This morning I am continuing on with my reading of Mark's Gospel and come to one of my favorite stories, the healing of Bartimaeus. I was reading through this very familiar story and the yet, one of the verses grabbed my attention unexpectedly. Here is the story as recounted by Mark 10:46-52 NIV:
[46] "Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. [47] When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
[48] Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
[49] Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you.” [50] Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
[51] “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
[52] “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road."
I love this story of the blind man's faith and desperation and how he wouldn't stop shouting. I am encouraged by his faith and perseverance. However, this morning the verse that caught my attention was verse 48, "Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet". I was just thinking how strange that response was for the people following Jesus, as He was constantly healing people. He had stopped for many people, and always had time for them and their needs and yet the crowd was telling Bartimaeus to be quiet!
As I started pondering this in my mind, I felt like the Lord said, this is no different than many churches and individuals who are so busy with their programs and tasks that they don't want to stop for those in need who are crying out for the touch of God. I thought that was a bit harsh, but then I realized that I am one of those that would be so time focused that I wouldn't stop either. Ouch! I was raised in a time conscious family and was taught that being late is rude. If I say I will be done or going to meet someone at a certain time I will do that regardless of the situation in front of me. I am willing to put my schedule and commitment before most anything else.
In this case, Jesus was obviously going somewhere, leaving the city on His way to Jerusalem. As a personal note, I am almost impossible to get off track when I am traveling somewhere, and pretty much never stop for anything but the essentials. I don't think Jesus was that way, but for some reason I am. Anyway, there appears to have been in the crowd a fair number of people who were also schedule people, task people, or as I call them "drivers". They didn't want Jesus to be interrupted by this poor blind man, and told Him to be quiet. They might have been thinking about Jesus' comfort, or His need to get somewhere and rest. Whatever, they were missing the heart of the Father, as demonstrated by Jesus.
The Father always cares for the one, is always concerned for the needs of the individual, and will always allow Himself to be interrupted, and He is the one we should be representing! Jesus, gave us multiple examples of this heart and attitude in His ministry, stopping for the one who others would have ignored or felt it was their religious duty to bypass. In the stories of Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the adulterous woman, the woman who touched his cloak and was healed, and even the lepers, Jesus had good religious reasons to bypass them. He could have ignored them and yet, in each of those cases, He stopped, saw the person and their real need and radically changed their lives.
Imagine if we, rather than judging people, really saw people for who they were and allowed the Father to minister through us (as Jesus demonstrated) how different our communities would be! There are many good church ministries to homeless people, the disadvantaged, the needy and the downtrodden, and these are great! We should support these efforts and get involved where we can! We should be known as generous and giving people.
However, we can sometimes allow our support and even participation in these ministries to become an excuse to not reach out personally to those we encounter in our daily lives. I am fine with program based ministry, but when I am invited to make ministry my actual lifestyle and invite those in need into my daily life, I get uncomfortable and often ignore the opportunity. It is fine to go minister as long as it doesn't interfere with my "real" life, or the lifestyle I have come to enjoy!
The question on my heart this morning is whether I am interupptable? I feel like the Lord is offereing me an invitation. The question is am I willing to be interrupted in my daily life, in my comfort, in my schedule orientation, in my upper-middle class lifestyle, by those in need? Am I too busy going somewhere, or doing something to stop and allow the Father's heart to touch someone through me? Am I truly willing to make my life available to God, and listen for those crying out in their need?
It is my prayer that I would be like You Father! I want to be willing, to have my heart and mind changed so that I put people before my schedules, tasks and own plans. I want to be interupptable, to be aware of those in need! I want to be willing to stop, regardless of what I am doing, to see God touch my brothers and sisters in need, whatever it is.
Yes, Lord, help me!
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