Calling on him when he is near

 This week's verses are Mark 10:46-52:

They came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many scolded him to get him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man and said to him, “Have courage! Get up! He is calling you.” He threw off his cloak, jumped up, and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied, “Rabbi, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has healed you.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the road.

 I want you to put yourself in the place of Bartimaeus for a moment. He was blind in an era where there was no help for blind people except to beg for charity so that he wouldn't starve. That sounds like hell enough, but it gets worse.

He lived in a culture that didn't believe that God let bad things happen to good people. Bartimaeus wasn't born blind. So when he went blind, people would have blamed it on him. He must have done something wrong to deserve that, right? He must have been an extraordinarily rotten sinner to have been stricken blind, right? Why help a man who deserves such suffering, right?

People would have felt entitled to take advantage of him. Maybe even he started to believe he deserved it. So he had no sight, no help, no sympathy, no hope, and no respect. No one to defend his cause. Nobody considered him to be their equal. What would you do in his shoes?

Maybe you have your own kind of suffering. Maybe you've got a different disability. Maybe you've done something people will never let you forget. Maybe you're unable to pay your bills and support your family. Maybe you're single past the age when people should be single. Maybe you're disfigured, suffer from chronic pain, are the wrong color for your neighborhood or chosen career path, or whatever. The worst kinds of suffering are the ones people think you deserve. Not only are you suffering, but now you have to bear the guilt people lay on you.

So what would you do if you heard Jesus was passing by on the street? If you run, you won't catch him in time. And he's not likely to pass this way again. What do you do? You won't get this chance twice! If you can just get his attention, maybe he'll stop, maybe he'll turn around, and maybe you can get him to see your situation and ask him for help.

Bartimaeus starts yelling to get Jesus' attention. Can you imagine yourself doing that? Yelling out the window to the street down below, yelling at the car as it drives by, waving and yelling. Jesus! Have mercy on me!

If you believe your suffering is punishment, mercy is exactly what you need. You want your sentence cut short, commuted to time served. That's exactly what Bartimaeus is asking Jesus for. "Please, I have suffered enough. Please let me go free." Everyone tells him to shut up. "Isn't what he must have done to go blind bad enough? Now he has to hassle Jesus too? Unbelievable."

Jesus stops and calls him over. Bartimaeus tells him what he wants, and Jesus sets him free. Instantly.

The funny thing is, for us, Jesus is always nearby. We don't have to yell. We can just call on him at our leisure. Do we? And if we do, is it with the same sense of moment that we would have if it were a once-in-a-lifetime event? Maybe Bartimaeus' faith was so strong because it was blocked for so long and released in such a short time.

We need to be able to "see" Jesus the way Bartimaeus saw him. He is our only hope. And we should do whatever it takes, right now, to connect with him and get what we need.