From Beggar to Follower

“And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.”

Mark 10:52

It has been said that "You cannot force someone to follow you; they have to choose to follow you." Throughout Jesus' ministry, He encountered many people whom He healed of various ailments. Unfortunately, many of them did not follow Jesus afterward. One aspect of discipleship is following the Lord on the road of life, one day at a time until we meet the Lord face to face.

As Jesus made His final approach to Jerusalem, the Lord encountered several different people. Each of them had their own individual needs and situations. In Mark 10:46-52, we discover the last recorded healing in Mark’s gospel prior to the Triumphal Entry. Here, Jesus left Jericho and passed by a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. Although the crowd around him told him to stop, Bartimaeus continued to cry out to Jesus. His cry was a simple plea for mercy addressed to Jesus with the Messianic title, Son of David. We should pause and remember that while the Lord was headed to Jerusalem and the cross, He stopped to help the man who called upon Him. What a beautiful picture of the Lord's care for others.

“The righteous cry, and the Lord hears

And delivers them out of all their troubles.”^[1]

Bartimaeus did not wait around to respond to the Lord's call to him. He jumped up and ran to Jesus, pleading that his sight be regained. One of the most common types of healings that Jesus performed was restoring sight to the blind. This was in fulfillment of such messianic passages as Isaiah 35:5-6. In response, Jesus immediately healed and restored sight to the once blind beggar. Amazing! No rehabilitation was needed as his healing was instant. And unlike so many who went back home, Bartimaeus responded by following Jesus on the road.

“All the way my Savior leads me,

Cheers each winding path I tread;

Gives me grace for ev’ry trial,

Feeds me with the living Bread.”^[2]

The Lord graciously heals those who are spiritually blind today. He enables them not only to see who they are, but to see rightly who He is. Who is Jesus? He is the long-awaited Messiah who died on the cross and rose on the third day. When a person places their trust in Him, they are forgiven and given eternal life. But that is not the end. The Lord desires that, like Bartimaeus, we follow Him the rest of our lives. May the Lord move in your heart so that you too will follow Him on the road of life.

Lord, You are so gracious to me by expressing Your care for me. Help me to grow in following You more closely each day. Forgive me when I allow other things to interfere with my walk with You. Amen.

[1] Psalm 34:17 NASB 95.

[2] Fanny Crosby. “All The Way My Savior Leads Me.”