They told him to be quiet....

Mark 10:46-52

46Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
48Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

49Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you."
50Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

51"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him.
The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."

52"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.


..but he shouted all the more.

I've always been struck in this passage not only by Jesus' attention to the blind man, who was clearly treated like an outcast by others, but by the blind man's persistence in calling out to Jesus.

When they told him to be quiet, he shouted all the more.

I know what it took for this blind man to risk calling out to Jesus - it took faith.

Jesus' reaction was simple. He asked "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied that he wanted to see. Immediately he was healed .

He was healed because of his faith.

This is a radical message, one that clearly encourages us to shout "all the more". There is a message of hope here, that our faith can empower us to do things that we may think are beyond all reality.

Jesus attends to the outcast, the one who is unheard in this parable. But He did not see an outcast.

Jesus saw a man of faith.