TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:48 NKJV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• In Mark 10, we read of a blind man named Bartimaeus who called out to Jesus. That’s not a unique situation in Scripture. The Gospels tell of many who were blind, paralyzed, and who had other issues who called out to Jesus during His public ministry. But there’s an important lesson found in Bartimaeus’ story…
It begins in Mark 10:46. Jesus arrived in Jericho, and as was the case when Jesus came to town, a multitude gathered. When Bartimaeus heard it was Jesus, he called out to Him (v. 47). But in Mark 10:48a, Scripture says, “Then many warned him to be quiet;”
The crowd wanted the blind man to shut up. And I don’t quite understand this — if there was a multitude there (and how big was a multitude?), you know people were talking. Why did they tell THIS man to be quiet?
It’s something that we can relate to in this day and age. Think of how commonplace it is for believers to be quieted. The very name of Jesus is a divisive, polarizing name, and the Bible is a book to be feared. Lest you think I’m being dramatic, consider this:
- Of all the religions in all the world — no other central “divine being” has ever been turned into a curse word. I have never heard of anyone slander Buddha or Mohammed’s name. Have you? The name of Jesus Christ has been reduced to a curse word, and that’s because there is power in His Name alone (Acts 4:12) — whether the speaker recognizes that power or not. Our movies, music, and books are filled with G-d’s and JC’s, and as Christians, we’re supposed to tolerate that because it’s “art….”
- But in 2018, a marketing campaign showing a preacher holding a Bible was deemed so offensive in Southern California, the advertising campaigns were removed. Note — the Bible featured in the campaign did not have a cross or even the word Bible on it. It was a picture of a man holding a black book, and because it was an ad for Pastor Greg Laurie’s annual Harvest Crusade, it was deemed “offensive.”
From a Christian baker who continues to fight for his right to run his business according to his faith in court to a Christian woman in Kentucky who, in 2015, was arrested and served jail time because she refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses because it conflicted with her faith…. I could go on…. But the truth is — just as a blind man in Jericho was told to be quiet, so are we who proclaim Jesus is the risen Son of God and believe that the Holy Bible is the inspired Word of God.
But we can learn an important lesson from Bartimaeus’ reaction…. Let’s look at the whole verse — “Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’”
He cried out all the more. We can never let anyone discourage us from calling out to God. The world tells us to fix it on our own. Seek other ways to solve the problem. The world refuses to acknowledge that Jesus is the only hope we have — the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).
The world will never encourage prayer as the first solution, but only (and maybe) as a last resort. And for that alone — we can know that the solutions we need can never be found in this world.
But solutions can be found in Jesus.
Bartimaeus had it right — call out to Jesus. Be persistent in faith, and when the pressure mounts, call out to God all the more.
As we wrap up today, and recognize today as Good Friday, I can’t help but be reminded of another who cried out to Jesus: The repentant thief who hung on the cross beside Him. His testimony is found in Luke 23:40-43. The world couldn’t offer this dying criminal anything that would save him. But he recognized that Jesus could.
Have you?
Today, as you pray, thank Jesus for His willingness to hear us when we call out to Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to keep you focused on Him and realize that there is nothing too big or too small that we can’t ask Jesus to help us through. Ask Him to equip you to be bold against the world — to be willing to cry out all the more even as the pressure for us to be quiet continues to mount. Cry out to Jesus as the one hope for salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life with Him.
SHARING ••• My Grace-Full Life is written by Denise Heidel. You are welcome to share anything I write, but please credit my writing and graphics accordingly. Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Subscribe through my website to have My Grace-Full Life delivered to your email. You can unsubscribe at any time. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the NKJV translation.
