Reckless Leap

As I continue my journey through the book of Mark, there are many examples of extreme faith; a faith that may appear to the worldly as a reckless faith. There is the faith of the four friends who cut a hole in someone’s roof and lowered their paralytic friend to Jesus; there was the sick woman who touched Christ’s cloak; as well as the mother of the possessed child. And there is Bartimaeus; a blind man who begged Christ for mercy despite being rebuked by the crowd. A blind man who as soon as he heard Christ was calling him leaped to his feet and went to Jesus. We find this story in Mark 10:

46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing 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.

In this passage a blind man with such faith, a faith some would call reckless, some would rebuke, a man with such faith his focus was clearly on Christ. I read somewhere that this passage is a good example of active faith in contrast to what some would call safe religion. A faith that was active in seeking Christ, leaping and running to Christ despite all odds. For me it is an introspective call; a call to ask is my faith active and alive, a call to examine what I pray for, to examine just exactly what am I clinging to…

Oswald Chambers once wrote:

“Our clingings come in this way – we put one foot on God’s side and one on the side of human reasoning; then God widens the space until we either drop down in between or jump onto one side or the other. We have to take a leap, a reckless leap, and if we have learned to rely on the Holy Spirit, it will be a reckless leap onto God’s side. So many of us limit our praying because we are not reckless in our confidence in God. In the eyes of those who do not know God, it is madness to trust Him, but when we pray in the Holy Spirit we begin to realize the resources of God, that He is our perfect heavenly Father, and we are His Children. Always keep an inner recollectedness that God is your Father through the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Father, through Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit help us to take that reckless leap of faith, filling us with confidence, allowing us to trust that you are our perfect heavenly Father and that we are your Children. Amen.

Grace and Peace!