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THIS WEEK’S BIBLE INSIGHTS ARE BY:
Helena Wilkinson and are based on Mark 10 (NIV)
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ MORE ON THIS WEEK’S MAJOR THEME:
Mark 10:1-52
46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means ‘son of Timaeus’), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Sunday July 13 - We all have something
As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city,
ablindman,Bartimaeus...wassittingbytheroadsidebegging. Mark10:46
The gospel of Mark may be the shortest of the four gospels, but it is fast-paced, powerful and profound. The chapter that we are reading and reflecting on this week (Mark 10) covers marriage, divorce and adultery; receiving the kingdom of God like a child; the cost of discipleship; death and resurrection; and, lastly, the healing of a blind man. All of this in 52 verses!
I have chosen to focus on the last seven verses of Mark 10 – the story of Bartimaeus, a beggar who had nothing, not even his eyesight. To add to his sense of nonentity he isn’t even referred to by his own name. Instead, he was one of three people (the others being Bartholomew and Barabbas) who Mark identifies only by the name of their father, rather than the name of the actual person.
Whilst Bartimaeus appeared to have nothing, the truth is that we all have something. Bartimaeus had two important assets: a cloak to hide his scrawny body and to keep him warm, but more importantly he had amazing insight into the need for a saviour. Bartimaeus didn’t have anything to rely on and to distract him from his faith in Jesus. In my opinion, his greatest quality was incredible humility; both this and his faith resulted in a strong determination to meet Jesus face to face and trust his life to him. This week we will explore his journey with his Saviour.
Lord God, please soften my heart so that I can be receptive to what I read this week. Amen.
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PRAYER FOR TODAY