Through the eyes of Bartimaeus

   If you looked at the world through my eyes all you’d see would be darkness. I had been placed in a world without a glimpse of light, a place of nothingness. This was the world I had come to know,  for as long as I remember I had been blind and I doubt there was ever a time I saw with my eyes. My name is Bartimaeus, blind Bartimaeus as I was popularly called on the streets of Jericho where I had lived all my life and had moved from gates to street corners sitting with a bowl begging for alms and anything to help me survive.

In my years of moving around, my staff and cloak were my only possessions, my essentials to life, a staff to direct me and a cloak to cover me from the cold.

I had sat at the gates of synagogues and temples and had heard about Isaiah’s prophesy of a messiah to come from the lineage of King David. I had also heard of a man whom I knew without a doubt was the messiah, although not so many people wanted to hear the opinions of a blind man. The more I heard about him and the miracles he performed, the more I wanted to meet this man, Jesus of Nazareth as he was called. 

 With each story I heard, I longed for the day even more. And at last the day came.
The day my life flipped. When I decided to trust in something other than my staff to lead me and I tossed my cloak aside. 

On this day I sat by the roadside in my usual manner begging for alms, I listened as I heard a loud noise coming in my direction, the noise intensified as it approached where I sat, straining my ears I tried to understand what the noise was about but I could not. I asked the people around what the fuss was about and I was told it was Jesus of Nazareth, the one I had always heard about only that this time he was passing by and a crowd followed. This was it! My chance to meet this man. I decided to scream to get his attention. “Son of David, have mercy on me” I screamed but I was asked to keep quiet. I screamed even louder “Son of David, have mercy on me” and he heard me. Jesus heard me.

He called out to me, I hurried up throwing my staff and tossing my cloak aside I ran to Him. The messiah had called me to come. I got before Him and He asked what I wanted. For a man who had been blind all his life, a man who had never seen the light. Here I was right in front of the man whom John the Baptizer had called the light, whom prophet Isaiah had proclaimed him Yahweh, "the one who saves". What else did I want? 

I wanted to see him, I was in awe of Him, I wanted Him to show me who He was and teach me His heart and to lead me in love. I wanted to trust only Him and let nothing sway me. I will build my life upon his love as it is is a firm foundation. I will put my trust in him alone and I will no longer be alone. I will not stumble, I will not need a staff to walk because he will open my eyes to see and follow his steps.

“Rabbi! I want to see” I cried out.

He opened my eyes and all I did after was follow him.

When Bartimaeus calls Jesus “Son of David”  he calls him king and when he calls Him “Rabbi " he calls him a teacher. Jesus a king who rules over us at the same time teaches us how to live life. This story brings to light what following Christ entails. Bartimaeus had thrown his staff and cloak to meet with Jesus, he left everything and jumped in surrender to the King. He was given a choice to walk away healed when Jesus said "go your faith has healed you" instead he decided to follow Jesus. To learn of his ways, to see as he saw.

How many times have we prayed for help or healing and as soon as we got answers we wandered off from God?

Let’s not be the kind of people who seek God for what he gives rather than who He really is. Trust to see the work of His hands, seek His face, learn his heart and live his life. Surrender to him wholly and follow him through.

Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things;  preserve my life according to your word.- Psalm.119:33-37

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Reference :Mark 10:46-52