But he cried out all the more

Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Luke 18:39

Our verse comes from the story of a blind beggar, who lived near Jericho, and sat by the roadside begging. You can read the story in verses 35 – 43. In Mark's gospel, the blind man is identified as Bartimaeus (see Mark 10:46). He really had no name; just 'son of Timaeus'.

Blind Bart, the beggar, heard a crowd passing by one day, and asked what was going on. He was told that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And so he cried out, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.' The crowd tried to silence him, but he paid them no heed. He just cried out more urgently for Jesus to help him.

Then Jesus stops. Can you see the dust from the moving crowd swirling around hundreds of feet and robed bodies? Jesus calls for the blind man to be brought to Him. He gives the crowd a task to do – those who, seconds earlier, have tried to silence the beggar. They bring the blind man to Jesus. Can you smell the stench of his tattered clothes and unwashed body?

But He, who was born in a stable, who had grown up in poverty, does not shrink from touching the poor and helpless. Jesus asks, 'What do you want Me to do for you?' Bartimaeus replies, 'Lord, that I may be able to see'. Jesus touches his eyes (see Matthew's account of the story) and immediately he can see. What must it have been like? – the first he saw was the face of his Healer. No wonder he followed Jesus, praising God!

Maybe you feel today like you're a nobody – like you've been sitting in the dark for a long time, and that the passing crowd tries to silence your cries for help. Like Bart, just 'cry out the more'. Be persistent, and your cry will be heard. Take courage - Jesus is listening for the cry of His child for help!