“And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me” (Mark 10:47 KJV).
Faith people have courage. Remember blind Bartimaeus? Somebody told him that Jesus is a healer.
Obviously, Bartimaeus believed what he was told because when he heard that Jesus was walking by, he began to yell with a loud voice, “Jesus, thou Son of David have mercy on me.” And the more they told him to shut up, the more he cried out. You see, he had some gumption about him.
Everybody told him to shut up, that this wasn’t going to work for him. However, he persisted and continued to cry out anyway. He had an attitude of faith, but attitude alone isn’t enough; it is certainly a part of the process to get where you want to be.
At his persistent crying out, Jesus stood still and told them to bring him. Bartimaeus immediately began casting away his garments even before he got to Jesus. That was an act of faith.
Now this is important because in biblical times they had a caste society, in which the cloths one wore defined thier social and economic station in life. So he’s wearing poor, beggar clothes, which tell everybody that he’s at the very bottom of society – he’s a nobody.
However, when Jesus called Bartimaeus to Him, Bartimaeus’ attitude was that he didn’t need those beggar’s clothes anymore. By taking that coat off, he was saying, “I am not blind anymore.”
Now you better believe that when he took that old, worn-out, dirty coat off, some people went, “Ooh, you are not supposed to do that. Put that coat back on.”
But you’re always going to have people tell you what you can’t do, or they will tell you what will never happen. My whole ministerial career has been filled with people telling me what I can’t do.
I don’t have to know how to do it because knowing how isn’t my problem. Acting on what God told me to do is my job because it’s not my power anyway; it is His power.
If the Lord says to do it, then we have to do what He says if we want to have results. Bartimaeus completed his faith with action and he walked away seeing and totally healed.
Scripture Reference: Mark 10:46-52
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Keith Butler has been an ordained minister since 1974. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and holds diplomas from Canada Christian College and Rhema Bible Training Center.
He serves in ministry with the support of his lovely wife, Pastor Deborah L. Butler, and their children: Pastor Andre Butler (granddaughters Alexis, Angela, and April), Pastor MiChelle Ferguson and husband Pastor Lee (grandson Lucas), and Minister Kristina Jenkins and husband Pastor Joel (grandsons Andrew and Austin, and granddaughter Alyssa).