Mark 10:46-52 “Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him and told 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 to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately, he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.” This episode is about Bartimaeus and how his faith in God cured his blindness. It talks about how we are all being called to have this kind of faith and how you could increase your faith. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Come As You Are Series - Bartimaeus
Mark 10:46-52 “Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him and told 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 to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately, he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.”
How many of us have the faith of this man that Jesus healed? He was sitting on the side of the road, and when he heard Jesus was passing by, he called out to him. The crowd of people told him to be silent, but he continued to call out. How many of us listen when others tell us to be silent? Or worse yet, we don’t feel worthy enough to speak up in the first place, or we are too nervous to speak out and ask for help, fearing rejection. Bartimaeus did not listen when others told him to be quiet. He kept calling out. He believed that Jesus could heal him, and he was not going to let the chance pass him by. Once Jesus heard him calling out, Jesus told the crowd to call him over. When the crowd told Bartimaeus that Jesus would see him, the bible says, “He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.” How great is that? How many of us are jumping up at Jesus’ call? I know it’s different. Jesus was right there, and he got to see him and talk to him. However, we can also talk to Jesus at any time we want to. Even though we cannot see him, he is calling us to him. He wants to invite us into a deeper relationship with him. Do we hear this call? Do we jump up, throw our cloak aside and run to him when we are called?
I love the faith that Bartimaeus had. He knew Jesus could heal him. He did not seem to have any doubt that Jesus could cure his blindness. He also didn’t seem to doubt that Jesus would want to help him or to question whether he was worthy enough. He saw Jesus walking by and called out to him. Do we do this? Jesus is here for us; he wants us to call out and to rely on Him. Are we doing that? It seems each week at my Prayer Group, God is showing up for us, and he is telling us to come closer. He keeps telling us to rely on him, that he is our protection and our refuge. Why are we not calling on him more? When Jesus healed Bartimaeus, He said, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” How great would it be to hear those words from Jesus?
One scripture verse that I think is amazing and that I struggle with is Mark 11:22. This verse is Jesus’ reply to the cursed fig tree. Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God. Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him.” This is the type of faith that I strive for, yet I sometimes wonder if it’s possible. I wonder if there are humans who can have this type of faith? I know that God can do anything. I truly believe this. And yet, when I think of myself commanding a mountain to be lifted up and thrown into he see, I can’t seem to wrap my head around that. I have searched for this type of faith for a very long time now. Probably since the first time I actually heard this scripture and let it sink in.
The very next verse is Mark 11:23, “Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.” This again just blows me away. All that you ask for shall be yours if you believe. That seems like a lot of pressure, and at the same time, a huge promise on God’s part. As I mentioned earlier, ever since I heard scripture like this, I have sought out this type of faith. I would love to believe without a shadow of a doubt that God can do all the things I ask Him to do, that He will answer all of my prayers. I find it a struggle to believe as much as I would like to, and I wonder if this is because I have a human brain and we were trained from an early age not to believe in things that we can’t see or prove. We were mostly taught that there are certain things that can be done and things that can’t be done. I think as humanity grows, we are learning to question that more and more. But it takes time to overcome years of that type of thinking.
I thought I would share one way I have been able to deepen my trust and faith that God can do all He says He can do. I read books about all the miracles God has done and continues to do. I love reading books about healing. God is truly amazing, and He performs miracles every single day. If we were just on the lookout for them, we would see them. If we can’t see them in our lives, we can read about them in others’ lives. Harold Hill’s book, “How to Live Like a King’s Kid,” is an excellent example. If you read all the amazing things that God did in his life, you can’t help but start to believe he will do it for you as well. Harold Hill also discusses his faith journey and how he reached a point where he began to see God do amazing things in his life.
Additionally, I have read books on healing by Francis McNutt, Randy Clark, Mary Healy, Matthew & Dennis Linn, which have been particularly beneficial. When you read about God’s healing of others and how there are people out there today who are calling upon God to heal people every day, then it strengthens your faith that he will answer your prayers as well. Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” We all know that Jesus performed miracles while he was alive and walked the earth. He raised people from the dead, he cured numerous illnesses, he turned water into wine, and he did many other remarkable things. This verse from Hebrews lets us know that these miracles were not just something he did in the past. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” He is still performing these miracles today, and if we struggle to believe this, then we need to seek out the testimony of it, because it is out there. Another thing I pray often is Mark 9:24, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.”
This story goes well with the Come As You Are series because Beartimaeus did just that. He knew he wasn’t worthy to talk to Jesus, yet he called out to him anyway. He heard everyone telling him to be quiet, and yet he continued to call out, not because he thought he deserved the healing, but because he wanted it so badly. Is there something that you want so badly you are willing to call out to Jesus even though you don't feel worthy? Is there something you want so badly that you are willing to jump up and answer Jesus’s call? Ask Jesus for whatever it is; what have you got to lose?
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, we ask that you increase our trust in you. Lord, we believe, help our unbelief. Lord, we need you to show us the way. We would like nothing more than to have the faith to move mountains, and we know that you are the only one who can give us that faith. So we're asking you, Lord, we are asking for the faith to move mountains. Lord, give us the courage to ask when we need healing or when someone else needs healing. Help us to turn to you first and ask you to heal them. Lord, we give you permission to use us as your instruments of healing, as you used countless people before us. Jesus, you are the great physician, and we ask that you continue that work through us. There are too many people dying in the world today. Let us help you help them. Let us be your hands of healing, Lord Jesus. We love you, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen.
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!
Today’s Word from the Lord was received in June 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “My children, I tell you that I love you. I want you to be fully convinced of it. The more you are convinced of it, the more you will convince others that I love them, too. Again, I tell you, be bold, be courageous, be mine, and make me known.”