<TITLE>07. Par 18-21</TITLE>L-18 But, this poor blind man, setting outside of a big wicked city: always was a wicked city, and as far as I know, still a wicked city. In the Bible, it's represented as the roads to hell. It come yet... Jerusalem sets on a hill; Jericho sets in the valley. And the good Samaritan found a man coming from Jerusalem down to Jericho when he fell among thieves. Think of it. He was backsliding, coming from the heavenly to the cursed. Jericho is a cursed city. Jerusalem is a blessed city. And he was on his road backsliding when he fell among thieves and robbers that stripped him. And that's when you'll fall among thieves and robbers, when you start backsliding away from God. Just expect the enemy to be along the road.

L-19 And here, we see this blind Bartimaeus a setting at the gate, maybe a cold November day. And the winds a blowing his ragged coats, and he's a setting there. Not only that, but perhaps hungry... A man blind and then hungry. Many beggars was in that day, so he had a lot of competition. Very few nickels was give to him. I imagine there was so many beggars, till there was no way at all the man could--could have any assurance. And everything that he had, he had to beg for it. And so many other beggars along; just now and then he got a coin. And that was a hard life.
There's no surgery. And if he--was such a thing as surgery for his eyes, well, he didn't have the money to pay for it. And perhaps the doctors wouldn't have done it without money. I doubt them having surgery of that type, or maybe in his case. I understand, according to some theologians, that he was born blind. So the man, anyhow, was blind, setting there, wintertime coming on: hopeless, helpless, nothing to eat, hungry, setting outside of the walls of a great cruel city; and it coming wintertime, shivering in the cold; what a tragic scene. My, that could picture some darkness. And not knowing that just down the road a little piece, come relief for him.

L-20 There might be some of you setting here tonight, may, in almost in that condition: hopeless, as far as medical is concerned; helpless as far as any helps is concerned; and don't know that maybe standing right near you, stands your healing, right--just as close as it was to blind Bartimaeus.
And there he was, setting at the gate, a begging. And I can imagine as he was setting there, a--a begging coins, it'd been a, perhaps wintertime coming on, not many travelers that day. The great stones, cobblestones in the road, that road led from Jericho to Jerusalem, was well polished with travelers as they traveled over it. The great Joshua, the conqueror for Israel, led the Israelites up this same road to Jericho. And also, on that same road went Elijah and Elisha one day, to the translation of Elijah. Many great historical marks was along the side of the road, but the scream had come like it is in Louisville, Kentucky, tonight, "The day's of miracles is passed." Poor fellow, without a hope, setting outside of the gates; no church to take him in, nobody to help him; and what help could be done, couldn't--couldn't console him; because the man was blind and he wanted his sight. And then there he's setting then.

L-21 And then I could imagine, the first thing you know, somebody begin to slip by, and he begged for a coin, setting in his prison of darkness, and no coin dropped in. He hears something. Now as, after a while I hear some footsteps approaching. What is it? Somebody says, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." Oh, my. Faith cometh by hearing. Somebody had told him that there was a Man Who prayed for the sick and opened the eyes of the blind; healed the sick. He was God's Son.
Now, but what little chance did blind Bartimaeus have setting by the side of the gate, a beggar himself, and in this distress, setting there and all hopes gone. And yet, the only hope that he had was passing by. Now, he had one thing he could do: that was call.


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