Contemplative Bible Reading

Mark 10:51-52 (New Living Translation)

51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.

“My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”

52 And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road

At one point in my life I studied the topic of sight. In discussions, I learned that people who had their sight restored often struggled physically, mentally, and psychologically for months and years to cope with being able to see. (A movie At First Sight illustrates some of the difficulties.)

Notice what happens to Bartimaeus the blind man: instantly he followed Jesus down the road.

A person who had his sight restored would not be able to instantly follow someone else down the road. They would stumble, fall, scream for help, and generally be so overwhelmed by the influx of sights that they would be incapable of anything.

God, however, sped up time for Bartimaeus. Months of therapy were bypassed. Time flew.

I can write an explanation of what happened for Bartimaeus. That explanation, however, does not mean that I understand what happened. I don’t. God’s way, God’s control of time, is beyond my understanding.