Mark 10:49-51
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, telling him, “Take courage, get up! He is calling for you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni (my Master), let me regain my sight.” 52 Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith [and confident trust in My power] has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Jesus on the road.The story of blind Bartimaeus is one that is filled with encouragement and hope. Yesterday we talked about crying out and expecting in faith if we are to receive Gods favor over our life. The blind man’s crying got the attention of Jesus and He stops asking that they bring the blind man to Him. Mark’s recording of this incident records a tiny detail that may seem insignificant but it is not. The blind man threw his cloak and jumped up and came to Jesus. Why mention the cloak?
The cloak is what has always been his identity. This cloak identified him as a blind man who was thus allowed to beg in the streets. In a sense, it was his means of livelihood and survival. For him to discard it meant that he was letting go of one way of life in order to embrace another. He was making a declaration that I will no longer need this to survive because my life has just changed. The Cloak could also be a representation of our sinful life that we must let go off when we hear the call of Christ in our life.
To walk in Gods favor we must get to the place where we are willing to let go of our old nature and way of life in order to embrace the new. Some are trying to attract God’s favor but they keep missing it and wonder why but the reason is that they have not let go of their cloak. They are still holding on to their former way of life while trying to reap the benefits of the new life they are refusing to embrace.
Are you still holding on to your cloak because of fear? Let go and allow God to lead you in a new way of life, allow Him to lead you into a life filled with His favor.
