Shout All the More

Shout All the More
Words of Faith 2-15-2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 10
[46] Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the 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.

This is one of the most beloved encounters we find in the Gospel. The image is powerful. A blind man has been sitting by the side of the road, possibly for years. When he heard the commotion of Jesus coming down the road, he must have asked who this was. Once Bartimaeus realized that this was Jesus, he must have known that the window of opportunity was short. It was now or never. He had to shout. He had to shout now. He had to shout loud. And he could not give up. When rebuffed, he had to shout all the more.
Now understand that Bartimaeus was a real man, who was really blind, and was really healed. It appears that he was one of two men healed that day of blindness, and, being the more vocal of the two, he was the focus of Mark's account. This is the last healing miracle that Mark records, so we should pay special attention. This healing comes at the conclusion of a powerful section of teaching on discipleship. But Bartimaeus is also more than a real man healed of blindness.
The name Bar (son of) Timaeus may have a couple of layers of meaning. Timaeus is from a Chaldee origin and means "Israelite", but the word also sounds like the Hebrew word 'tame' which means "unclean." Also this is also the first time that Mark records the phrase "Son of David" in reference to Jesus. While we might call Bartimaeus "Everyman", we also would want to see that his name means the "son of an Israelite who is unclean."
Mark may have been quite intentional in bringing to us the image of a blind Israelite that was unclean by the side of the road that leads to Jerusalem and was in need of the Son of David. The truth is that we are each the blind man by the side of the road until Jesus comes along.

We hear the commotion on the road and cry out into the darkness, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" We may be rebuked by those in the crowd along the road, but Jesus invites us into His presence. Out of the darkness, the voice of Jesus asks what we want. "Rabbi, I want to see," is the response. Our faith in the Rabbi is met with miraculous change, and the first thing that we see is His face. We follow Him. This is what it means to be a disciple.
Have you been at the side of the road for a long time? Have you been "unclean" as you stared into spiritual darkness? Have you been needing desperately to hear of the Master and respond to His voice? Then shout. And shout all the more. Jesus is here.

Son of David, have mercy on me a sinner. Lord, I want to see. Lord, I will follow. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.