“And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind. Bartimæus, the son of Timæus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 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. And he casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. 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. 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.” —Mark 10:46-5246And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimeus, the son of Timeus, sat by the highway side begging. 47And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 48And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 49And 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. 50And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. 51And 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. 52And 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. (Mark 10:46‑52).
THE lovely narratives of scripture are given us by God, not merely to show what man is, and what kind of men God can save, but also the way in which a soul receives the blessing. It is quite clear blessing is given and received, and we know our Lord says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” therefore I must give God the more blessed place, the place of the giver, and He delights in giving.
There are two things He does—He forgives, and He gives. He forgives what you want to get rid of—your sins; and He gives what you must have, if you are to inherit everlasting glory—eternal life.
You will see in this narrative how God gives, and also how much in earnest a soul is that wants blessing.
Bartimæus is the beautiful expression of an earnest, anxious soul; he is what I would call a Saviour-seeking sinner. We get a lovely illustration of a sinner-seeking Saviour, in the story of Zaccheus: that is the other side of the picture.
Here we have a man sitting by the wayside, blind and destitute, and he hears of Jesus as he sits there in his misery; and., my friend, this man is but a picture of what you are, blind and destitute, blind as to your true state, and more than that, utterly destitute, possessing nothing for eternity—yea, in God’s sight, lost t Do you believe that? Do you believe that these terms—blind, destitute, lost, express as truly as they can your state before God today? They certainly do, unless you have been brought to Jesus, and have received from Him salvation. Bartimæus had heard of Jesus, and so have you, and I believe Jesus had passed by Jericho before this day; but I will tell you one thing of which you may be certain, He never passed that way again—never. He was on His way to the cross, and had Bartimæus let Him go by that day, he would not have had another often He may have already passed by you, however often He may have called to you, yet you have no guarantee that He will ever pass near to you again, that He will ever call you again. Now, this moment, is the only time on which you can really count.
“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” is Bartimæus’ cry. What might he have done that day? Instead of seeking mercy from Jesus, he might have made a good day’s business. No doubt, seldom or ever was the road so thronged as it was that day. It was just the time for his business—to make the most out of the crowd as they passed; but lie did not do that. He would not let his business come between him and Jesus.
Oh, how many a soul does that! How many an one says, “If I take a stand for Christ, I shall not get on in my trade;” or, “I am so well known in the place that if I come out boldly for the Lord, what about my business?”
What about your business? What about your business when you are in hell? What about your business when you are in those scenes of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, where hope never comes? Of all the Juggernaut cars that ever crushed human souls into everlasting misery, there is not any that crushes more than this one of which I speak—viz., business, progress, getting on in the world—mammon.
You have heard of the car of Juggernaut, and you know how men and women prostrate themselves before the idol—willing victims—and are torn and mangled by the heavy wheels of the car passing over them? “Yes,” you say; “poor, deluded creatures, I pity them.” My unconverted friend, I ask you, are you any less deluded than they? Your only thought has been how to get on in the world, and what will be the end? Your end will be the grave, where the worms feed on your body; and for your soul the place where the worm never dies, where the fire never is quenched, and where there is nothing but remorse and regret—I do not say repentance, for I believe there is no room for repentance there, though it is a place of remorse and regret and misery—and that for a never-ending eternity.
Bartimæus had found out he needed mercy.
Have you found out that? Have you ever sought it? If you do not taste God’s mercy, you must taste His wrath. Mercy you need—mercy or wrath you must have! It is a blessed thing to find out I need mercy. This man had found out he needed it. Had he cried to the crowd that day, he would have said, “Money!” but no; he says, as it were, “Money will not meet the deep craving of my soul; it is mercy I want today.”
Have you ever uttered this cry? God knows your history—knows your need of mercy. God knows what your life has been. A decent life it may have been, but it has been a sinner’s life.
What a sweet sound the trembling petition of a sinner crying out for salvation is! The sweetest sound, save one, is the cry from an anxious, wounded soul. “Is there a sweeter?” you ask. Yes, there is a sweeter. It is the note of joy from a young convert; from one who has found out something of the blessedness of having Christ.
Oh, the refreshment, the sweetness of meeting a soul that is anxious for Christ! Are you anxious? If so, do not rest until you are saved, do not rest until you are happy, let your heart go up to Him and say, “Jesus, Jesus, have mercy on me.” It is an individual thing, first finding out one’s need of, and then getting mercy. When for a moment the soul awakens, and the light of eternity breaks in,—when you see the judgment day before you, and Satan close upon you, and your sins bound fast round you, and no help in yourself,—then, then it is your soul cries to Jesus.
Jesus delights in blessing you, but you must get to the spot where He can meet you, and what is that? The state of conscious need!
Are you there? Bartimæus was.
“And many charged him that he should hold his peace.” The devil of course would try to stop him from coming to Christ; he would whisper to him “Never mind, you can get another opportunity of coming to Jesus, you get what you can from the crowd first.”
“No,” says he, “must have mercy today.”
“Stop, hold your peace,” says Satan; and that is what he says to you. As soon as you want and begin to feel after Christ, Satan is by you directly to try and prevent your getting to Him. “You are not the one for. Jesus,” he will say; “Jesus will not have you; you are too great a sinner; you have been too long in coming, Christ will not speak to you.”
But all this does not stop the soul that is in earnest. The soul that is not in earnest may stop and say, “I must wait the Lord’s time for mercy,” but the soul that is in earnest only cries out the more lustily. Think you He does not love to hear that cry? Ah, yes indeed He does! The moment that word “mercy” is heard in the air Jesus stands still; that word rivets Him; that word commands His attention.
Has your soul cried to Him for mercy? If so, He is thinking of you. You are the very one that is interesting His heart. You are seeking Him, and He is seeking you, and He was doing it long before you sought Him, so it is impossible but that you must meet.
“And Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.” And what say the crowd now?
“Be of good comfort; rise, he calleth thee.”
The crowd preach the Gospel to him. “Be of good comfort.” Are you really wanting salvation? “Be of good comfort.” “But I have no comfort. I am miserable.” “Be of good comfort,” “How can I be comfortable? I acknowledge my sins; I see my state; I fear to die; I could not meet the Lord if he were to come.” “Be of good comfort.” “Why?” “He calleth thee.” Yes, thee. Thou wert calling on Him just now; now He is calling thee. Calling thee—what for? To come as near to Him as you possibly can!
Now Bartimæus comes to Jesus; but he does something else first—he casts away his garment.
That garment might have hindered his getting to Jesus; and you know what garment it is that has hindered your coming to Christ. It may be a robe of your own righteousness, and God says such a robe is only “filthy rags.” Many a sinner is trying to work out a righteousness for himself, saying, like Job, “My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go.” “Ah,” says God, as it were, to Job, “but I will make you let it go, Job. I will give you such a sight of yourself as will make you glad to let it go—to throw it away as a filthy garment.” Have you a garment that is hindering you from getting to the feet of Jesus? Throw it away Bartimæus throws his away, and all the proceeds of his business were in that garment, although he was but a beggar. And you, my friend, are no better than a beggar, for what is every one doing in this world but trying to get the most they can from every one else?
This man casts his garment aside, and his bag was in the girdle of his garment, and all his gains were in his bag; but it all went together, and he came to Jesus. Jesus called him, and he came; and Jesus is calling you. Will you not come to Him? Take care, I warn you, lest He say of you, “Because I have called and ye refused... I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your fear cometh” (Prov. 1:24-2624Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; (Proverbs 1:24‑26)).
“And Jesus said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?” That is the question, anxious troubled soul, He is asking of you now. He knows all about you, all about your anxiety, all about your distress and misery; and this is what He is saying to you.
He is putting down as it were a blank check, with His own signature at the bottom and saying to you, “Now fill it in.”
Is it life you are wanting from Him? You will get it. Is it peace? You will get it. Is it pardon—forgiveness of your sins—you are wanting? You will get it. Fill in the check to any amount. What do you ask from Him?
Bartimæus asks, “Lord, that I might receive my sight;” and as though echo had cast the same words in his teeth, back comes the ready response, “Receive thy sight.”
The moment you take your true place before that blessed Lord you get from Him everything your soul needs. Is it forgiveness you need?
He says, “Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more;” and again, “I write unto you little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.”
Am I forgiven? I am. How do I know it?
Because He says it, not because I feel it, but because I believe Him; it is faith, not feeling.
How do I get it? Because he gives it. He gives, and I take. You do the same friend.
“Thy faith hath made thee whole.” Have you faith in Him? Do you trust Him? What made Bartimæus cry out? Faith in Jesus.
What brought him to Him? Obedience to His word. Faith in Him, and obedience to His word, always go together.
“Thy faith hath made thee whole, and immediately he received his sight.” The moment you come to Jesus it is all settled. Have you come to Him? Have you trusted Him? if you have, He says to you, “Thy faith hath saved thee.”
Now mark what follows. The Lord says to Bartimus, “GO thy way.” He does not say “Follow Me;” and you will notice, throughout the Gospel narratives, He does not say to one of those, whose infirmities He has cured by His power, “Follow Me.” He leaves them free.
What does Bartimæus do? What could he do? His eyes are opened, and the first object that meets their gaze is Jesus, the One who has opened them. What can he do but be attracted by the sight, and follow Him? The sightless eyeballs get the power of vision, and he sees what the sinner always sees in the moment of his conversion—he sees Jesus! He gazes on Jesus, the blessed Son of God, walking this earth in the form of a man, and he follows Him.
Do you think this was disobedience to the Lord? Oh no! The Lord leaves him free.
He says, “Go thy way;” but Bartimæus seems to say, “Thy way and my way have been quite different Lord, up till now, but now Thy way and my way are the same, for henceforward my way can only be Thy way. I must follow Thee now.” It is beautiful! His eyes are opened, his heart is attracted, and he follows in loving devotion.
The Lord grant you may not only receive Christ, but follow Him; and if you have any doubt in your minds as to whether Christ will receive you, let me give you this one Scripture: “This Man receiveth sinners!” Are you a sinner? Then He will receive you! Precious word, “This Man receiveth sinners!” The pharisees and scribes flung it at Him as a brand, in proud scorn. He takes it up, as it were, in love and grace, and, oh! can anything be more lovely— “This Man receiveth sinners!”
I thank thee, proud Pharisee, for the word.
Thy taunt is blessedly true; He does receive sinners. He received me, and He will receive you, oh! anxious, troubled one, at this very moment, just in the same way in which He received Bartimaeus.
We have had a picture before us of complete destitution, and then of complete deliverance, and lastly of complete devotedness. Bartimæus was a destitute in an, and then he was a delivered man, and then he was a devoted man. The Lord grant that you may be the same!
W. T. P. W.