This devotional was originally published on November 10, 2017.
And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 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!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.
— Mark 10:46–52
In Mark 10:46–52, we see the story of Bartimaeus, a man who went from being a blind beggar to a healed Jesus follower in the matter of a moment. If you’ve never had such a transformative moment with Jesus, perhaps now could be your moment.
How can you have such a moment with Jesus?
1) Acknowledge that you need healing.
Bartimaeus was blind. He knew he was blind. He didn’t want to be blind anymore. In order to be healed by Jesus, you must first acknowledge that you are in need of healing.
The truth is that all of us need Jesus’ healing in our lives. Romans 3:23 says all of us have sinned before God. 1 John 1 says that if you claim to be perfect, you are a liar. So we all have areas of brokenness in our lives. The first step to healing is acknowledging that you need it.
2) Identify Jesus as the source for healing.
It is clear that Bartimaeus believed that Jesus could heal him. The crowd was trying to hush him, but Bartimaeus cried out all the more, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
You’ve lived with your brokenness for a while now. You’ve tried a lot of different things. You’ve learned to manage some of the symptoms and manifestations of your brokenness, but you don’t feel like you’re getting to the root of it. Jesus is the only one who can provide the healing you are looking for. Acts 4:12 says that salvation is found in no one else. To be healed by Jesus, you must understand that only Jesus can heal you.
3) Request for Jesus to heal you.
Once Bartimaeus had garnered Jesus’ attention, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And Bartimaeus had an answer. He wanted to be healed. Bartimaeus asked Jesus to heal him, and Jesus healed him.
Jesus will heal you too, if you ask him. Romans 10:13 says that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord for forgiveness and healing will be saved. If you know you need healing, you know only Jesus can heal you, and you ask him to heal you, he’ll do it!
4) Begin following Jesus.
Mark 10:52 says that Bartimaeus was immediately healed, and immediately began following. Jesus wants to save you, not just so he can see you in 50 years when you die, but because God the Father, Son and Spirit want a relationship with you. You were created for relationship with God. When Jesus saves you, follow him. Talk to him. Listen to him. Obey him. Worship him. This is the life of a Jesus follower.
You can be healed of your sin and brokenness today. You can enter into a loving relationship with God the Father, Son and Spirit.
- Acknowledge that you need healing.
- Identify Jesus as the source of healing.
- Request for Jesus to heal you.
- Begin following Jesus.