Mark 10:46-52
Man is a deplorable creature. He fights against God on every hand. He loves darkness rather than light. He is a liar, a cheat, a deceiver. Fallen man perceives that he needs no one, so the very insinuation that he needs mercy from a sovereign God insults him; he sees no beauty in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. When the gospel of Christ is proclaimed, he sees no reason to call out for deliverance. On the other hand, it is a blessed man who, though also a sinner, has by the Holy Spirit been shown something of his need of the Lord Jesus. This same man has been made willing to cry out to Christ, the only source of redemptive mercy.
There was blind beggar whose name was Bartimaeus. He had heard of the fame of Jesus of Nazareth. By the grace of God, he had listened to others speak of the One Who caused the blind to see, the lame to walk, and the deaf to hear. By faith (and that not of himself), he believed that Jesus could surely heal his afflictions, but because of his blindness, Bartimaeus was helpless to get to Christ (a picture of the state of every son of Adam).
This old beggar's life and soul appeared to be heading toward eternal ruin, but by the providence of God, the Lord Jesus Christ crossed the path of Bartimaeus. By the revelation of the Holy Spirit this foul sinner thought, "If He passes by me, I shall have no hope." No one could stifle his mouth. He had to cry out unto Christ, "Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me!" What relief Bartimaeus must have felt when the Saviour listened to his cry and healed him. This is a beautiful picture of faith being given to one of Christ's elect; by this faith each lost sheep cries out in repentance to his Great Shepherd.
Amazing grace, which revealed to the sinner Bartimaeus somewhat of his wretched state, and caused him to cry out for mercy, also told him that the Object of his cry had purposed to hear him, for a messenger proclaimed, "Be of good comfort, He calleth thee." In the same way, Christ's messenger, the Holy Spirit, today imparts spiritual life to a sinner. Thus enlivened, he sees the depths of his depravity and calls out unto Christ for mercy. What a comfort it is when He condescends to hear the cries of beggars such as ourselves and gives us eyes to see the beauty of Himself.
Upon hearing that Christ had called for him, Bartimaeus cast away his garment. That worn, stinking robe was a hindrance to his coming to Christ, so he quickly ridded himself of the encumberance. This garment is a picture of man's works which are as filthly rags in the sight of God. As the now-seeing Bartimaeus came before Christ devoid of an earthly covering, so the redeemed sinner comes to Christ spiritually naked and needing a covering for his sin. He knows that only Christ's righteousness is sufficient to cover his sin when he stands before Almighty God at the day of judgment.
Without a doubt, all sinners are in need of God's mercy. If, however, Christ crosses the path of a beggar such as you or me, and gives us a desire to cry out unto Him for deliverance, it is only because He had purposed to reveal Himself to us, since we are spiritually blind.
Glory unto Him Who makes a man want to cry out for mercy!