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.

Why this healing and why hear in Mark’s narrative? There is a point to it. In fact, several.

If you look at chapter 10:13-52 of Mark, it is all about leadership. In fact, it is one of the best chapters on leadership.

• A true leader gets his hands dirty and welcomes undesirables
• A leader is about self-sacrifice
• Jesus modeled leadership by intentionally moving towards what he knew would cause his death
• Leadership was about serving first and foremost
• Leadership is about stopping for the one in need

Certainly this chapter is about loving others. That included the children, the rich young ruler and the arrogant brothers James and John. He loved them all.

But there’s a few other layers here. And recurring themes.

1) The Persistance

There’s a theme in Jesus’ life that at first he doesn’t heal. He doesn’t necessarily meet the need right away. With some people, yes, he did. But there’s almost a divine hesitation.

• Jesus was sleeping in the storm and needed woken up to calm the storm (Mark 4)
• The healing of Jairus’ dying daughter was first paused for him to heal the woman with the issue of blood. Then his daughter died (after which Jesus finally made it there and raised her from the dead) (Mark 5)
• Jesus looked like he was about to pass them by when he walked on the water (Mark 6)
• The healing of the Syrophoenician woman which he engaged in dialogue first saying that his ministry was first to the lost children of Israel (Mark 7)

Everywhere he went there was like an intentional hesitation. Those who believed pressed in. They persisted.

It is the same with this healing of Bartimaeus. It almost appears that he had called a several times and people kept trying to quiet him down. But his faith didn’t silence him. Even when “many” tried to tell him to be quiet.

He had faith. True faith.

• He called Jesus Rabboni which is an intensified version of Rabbi.
• When Jesus healed him he affirmed his faith.
• After he was healed he became a follower of Jesus

There’s something to be said of pressing on. Not getting offended. And not listening to the crowds. But pressing in to Jesus.

There’s more to that than we know.

2) The Faith of the Disciples was Growing

Not on the part of Bartimaues. But it seemed the faith of the disciples was changing.

In the previous miracle Jesus prayed twice for a man to be healed. And it seems contextually this was because he was trying to provoke them that while they had faith, there needed to be a fuller aspect of that faith.

Here, we see that Bartimaeus was simply healed. Instantly.

We see that also with the disciples. They believe now, though grotesquely still immature (James and John), but their faith has grown. When he speaks of his impending death they are not trying to block him (Peter).

They will need this increasing faith. Jesus is getting ready for his final days on earth. The battles ahead are nothing like what they think. But God is going to empower them with His Holy Spirit to help them. They will see me more fully.

In fact, one could wonder if the previous healing where Jesus prayed twice was about Pentecost, when through the divine help of God they would really see. And have a faith that would also help them run into the fires of persecution.

3) Leadership means stopping from your agenda

Jesus was on a journey. As a leader, he didn’t need to stop for the blind man. All those around him were scolding the blind man and they clearly didn’t want him to stop.

But Jesus stopped.

Jesus did not listen to the crowds. Nor did the blind man.

This is leadership. Doing the right thing even when no one else agrees. Even when ever voice says it is a waste of your time and resources.

Don’t listen.

Do what is right.

Do what God says to do.

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I glean from this event .

1) We are invited to persist in prayer. It pleases him. Don’t get offended if we don’t get help or an answer right away.

2) Don’t let the crowds silence you. It says “many” tried to silence him. It was a whole crowd against one. But he stood firm in his faith. And because of it we read about it.

3) Jesus didn’t listen to the crowds either. When you are a leader, do what is right. Not what the crowd says to do.

4) There’s more to faith. Keep pressing in and keep growing. We may seein part. Let’s keep pressing to see more fully. “I do believe. Help my unbelief.” Believing not just that He is, but also that He is good, loving and kind and wants our best. Even when we don’t understand.