Today we hear the story of the blind beggar, Bartimaeus, from the Gospel of Luke 18:35-43. Jesus met Bartimaeus while coming to Jericho. It seems Bartimaeus had already heard stories about Jesus and his healing and believed in His royal kingship.
As Jesus was passing by, Bartimaeus took the only opportunity he would probably ever have to speak to Jesus. We know that even though the people tried to stop him from approaching Jesus, Bartimaeus persisted crying out several times, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!
Having witnessed his persistence Jesus called him forth and asked him, “what do you want me to do”, to which he responded, “to see”. Then Jesus said, “receive your sight, your faith has healed you!” Then the people seeing this miracle praised God.
Jesus in His ministry constantly asked people to bring their spiritual and physical ailments to God. God often heals our ailments, maybe not exactly receiving what we ask for. Jesus said, “everyone who asks, will receive and anyone who seeks will find, and the door will be opened to him who knocks”. ( Matt. 7:8)
Often we receive spiritual as well as physical healing, a solution to a problem, a new opportunity to reconcile with someone we have grown apart from, a renewed strength to be equipped to face a delicate and uncomfortable situation or better yet a blessing and an awakening that we really need Jesus in our life, to navigate through the constant pitfalls that life can obstruct us.
One of the most important aspects of this healing is that we must leave room for God to act in our lives according to His perfect will for us. Yes it is true God may delay the gift to us, but that should not prevent us from continually asking for healing and spiritual help.
This is the message of this gospel for us as His followers, that though Bartimaeus was physically blind, the eyes of his soul were illumined by God’s Grace because he had believed what he had heard from others about Jesus. This Bartimaeus is a shining example of our earnest and humble prayer to God, teaching us that we should come to Him, as blind beggars and cry out to Him, to receive new light day by day!
