"Because You Believed"

Passage to be read: Mark 10: 46 - 52

Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?"

The blind man answered, "Teacher, I want to see."

Jesus said, "Go, you are healed because you believed."

(Mark 10: 46-52)

We believe in each other. It is this belief which makes us live this life together. And, as we travel along the different avenues of life, we learn to believe; even the ones that our human knowledge refuses to digest. 

Abraham believed in God's word and set out of his own land in search of another. Moses, believed that God was with him when he stood in front of Pharaoh in Egypt. David, believed in the power of God when he marched alone to stand against Goliath. Mary believed what the Lord's messenger told her, thus her total submission to the will of God. And above anything, God believed in us, the human race, when he sent His only begotten Son amongst us. And that's the grandeur of 'belief.'

Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who encountered Jesus in Jericho, is one of those who strongly declared their belief. Yes, like a punch-line! "Teacher, I want to see" (Mark 10:51-b). Imagining the incident presented in the passage that we have read above, the weight of this bold declaration could be felt; a declaration of belief.

Jesus, while walking through this street of Jericho, surrounded by his followers and a great many people, this blind beggar named Bartimaeus was just having another day of his life. Realising the commotion, probably he would have inquired. Wow.. How amazing that would have been. There's someone around whom he had heard of. Someone whom he yearned to meet. Someone, whom Bartimaeus believed, would bring in that miraculous change that he needed very badly. "Jesus from Nazareth was walking by." 

His reflexes worked in the timed manner. And there he goes, shouting out of his lungs, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 

Look! A blind beggar is pleading for mercy. How could Jesus skip this episode? Jesus responded. The crowd conveyed the message. "Cheer up! Get to your feet. Jesus is calling you." Obviously we can imagine what Bartimaeus would have done. The blind man jumped up, left his coat there, and went to Jesus ( Mark 10: 49). The rest is history!

Jesus was overwhelmed by the belief this man had. Jesus would have also loved the way in which this blind beggar responded to his question "What do you want me to do for you?" Ah... Look at that beautiful answer... "Teacher, I want to see." 

Phew... Just straight on the face! No persuasions like "I believe, you will be able to.."

The blind man had to just say, "I want to see" and God took care of the rest!

This is what we call belief. And, continue to see what was Jesus's answer for that.

"Go, you are healed because you believed" (Mark 10: 52). Jesus admired the great belief that this blind beggar on the streets of Jericho had.

Three things that Bartimaeus did, surprised me. One, is the bold and assured way in which he declared his belief in Jesus. Two, his belief was not just in words, but also in his action - he jumped up, left his coat there itself (for he knew that he would not need it anymore) and he went to Jesus. And the last one is the end of the encounter. Jesus told him "Go, you are healed because you believed" but Bartimaeus didn't go immediately. At once he could see and he followed Jesus on the road (Mark 10: 52). How amazing is the belief we find in this blind beggar from Jericho.

My dear friends in Christ, I pray that God will help all of us to believe in him, not just in our words, in our songs or in our worship, but also in each and every action that we do in all parts of our life. 

Let us learn to believe in God our Lord.

May God bless you. 

Yours in Christ,