort yielded the desired result. This is evident in a football game; spectators often boo a player who misses an important chance to score but later shout his name when he focus on the game and score more. Don’t focus on people and don’t listen to them especially when your inner conviction is strong and you believe that that moment is the moment you have been waiting for. It’s possible you are waiting on God for better job opportunity, then one pops up but people(friends, family, etc) tell you that you don’t qualify. Here is the truth, when you go for it and get it, same people will come to congratulate you.
- Let Go the Old in order to Grab the New: Bartimaeus understood that “forward ever, backward never”. He threw away his old garment as he went forward to meet Jesus. In order to grab your life changing opportunity, you must to be ready to let go some ideas, behaviours, beliefs, etc. Some opportunities would require that you quit smoking, or lying, or gossiping, or womanising, or anger, or laziness, etc. You know what I am referring to and it shouldn’t hold you back. Something definitely has to go so that you can be free for the new life.
I trust that God has great opportunities coming your way and you should be strategically ready to grab them. They will change your life for good so that you would ascribe all Glory to His Name.
Uplifting Christ 