Master, I want to see

The blind Bartimaeus cried out: “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me”(Mark 10: 47-48).

Imagine the scene: this annoying man lying down on the side of the road screaming his lungs out, and those trying to hear what Jesus had to say rebuking him.

Then Jesus stops, calls him, and immediately people started encouraging him: “get up, he is calling you.”(Mark 10: 49). Bartimaeus responds jumping, throwing his cloak aside and rushing to meet Jesus. Imagine this humble man panting from the rush, making his way through the crowd, reaching God and saying in a soft and trembling voice: “Master, I want to see”.

The blind man wanted to see much more than just the world around him. He recognized Jesus, he had faith, and he wanted to see the Truth. Then Jesus granted him sight.

In contrast, we also have other events in this chapter of the Gospel of Mark:

A rich man was doing everything right. But when Jesus asked him to go the extra mile, to give up everything and follow Him “his face fell at these words and he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth” (Mark 10: 17-22). He could not surrender his possessions in order to live in humble adoration of our Lord forever.

And then, John and James requested a place next to Jesus in Heaven. Although they gave up everything to follow Jesus, they had not understood that their request was ambitious and arrogant and that those seats were already assigned.

Jesus is continually calling us. Will we respond like the rich man? Will we make arrogant requests like John and James did? Or will we respond like Bartimaeus?

When Jesus calls us, let us recognize the Son of David as our God, spring out of our spiritual lethargy, run through the modern culture crowds reaching Jesus’ Heart and bending down in complete awe before His presence saying:

“Oh, My Master and only Lord! I want to see!”