December 31
2018
Throw it Aside
Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. 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!” Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. Mark 10: 46-52
Blind Bartimaeus can teach us many lessons about persistence and being clear about what you need. But this morning I want to talk about what he does when Jesus calls out to him.
When Jesus commanded him to be called, the crowd passed along the message (the same crowd that a moment ago was telling him to be quiet – crowds can be fickle!).
As Bartimaeus rises to meet Jesus he throws aside his garment.
Why does he do this?
Perhaps this garment represented for Bartimaeus his life of begging.
And he, believing that his encounter with Jesus would change his status, threw off that garment in faith.
Perhaps Bartimaeus didn’t know what Jesus would ask him to do, so wanting to be prepared and unencumbered, he choose to throw off the garment before he got to Jesus.
Whatever the reason, Bartimaeus appears to be “all in” when Jesus calls out to him.
We too need to be ready to be “all in” as we prepare to encounter Jesus in this New Year.
What do we need to throw off as the New Year arrives?
What are we holding on to that identifies us in a particular way; in a way that we hope to see changed?
What are we holding on to that might cause us to be caught up and unable to move in the way Jesus is calling us to move?
Blind Bartimaeus was prepared and expectant for his encounter with Jesus.
Are we prepared and expectant for our encounter with Jesus in this New Year?
Throw off that garment!