The Cry that Can’t be Silenced....

Have you ever been in a desperate situation where you have cried out to God? If so, was there anything that could be done to stop you from doing so? In today’s passage, we see this very scenario play out with a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. Let us look together at the text: “ And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.’ And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ And the blind man said to him, ‘Rabbi, let me recover my sight.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.” (Mark 10:46-41). 

On the surface, the above passage tells us about one blind and desperate man who cried out to God for physical healing. And, not only did he cry out, he did so vigorously and in spite of the objections of others. However, by analyzing this passage further, we learn that Bartimaeus was not just crying out to another human for help; rather, he was crying out to the divine. We know this for two reasons: 1) The intensity of His loud and persistent cries as Jesus drew near and 2) because he called Jesus by the title “Son of David”, a reference to Jesus’ messianic identity. Stated succinctly, Bartimaeus knew that Jesus was God and was loudly crying out to Him for divine intervention and healing. However, this story does not begin and end there – for there is a much deeper spiritual healing that also occured. We know this because of the very specific language used within the following statement: “Your faith has made you well” (Mark 10:52). Here, in this statement, the word for physical healing is not used; rather, the word “well” is the word “saved” which indicates a spiritual healing; hence, Jesus was fulfilling Isaiah’s Old Testament promise that God would come to spiritually save His people and to open the eyes of the blind (Isaiah 35:1-6). 

Now, you may be asking how this passage applies to those living today. After all, Jesus  no longer lives in the flesh and does not interact with others face to face as He did during His earthly life. Furthermore, divine physical healing is not currently occuring the same way that it did during Jesus' earthly ministry. However, God's Holy Word tells us that God, like He did for Bartimaeus, will heal us from our spiritual afflictions when we cry out to Him in desperation and ask for mercy. Hurting Christian, perhaps you have had a long day with the kids or feel discouraged after an argument with your spouse that makes you want to cry out for mercy in the following way: “God intervene in my heart. Help me to be humble toward my spouse. Show me where I need correction. Keep my heart gentle toward my children.” However, your mind and heart may also be telling you to sit back and be quiet because Jesus has more important people to attend to or that this healing sounds too good to be true. Additionally, other people (as the crowds of Bartimaeus' day did) and modern culture may be telling you to silence your cry and to reject God. However, despite these inner and/or outer voices, we must cry out to God fervently - for the same God that stopped, listened to and healed this blind beggar will also give you the spiritual healing in this life that you need at the precise time that you need it! Christian, will you cry out to God during desperate times and allow Him to heal you?....

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