The Good Portion

The vast majority of people Jesus healed went home to family and friends to tell the tale, though the Lord would often instruct them not to reveal who had healed them, especially early in his ministry. In some cases, he commanded even the demons he drove out of men and women not to speak “because they knew him”.

Unclean spirits tended to use phrases like “Son of God” to describe him. That might be a bit of a giveaway.

Following Jesus

On one occasion, the Lord sent a healed leper to show himself to a priest as the law commanded, saying nothing to anyone. Word went everywhere. So, apparently, did the leper. Everywhere but the priest.

Few of those Jesus healed continued to follow him after he healed them. We cannot say for certain, but it seems most were women. Mary Magdalene was one of those named. One man healed of demon possession begged to be with him, but Jesus sent him home to be a witness to his family and friends. Off he went as instructed.

A Visit to Jericho

Sunday’s post revisited the healing of blind Bartimaeus, whom Jesus met on a visit to Jericho. Jericho is an interesting place to meet Jesus, in that it wasn’t actually supposed to be there. The first city razed to the ground in the conquest of Canaan, Jericho was cursed by Joshua so that it would never be rebuilt. The curse was not just Joshua’s bright idea. The first book of Kings refers to it as “the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua”. The city lay in ruins for almost seven hundred years, right up until the reign of Ahab, when Hiel of Bethel rebuilt it at the cost of two of his own sons, just as God had spoken.

Can the Lord use even a man’s sin for the blessing of others? You bet he can, and he can do so abundantly. As Gentiles, you and I are the beneficiaries of just that sort of grace.

Disturbing the Peace

Here’s another example. Bartimaeus was different from the average person Jesus healed in several ways. One was that he knew exactly who Jesus was before Jesus ever did anything to bless or help him. He made the David connection: “Jesus, son of David,” he cried, “have mercy on me.” He knew he was in the presence of Israel’s future king, God’s promised Messiah, the son of David who will reign from Jerusalem over the whole world for a thousand years. But it was not enough for Bartimaeus to know who Jesus was and treasure that knowledge in his heart. He had to tell everyone around him at the top of his lungs.

He was making a bit of a scene, and the crowd around him not-so-gently suggested he shut up. Today, we might say he was disturbing the peace. Instead of taking their advice, Bartimaeus cried out all the more. “Son of David, have mercy!” he begged. When Jesus finally called him, Mark says Bartimaeus “sprang up”. His eagerness was evident to all.

Go Your Way

Like many of the men and women whom he healed, Jesus dismissed Bartimaeus after opening his eyes. “Go your way,” he said to him. “Your faith has made you whole.”

Other people had their faith commended by the Lord Jesus, and the benefits they had received from him attributed to it. The woman suffering from the discharge of blood in Matthew 9. The Canaanite woman with the demon-oppressed daughter in Matthew 15. The Samaritan leper who came back to give thanks to Jesus in Luke 17. Jesus drew attention to their faith and commended it. Then off they went to enjoy its benefits. Each was unusually appreciative, but all went away shortly thereafter.

Bartimaeus was different. He didn’t exit the scene on cue. He declined to seize the opportunity to get on with his new life. He still had things to say to the world about the one who had healed him. Mark writes, “Immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.” Luke adds, “He … followed him, glorifying God.” That must have been quite a scene. Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho at the time. For that blind man, being outside the city walls was probably a first, each step taking him away from everything with which he was familiar.

Glorifying God

How long did Bartimaeus follow the Lord Jesus? Scripture doesn’t tell us. Perhaps only for a few hours as the Lord made his way down the highway. Perhaps for the remainder of the day, or longer. Perhaps, like Mary Magdalene, he remained on the periphery of the Lord’s disciples for the rest of his ministry. But of all the men Jesus healed, he’s the only one I can find in all the gospels who, offered the opportunity to go his way, declined it and followed Christ. Like Mary, he chose “the good portion”, and Jesus would not take it away from him.

Many enjoy the benefits of salvation. Many share their experience with their friends and families. Far fewer follow the Lord Jesus on the way, glorifying God by proclaiming Christ to the world. May we be among them. The Father seeks worshipers, and the louder the better.