Quick Note – Luke 18:35-43 – No Obstacles

Luke 18:35-43 – 35 As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

When I was in high school, during one of my speech contests, I recited a poem about a blind beggar named Bartimaeus who sat by the roadside near Jericho.  This poem recounted the story that is written in our passage today.  Bartimaeus was a blind beggar, who heard that Jesus was passing by.  Knowing and trusting that Jesus Christ was the only one who could heal his blindness, he called out to Him, not knowing whether he would be heard or not.  Unfortunately, due to the noise that he was creating, the crowds that surrounded Jesus became annoyed and tried to stifle his speech.  However, Bartimaeus did unashamed of what people might think and knowing that this might be his only chance to be healed, he did not let the crowds stop him and called out even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”.  Noticing the faith of Bartimaeus, Jesus Christ stopped, called Bartimaeus to Himself, and healed him. 

This story is a beautiful one, because it shows us that Jesus Christ will never turn away anyone who is coming to seek Him.  I really appreciate that lesson, but I also love another part of the story – the part that Bartimaeus played when he resolved to see Jesus.  Bartimaeus had many obstacles that could have discouraged him from seeking the Lord, yet he persisted through them to find the Christ.  He didn’t allow his blindness to stop him from meeting the Lord, and instead used his voice to call out to Him.  He didn’t allow the crowds to restrain his pleas, and instead called out even louder.  He did not allow his pride to make him second-guess his actions but accepted the rebukes that would come for being “rude.”  He didn’t allow anything to stop him from seeing Jesus, because he knew the urgency of his need to be healed and the opportunity he had with the Savior that moment.  He knew that meeting Jesus was worth all that he could give. 

In contrast, just a few verses before (vs 18-25), we hear about the rich young ruler who allowed the riches that he had attained in this world to prevent him from following Christ. He did not want to let those temporary things go in exchange for eternal life and loss the opportunity to experience a beautiful life with Christ.

I don’t know what may be preventing you from seeking Jesus Christ today.  It could be your fear that your family and friends will turn against you.  It could be your reluctance that makes you feel unworthy to approach the throne of God.  It could be your pride that is preventing you from seeking help from the Savior.  It could be your unwillingness to give up your sin.  It could be anything.  But know that Jesus Christ is worth it all.  He is worth you giving up all that you have in exchange for the opportunity to know Him.  You never know if this may be your last opportunity to seek Him.  This may be the last time He passes by your way.  This is urgent.  Don’t give up this chance to know Him and obtain eternal life.  Fight through whatever is holding you back just as Bartimaeus did, and in the end, you will find healing and completeness in the Savior. 

Now is the day of salvation.