Mark 10:49-52 "And Jesus stood still, and
commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of
good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. (50) And he, casting away his
garment, rose, and came to Jesus. (51) And Jesus answered and said
unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto
him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. (52) And Jesus said unto
him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received
his sight, and followed Jesus in the way."
"Jesus stood still." That is a miraculous statement. The Son of God, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, stood still. He stopped everything and gave His full attention to this beggar on the side of the road. The one who the disciples had tried to hush was being given the full attention of our Lord. I hope that gives each of us sweet comfort and assurance.
We live in a time that wherever we go, we feel like we are being herded through lines. Hurry up and wait! At Walmart, have you ever been impatient because the person in front of you was slow? After all, they only have a few lines open and my time is just as valuable as the next. I need to hurry up and get my merchandise on that conveyor belt. I just don't have time for that person in front of me to carry on a conversation with the clerk while I'm standing here waiting. We are herded through Walmart. Wherever we go, we have to take a number and wait our turn. But Jesus stood still for this man who the disciples wanted out of the way. I love the fact that Jesus stood still. Bartimaeus cried for mercy. He knew there was no one who could help him other than the Son of David, Jesus the Christ. Jesus stood still. It did not matter that He was on His way to Jericho, this man had a need and Jesus took personal time for Bartimaeus.
He stood still and then He commanded the man to be called. I love that song, "Jesus calls us o’er the tumult of our life’s wild, restless, sea; Day by day His sweet voice soundeth, Saying, “Christian, follow Me!” Jesus called this man to rise up from the place where he sat. It's very interesting how Bartimaeus responds to the call of Jesus. "And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus." Another song comes to my mind. "I will arise and go to Jesus. He will embrace me in His arms. In the arms of my dear Saviour, Oh, there are ten thousand charms." At the bidding of Jesus, Bartimaeus threw off his garment and rose to go to Him. There is significance in casting off his garment. The garment was the identifying factor that enabled Bartimaeus to sit by the road and beg for money. I say to you this morning, Bartimaeus no longer was a beggar. He had favour with the very Son of God. Yes, he received his sight, but greater than that he received the understanding of the importance of faith and acting on faith in the Son of God.
I pray we find comfort in knowing that when we call upon the Lord Jesus, He stands still. We have his absolute undivided attention. If you're like me, you treasure when someone gives you their undivided attention. Have you ever tried to carry on a conversation with someone and you knew their mind was somewhere other than the place of listening to you? You do not have to worry about that with our Lord. I do not understand the mechanics of how it's done, but I believe that no matter how many other people are calling upon the Lord at the moment I am, I have His undivided attention. I don't have to take a number. I don't have to wait my turn. Jesus hears me when I pray. He is God and all power is His. Thank you Lord for hearing my prayer.
"Jesus stood still." That is a miraculous statement. The Son of God, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, stood still. He stopped everything and gave His full attention to this beggar on the side of the road. The one who the disciples had tried to hush was being given the full attention of our Lord. I hope that gives each of us sweet comfort and assurance.
We live in a time that wherever we go, we feel like we are being herded through lines. Hurry up and wait! At Walmart, have you ever been impatient because the person in front of you was slow? After all, they only have a few lines open and my time is just as valuable as the next. I need to hurry up and get my merchandise on that conveyor belt. I just don't have time for that person in front of me to carry on a conversation with the clerk while I'm standing here waiting. We are herded through Walmart. Wherever we go, we have to take a number and wait our turn. But Jesus stood still for this man who the disciples wanted out of the way. I love the fact that Jesus stood still. Bartimaeus cried for mercy. He knew there was no one who could help him other than the Son of David, Jesus the Christ. Jesus stood still. It did not matter that He was on His way to Jericho, this man had a need and Jesus took personal time for Bartimaeus.
He stood still and then He commanded the man to be called. I love that song, "Jesus calls us o’er the tumult of our life’s wild, restless, sea; Day by day His sweet voice soundeth, Saying, “Christian, follow Me!” Jesus called this man to rise up from the place where he sat. It's very interesting how Bartimaeus responds to the call of Jesus. "And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus." Another song comes to my mind. "I will arise and go to Jesus. He will embrace me in His arms. In the arms of my dear Saviour, Oh, there are ten thousand charms." At the bidding of Jesus, Bartimaeus threw off his garment and rose to go to Him. There is significance in casting off his garment. The garment was the identifying factor that enabled Bartimaeus to sit by the road and beg for money. I say to you this morning, Bartimaeus no longer was a beggar. He had favour with the very Son of God. Yes, he received his sight, but greater than that he received the understanding of the importance of faith and acting on faith in the Son of God.
I pray we find comfort in knowing that when we call upon the Lord Jesus, He stands still. We have his absolute undivided attention. If you're like me, you treasure when someone gives you their undivided attention. Have you ever tried to carry on a conversation with someone and you knew their mind was somewhere other than the place of listening to you? You do not have to worry about that with our Lord. I do not understand the mechanics of how it's done, but I believe that no matter how many other people are calling upon the Lord at the moment I am, I have His undivided attention. I don't have to take a number. I don't have to wait my turn. Jesus hears me when I pray. He is God and all power is His. Thank you Lord for hearing my prayer.