A Soul Surrendered.

When the Word of God says in the Gospels of Mark and Luke, Bartimaeus “came near” to our Lord, it’s in a rather remarkable way.  Mark 10:50 records in vivid detail, that “casting aside his cloak [His outer garment, which illustrates both the haste in which he did this... and his willingness to cast all his temporal security aside.], he jumped up [or, ‘leaping up’],” he “came [running] to Jesus.”  The blind were considered cursed and literally kicked out in the street in 1^st century Palestine.  So, in dropping his cloak Bartimaeus is dropping all his security to follow Jesus.  Ohhhh the lessons we could learn from the blind and the damned.

In Luke 18:41 Jesus lays before this blind beggar the one simple question he’s been waiting so long to hear, “What do you want Me to do for you?”  He responds in faith with two magnificent phrases: “Lord [recognizing the Deity of Jesus], Rabboni [From Mk. 10:51, this is an Aramaic term of immense respect meaning- ‘my great Master.’], I want to see, to regain my sight [NAS]!”

This phrase shows us the final purpose of all that has come before, literally, “that I may recover my sight, that I might see once again.”  What this tells us is Bartimaeus had been able to see at one time; he’d not always been blind.  Imagine what it must be like to have sight one day— clear, unhindered vision, unimpeded eyesight— and then not have it the next.

In v. 42 Jesus say’s to him, “receive your sight, your faith [in Me, as the Anointed One of God] has healed you.”  “Healed” is actually from the Greek verb sozo: the word used of both physical healing and spiritual salvation {so, we have both Time and Eternity in view here}.  Both these things, healing and deliverance from sin, darkness, and death, came to Bartimaeus in the day he trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The perfect tense of sozo indicates both a permanent cure for his body and eternal security for his soul.

Notice what Bartimaeus did immediately upon regaining his sight.  He “began following Jesus, praising and glorifying God.  And when all the people saw it,” Luke say’s, “they also praised God,” v. 43.

The faith of this blind beggar, whom the crowd simply wanted to silence, caused everyone who witnessed the miracle of his salvation and recovery of his sight to rejoice in praise and glory to the God of Creation.  Jesus was Abba’s Man for the moment— in the right place at the right time— demonstrating the mercy of the Messiah to a lost and dying world.  As a result, Abba’s plan and purpose came to full execution because one Man, the God-Man, was yielded to the will of His Heavenly Father.  His was a soul surrendered.  The question we have to answer is, ‘Is ours the same?’

HJC	Ric Webb  |  Shepherd Heart’s Journey Community 9621 Tall Timber Blvd. |  Little Rock, AR 72204 t +1.501.455.0296
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