Leaving Your Past Behind You

“Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.”
Mark 10:46-52 NKJV


To be blind in ancient  times left you with with only one option: to beg.  This man made his way to the busy road and his means of living was to rely on the generosity or sympathy of people passing by. There was really no hope  of any kind of future for Bartimaeus.  He had a coat that used to keep him warm on cold Jericho nights and probably a stick to help guide him. That might have been the extent of his possessions. 

Jesus was passing by and Bartimaeus had no doubt heard of the miracle works that He had conducted, sitting on the side of a busy highway. Here was destiny about to pass by. This was a moment  that would only arrive once in a lifetime. He throws any sort of dignity and decorum to the side and yells out to Jesus. His desperation to be delivered from his blindness surpasses anything else. 

Blindness can be physical and spiritual. Jesus often said you have eyes but you don't see.  We often miss the deep things of God because we focus on things that are temporal and temporary and we don't see the value and purpose of our life. There is a divine purpose for every single individual on the face of this earth, but the majority of us just go through the routine of life with no concept of anything bigger or greater. Yet we have been designed for a specific purpose. We see,  but we are blind to the true purpose of existence. And we live our life ignorant of this undeniable fact. We need to come to the realisation that we like Bartimaeus can find our completeness in Jesus. 

We need to abandon the perceived security of our life, so often it is a sad delusion. That we are happy and content and everything is ok. When the reality is, it's the anything but that. We have work problems, marriage problems, children problems and not to mention our own personal problems. all of these things weigh us down. The people around us are just as blind and when we try on a glimmer of hope to move beyond this, people tell us to be quiet and it's ok and this is how life is. There is nothing better. See that's  what they told Bartimaeus.  They tried to get him to shut up, accept his situation and remain as he was. 

He had other ideas, he shouted even louder, ignoring the cries of those who wanted him to shut up. We, like him,  must not be so willing to listen to all the voices of the people around us, telling us to be quiet and fit in and live life as a mediocre routine. 

He wanted Jesus's attention and he got it, not by being quiet and fitting in, but by being vocal and desperate. In our world that is filled with so many things that demand our attention, we must be as desperate for the attention of Jesus. We crave attention and recognition from our bosses,  our friends, our family, our parents and children and spouses, yet we are not desperate for the attention of one who can help us the most.

Bartimaeus stood up when Jesus called, threw away his coat, his only protection against the weather, his comfort and what tied him to his present condition. He did not hesitate to see if Jesus would heal him or would help him. No, he threw aside his past and stepped into destiny.

What an amazing faith and trust in Jesus, he did not come hesitantly! He came with complete confidence in Jesus.  Jesus responds to his faith by saying:  “Go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Bartimaeus' physical eyes were healed and his spiritual eyes were opened as well. The outward healing was reflected in the inward healing, and salvation.

What a powerful example of one who was blind but now sees!

I encourage you in your faith today to lift it to Jesus, call on Him and leave your past behind. He is here waiting to heal your life. Let your past go and step towards Jesus!