Faith Which the Lord Looks For (Mark 10:46-52)
One day, a blind beggar from Jericho called Bartimaeus heard a large crowd. As soon as someone told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by”, he started yelling like he was mad. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” This yelling could have puzzled people.
1. How do you see Jesus?
Many people saw Jesus as an insignificant person from Nazareth, and even those who followed Him saw Him as a great political figure. In this circumstance, the blind beggar Bartimaeus – who people treated with contempt – saw Jesus as the Son of David, who is the Messiah sent by God. Additionally, he said, “I want to see”, and asked Jesus to do something that was not possible with man, but only possible with God.
2. How do you see yourself?
To receive the Lord’s help, Bartimaeus did not assert his own merit. He acknowledged that he was a worthless creature in God’s presence, and he knew the only way for someone like him to be saved was if the Lord had mercy on him. The very faith he showed is the essence of the Gospel. This blind beggar showed the faith that scholars who study the Bible and even the disciples of Jesus did not yet have in the Lord’s presence.
3. Fruits worthy of repentance
This is true. We cannot receive anything if the Lord does not have mercy. Even if we repent, are baptized, and become one with the Lord, we have not changed into righteous people. Therefore, let’s not lose a contrite spirit, but try to bear fruits worthy of repentance. Let’s understand that the Lord is the last and only hope and entrust ourselves to Him. Let’s love the church, the Lord’s body, with a sincere heart and offer ourselves humbly.
October 17, 2021
Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim