Mark 10:46-49 (NIV) Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”

Here we have a blind beggar, probably sitting in the same spot that he always sat in, begging for money from passersby when he hears a commotion. When he heard that it was Jesus that was about to pass by, he began to shout out loud trying desperately to get Jesus’ attention. He was shouting so loud that the people around him began to get annoyed and told him to be quiet. But this blind beggar could not be silenced. He had heard the stories about the miraculous things that Jesus had done and about all the people that Jesus had healed. Not only had he heard about the miracles, but this blind man had put two and two together and had figured out that Jesus was the Messiah that the Jewish people had been waiting for.

It’s interesting that the people who were able to see Jesus perform His miracles with their own eyes didn’t know who He was, but this blind man knew immediately who He was. While they were thinking that Jesus might have been a prophet, Elijah or John the Baptist brought back to life (Mark 8:27-28), blind Bartimaeus knew that He was the Son of David! That’s why he was shouting and wouldn’t stop. This was his one shot at getting his eyesight and he was going to make as much noise as he could. But with the vast number of people that were there crowding around Jesus and with all of the noise that excited crowds make, how was Jesus ever going to be able to pick out his shouts above all the other shouts of the throng of people around Jesus? But Jesus did hear him and not only did He hear him, but He instructed the people to call Bartimaeus. This blind man had gotten Jesus’ attention!

I don’t think for one moment that Bartimaeus’ voice was louder that the noise of the crowd. I believe that Jesus tunes His ear to hear the cry of the broken, the desperate and of those that are in any kind of need. Like He said, “It’s not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick” (Mark 2:17). He heard this blind man’s cry because that is the type of cry that He listens for. That’s what I love so much about Jesus. He listens for and is attentive to our cry. Just like parents who tune their ears to their children and can pick out their cries even when they are in the midst of a large number of other children, so our Lord Jesus listens for and picks out our cries in the midst of the noise and chaos of this world. Know that your Lord and Savior, Jesus, hears you. He listens for you and when you call on Him, He is right there to help you, heal you, comfort you and meet any other need that you may have simply because you are His and because He loves you. So call on Him. He hears you and He will answer! There is no one like Jesus!

Pastor Joey Vazquez