Bartimaeus, our example

Bartimaeus is an amazing character because he could see spiritually before he could see physically. Although he had never seen Jesus, he knew who Jesus was, and he knew what Jesus could do for him. There are many lessons that we can learn from him. Here are three.

One lesson is that he placed himself where he knew that Jesus would pass by. It was the time approaching the Passover and travellers to Jerusalem from Galilee would take the road that went through Jericho. So Bartimaeus would have realised that at some stage during that week Jesus would come along the road. He may have had to wait a couple of days, but he was prepared to do so. The lesson for us is that we should go to where we know Jesus will be. He will be present in church services and in other gatherings of his people, and there we can receive his blessing.

Another lesson is that we should be deaf to some things as well. When he started crying out to Jesus, some in the crowd told him to stop. Maybe they imagined he would be annoying Jesus. Instead Bartimaeus ignored their opinions and cried louder. The lesson is that we should not listen to assumptions about what Jesus will like or not like. The only information we have about Jesus is in his Word and anything else is an assumption. There is no evidence that Jesus objects to valid interruptions. Indeed, he always responded to such with mercy. No doubt, there was quite a bit of noise in the crowd following Jesus, but the noise that pleased him most was the noisy cry of Bartimaeus for mercy.

A third lesson from the incident is that the best time to commence following Jesus is right away. Being a formerly blind person, it was inevitable that Bartimaeus would make some mistakes as he started walking behind Jesus. But what did that matter as long as he was going in the right direction. The reason why he wanted to follow Jesus was gratitude for having received his mercy. A person who has received mercy from Jesus should make his situation public as soon as possible. That is what Bartimaeus did, and he is our example.