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The Man Who Wouldn't "Shut Up!"

Faith (belief in God and His power to transform) is the foundation upon which every Believer stands. I once heard someone say "Faith is what makes 'hope' real," and that simple statement resonated with me. Mark 10: 46-52 tells of a man that had faith, and his faith kept him focused when the people around him tried to silence his cries for help.

Jesus was leaving Jericho and a large number of people were following him. A blind man was sitting by the highway begging (in those days, the blind who had no one to care for them had to depend on the kindness of others to survive). The blind man heard that Jesus of Nazareth was in the crowd. This news immediately changed his focus. His calls for alms (donations) ceased. He began to yell out "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." 

For some reason, the people who could have helped the blind man get to Jesus, decided that the blind man had no right to draw attention to himself. The Bible says "and many charged him that he should hold his peace." Which means they told him strongly to be quiet (shut up!). But the blind man's faith caused him to yell out even louder! "Son of David, have mercy on me."

Jesus stood still. The faith of the blind man had Jesus's attention. Jesus commanded that the blind man be called to come to him. The blind man was told that Jesus was calling for him. He got up, cast off his garment (what he had been using to protect him from the weather, and probably the only possession he had), and walked to where Jesus was. Jesus answered the man's cries by asking what the man wanted. Some might wonder "If Jesus is the Son of God, why did he need to ask the question?" Of course Jesus knew what the man wanted: this was an opportunity for the blind man to ASK for what he wanted (Matthew 7:7, Luke 11:9, John 4:10, James 1:5). 

Needless to say, the blind man was healed! And the "moral of the story" is? 
Don't let circumstances or other people stop you from crying out to God. Don't shut up!!!



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