Crying Out

Jesus and his followers came into Jericho. As Jesus was leaving Jericho, together with his disciples and a sizable crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, Timaeus’ son, was sitting beside the road. When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was there, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, show me mercy!” Many scolded him, telling him to be quiet, but he shouted even louder, “Son of David, show me mercy!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him forward.”

– Mark 10:46-49 CEB –

It’s so easy to overlook the pain of others. I am in Dallas several times a week for seminary and will inevitably see the homeless individuals panhandling on the road seeking help and resources. People will debate what is the best way to help these individuals, but the majority of people will do nothing. There may be different reasons a person has to keep driving and do nothing, but it doesn’t change that these people on the fringes of society are often overlooked. When we can keep driving past someone’s pain and need, we can pretend it doesn’t exist.

The blind man named Bartimaeus from the scripture above cried out to Jesus. We assume Bartimaeus had been blind his whole making him an outcast and a beggar on the fringe of society. When he cried out, people only acknowledged him to tell him to quiet his voice. They figured surely this important public figure Jesus has better things to do than help this blind man. Jesus throughout His ministry chose to do the compassionate thing instead of complying with the status quo. In this spirit of compassion and despite the calls for silence from the crowd, Jesus calls Bartimaeus to Himself and Bartimaeus immediately ran to Jesus. Jesus heals Bartimaeus upon his request.

Often when we are those who are hurting or in need of help, it is easy to feel like we are all alone and no one is there to hear us cry. It can be tempting to look at passages like this and think it must have been easy for Bartimaeus to cry out to Jesus since Jesus was right there in front of him. However, named Bartimaeus had the world around him telling him to keep silent. Bartimaeus’s own lack of vision kept him from seeing Jesus. Still, in courage, he cried out. This story reminds us that in the moments when we’re told we’re alone or castaway, Jesus hears our cries. Even though we can’t “see” Jesus, as Bartimaeus couldn’t see Jesus, He is still there ready to call you to Himself in response to your cry. In those dark or challenging moments of life, whether it’s a continual situation or a brief moment, know that Jesus hears you cry. No matter the voices telling you to keep silent, cry out all the more to Jesus. Jesus hears you and is near to you in each of those moments as He was with Bartimaeus.