Bartimaeus’ s stomach must have been in knots as his anticipation increased by the minute. Had this been present day, I imagine he would have been blasting“ Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor through his earbuds. This was his moment, and no one would take it away from him. No more begging. No more stumbling through darkness. No more being mocked, ridiculed, and made fun of. No more whispers from people feeling sorry for him. No more shade thrown at him. No more shame from wondering why he was being punished. This was his only hope and one chance for a different life— a better life.
I think Jesus is close. Now!
“ Jesus, Son of David!” Bartimaeus cried out.
Yes! I did it!
“ Be quiet!” came hurled in his direction— an immediate rejection.“ Shut up!” another
bystander shouted, all but suggesting that Jesus of Nazareth didn’ t have time for broke blind beggars like Bartimaeus.
No! This can’ t be! Please!
Bartimaeus had anticipated this exact moment for so long, and now it seemed to be slipping out of his grasp. This was not how he envisioned this once-in-a-lifetime encounter. This was not supposed to be how his story ended. In this deafening and defining moment, he was faced with two choices: he could either hang his head in defeat and remain a blind beggar or raise his voice above the resistance and seize the supernatural.
Tear Down the Walls
Some fourteen hundred years earlier, in this same place, Joshua miraculously led a new generation of Israelites across the Jordan
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