All photos courtesy of Unsplash
In the Gospel of Mark we read the story of Bartimaeus, a blind beggar from the town of Jericho. Due to his disability he was unable to work and had to beg for a living. He, in all probability, had heard about Jesus and the miracles He was doing. The problem was that by this time Jesus was well known and was always followed by a crowd of people. They may not have had radio, television, twitter, Facebook or mobile phones, but the message would travel fast and people would surround Jesus.
How does anyone get access to Him under these circumstances, especially someone with the disability of blindness? Sometimes we can feel like this as well. Perhaps we feel that Jesus is too busy and too consumed with the greater good or the affairs of the world, why would He stop for ‘little old me’! This story reminds us that regardless of the crowds, HE is willing and waiting to respond to our callings! HE is not beyond our reach.
Perhaps Bartimaeus had hoped and longed that he too could meet Jesus. Then, the most unlikely thing was happening – Jesus was passing by and He was passing by the very spot where Bartimaeus was. The very person he had hoped to meet was right there, close to him, within his reach.
