Jesus Heals - Mark 9-10

Mark 10:46-52 (ESV)

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

What attracted men and women and children to be intrigued with Jesus was, undoubtedly, His ability to heal.   Even in our society today we would be not just attracted, but all consumed by just events.   Jesus healed all types of situations, from mental health to demon possessed to physical challenges to raising from the dead.   Unlike the “faith healers” of today, however, there was not a time that Jesus decided to heal that the healing did not occur.  Jesus was not hit and miss on His healing powers.    In each of the cases it was someone’s compassion or faith that was the avenue for Jesus’ healing ministry.    In the above case, of the blind man, Jesus tells him that “your faith has made you well.”    Without faith we see no miracles of Christ.   It is the avenue of faith that God uses to move in the midst of the world around us.   This poor blind man was begging on the side of the road.  In those days, anyone with a deficiency would be a beggar.  There were no social programs to care for them.  The religious leaders of the day had more interesting debating the Son of God, than they did helping one of His children.   This blind man heard that Jesus was coming and cried out to Jesus.   Others wanted him to be quiet.  But, he persisted in his faith.   That caused Jesus to turn to him and beckon him to come to Him.   It is through the avenue of persistent faith that we seek healing and miracles from Jesus.   Today we might see Jesus heal us via many methods.  We might see Him allow us to suffer in our pain for His glory and to give us strength and more grace. Note how the great Apostle Paul (who did miracles himself) stated it:

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (ESV)

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.