Bartimaeus was blind. Not a strong social service network to help such a guy, so Bartimaeus did what he knew, he begged. He begged everyone, all day; it was not only his livelihood, it was what he knew to do. And he did it. So the day Jesus came to town, Bartimaeus continued to do what he knew; he begged. However, the people scolded him, which prompted him only to cry out more, and it worked. Jesus turns his attention to the blind beggar, “What do you want me to do for you?” Bartimaeus made his request: “I want to see.” Moments later he had the grace of vision. So what?

 

This is more than a miracle story. It’s an invitation to entrust our deepest requests to Jesus, to invite him to take charge. This can be twisted to mean that Jesus merely doles out answers to our prayers—petty or profound. Jesus asks for more than to be our errand boy and miracle worker. Bartimaeus risked telling Jesus what he really wanted, got it, and I’m convinced surrendered then to him; Jesus was in charge. That’s a risk I pray we’re willing to take.

 

Joyfully,

 

Dale Patterson