Luke 18:37-43

Luke 18:37 (KJB)
And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.

Then once the question was asked by Bartimaeus, someone had told him that it was Jesus of Nazareth who was walking by. This scenario reminds me of the hymn by Fanny Crosby called “Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior.” The first stanza and the refrain are below:

Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.

Refrain
Savior, Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.

Luke 18:38 (KJB)
And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.

Jesus no doubt heard him but did nothing at that time until He was leaving Jericho. Blind Bartimaeus had moved from one place to another, from where Jesus entered Jericho to where He was leaving as He headed for another Jericho. Many times in Scripture we read that Jesus had delayed an action in the life of someone who requested it. He would wait to see if their faith was real and if they followed Him believing He could accomplish what they asked, then He would perform their request. Here Bartimaeus moved with the crowd and continued to call on Jesus. Remember Lazarus a delay of 4 days. The delay with the daughter of Jairus.

Luke 18:39 (KJB)
And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.

A person with nominal faith would have said, well He is leaving Jericho so I guess I will not be healed. This was not the case with Bart and his friends. Instead of backing off, he yelled much louder to the point he was rebuked by the crowd to hold their peace. He had assessed properly who Jesus was, that He was the Lord and Son of David which was another name for the Messiah. Isn’t it something how the physically blind in this case had their spiritual eyes opened to the fact that Christ is the Messiah while those who had sight tried to rebuke them from calling out. The physically blind had more sight than those who could see. While there may have been more than one begging, it seems Blind Bartimaeus was the one who was the most vocal and spoke for the group.

Luke 18:40 (KJB)
And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,

Jesus than stands still and has the blind man brought to Him. This was done in the presence of the entire multitude. A moment ago they were rebuking Bartimaeus for speaking out loudly but now they turn to him and say, “Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.” (Mark 10:49 KJV) And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. What a difference the call of Jesus made on the attitude of the crowd. Gone are the days of anonymity as now the proclamation of Jesus as Messiah was to be as public as possible.

Luke 18:41 (KJB)
Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

So Jesus then looks at the blind men and asks them what He would like them to do for them? He knew what they needed but He wanted them to ask Him. (Mat 6:8 KJV) Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. God wants us to come to Him fully by making full request of whatever is on our heart even though He knows what we need. We come to Him in humility and especially seeking His will for whatever we are seeking. If what we ask is in keeping with His will, then we would receive it but if not, then He will say no.

Luke 18:42 (KJB)
And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.

Jesus saw his faith and had compassion on him and touched his eyes and immediately his eyes were able to see and he followed Him. Having received his sight back, he could have taken off for a trip around Israel to see everything that he was unable to see or even take a vacation by the Mediterranean Sea and watch the ships but what did he do?

Luke 18:43 (KJB)
And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

Instead of getting tied up with worldly things, as soon as his eyes were healed, he followed Jesus. This is a good example of anyone who becomes saved. Instead of worrying about worldly things any longer, they now follow Jesus having received their spiritual sight which is far more important.

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