In a Fair or Mela a small boy got separated from his mother. She was desperately searching for the boy. Boy was crying and calling his mother. In the midst of many noises, the mother was able to discern and detect her son’s voice. Ran towards him and took him in her loving embrace. The cry of the boy was one of the noises in the fair. For the mother, that was the Only voice she would listen to. Love of a mother could deduct the desperate cry of a child, even far off.
Bartimaeus was a blind man begging on the highway of Jericho. Lord Jesus was walking with disciples and others. The blind man understood a crowd was nearing him. He asked the bystanders and came to know that Lord Jesus was coming. Opportunity is coming to him. He cried and called Lord Jesus to have mercy on him. There were some who wanted to silence the blind Bartimaeus; he cried louder. Mark writes: “Jesus stopped to listen.” (Mark 10:48-49) Like a lost boy in the fair, Bartimaeus cried, the Lord, like a mother, responded.
1) Sensitive: The Lord is sensitive to the call of the poor, oppressed, distressed, exploited. Bartimaeus was broken and crushed with his disability that he was reduced to depend on others for his sustenance. “The Lord is near to the broken-hearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalms 34:18)
2) Compassion: The Lord is compassionate to people in need, especially those who are confused, helpless and desperate like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)
3) Stopped: The Lord stopped his conversation so that he could sense the direction from where the call came. The Lord stopped his walk to turn towards desperate Bartimaeus.
4) Priority: The Lord responded to the cry of faith. The disciples could wait for his teaching. The people waiting in the destination also could wait. But the Lord did not want to keep Bartimaeus waiting.
Lord Jesus models the right attitude and priority for our service in the community.
Do I have the mind of Lord Jesus Christ?