“Jesus, have mercy on me!” (1) - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2025

Now they came to Jericho. As he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimæus, the son of Timæus, sat by the road begging.
Mark 10:46.

"Jesus, have mercy on me!" (1)
We have here one of the many short reports in the gospels with a wealth of content. A life full of need (Bartimæus), hearts void of understanding (the multitude), and the love and mercy of the Lord Jesus.

Jesus Christ was on His final journey that took Him from Jericho to Jerusalem, where He would be crucified a few days later. A "great multitude" followed Him, among them surely some who believed in Him as the Messiah and Son of God. Others were with them merely to hear and see that Rabbi who was so different from those they had met before. But there were undoubtedly critics among the crowd who rejected Jesus and sought occasion to slander or accuse Him.

Then Bartimæuas appeared on the scene, blind and begging. He knew neither colours nor light: all around him was dark. He was a burden for his family, being unable to earn money and support himself. So he had to beg and was dependent on the sympathy and generosity of others.

Which group do you belong to? Those who believed in Jesus? Or those hangers-on without any personal relationship to Him as yet? You may find Jesus Christ an interesting Person, but reject Him nevertheless for His discomforting honesty and directness. Or would you opt for Bartimæus, one marked by life's woes, an outcast, and clearly a hopeless case?

(to be continued on Friday)

Today's reading: Ezra 10:1-44 · Proverbs 10:1-10