Mark 10:46-52 -- On Persistence and Faith

"And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimæus, the son of Timæus, sat by the highway side begging.
And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.
And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.
And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way."
Mark 10:46-52


This is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, when he heard that Jesus was coming down the street, he started calling out, and just got louder when people told him to shut up. And secondly, even though Christ probably knew what he wanted, he still asked him to articulate it... to ask for the impossible.

These, I think, represent things that help us move closer to God and also recieve blessings. I have no idea if there were other beggars on that street, but blind Bartimaeus spoke up and petitioned Christ, begging to be heard, over and over again. It is like the parable of the unjust judge in Luke 18:1-8. The idea is to keep praying and petitioning God for the good things that we desire... or in other words, keep believing that God can do it and make it happen, and don't just give up, deciding that it won't do any good or that God isn't listening.

Then, when Christ stopped and had him brought closer, he rewarded his persistence by asking what he wanted. I think this part is about faith. Can we truly ask for something, believing that God can grant it to us, or do we hold back with doubt? Blind Bartimaeus was begging on the side of the road. He could have just asked for a wad of cash, but he believed that Christ was the son of God and that he could do much, much more than just feed him.

Today, let's think about this story and be willing to be persistent and faithful when petitioning the Lord and asking for the good things that we need. Of course we shouldn't persist in our unrighteous desires, because getting those petitions is just going to destroy us, but if we keep the spirit with us and ask for things that we know are good... let's believe, and keep asking, because God is always listening to us, and in his time and wisdom, he will teach us and help us and make us ready so that he can grant us our righteous desires.