Come To Jesus

There is a wee little story in the Book of Mark that is a perfect primer for anyone wanting to be saved. Jesus and His disciples are in Jericho when someone yells out from the crowd.

"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" - Mark 10:47

The man calling out to Jesus was named Bartimaeus, and he was blind.

"Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” 

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. 

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 

“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” - Mark 10:49-52

What can we learn from this story? And what are the steps we must take as we place our faith in Jesus?

1. We must hear about Jesus. We must hear about the miracles he has done.
2. We must know who Jesus is. As Bartimaeus said, "Jesus, Son of David . . ." Bartimaeus knew Jesus was the promised Messiah.
3. We must be called, and Jesus did that very thing for Bartimaeus. Jesus' disciples were acting like the coming Holy Spirit, who calls many into the Kingdom.
4. We must pray. Jesus asked Bartimaeus what he wanted. Bartimaeus said, "I want to see." This a very basic prayer, but it worked.

And notice that Jesus said, "Your faith has healed you. Jesus says this more than once when He healed people.

Bartimaeus was even gifted something he DIDN'T ask for. Eternal life.

I would guess that Bartimaeus was one happy man after his encounter with Jesus. Events like this can happen today. All we have to do is Come To Jesus. And live.

Come To Jesus - Chris Rice