<TITLE>15. Par 52-55</TITLE>L-52 Oh, how little Bartimaeus loved that story. I love it, too. "Oh," he thought, "you know what? That same great prophet, Elijah... And when he went up, he sent a double portion of his spirit back upon Elijah. And Elijah was a great prophet."
And then just about that time, he'd happened to think, "Not many years ago, that Elijah and Elisha walked down this same road where I'm setting by the side of, arm in arm, going down to Jordan to split her open, walk across." Amen. Oh, my.
Oh, the wind blowed and he put his old ragged coat up a little more. You know, kindy the sun was getting around on the other side of the wall.
He'd think, "No more then a few hundred years ago, Elijah and Elisha walked right down these same old cobblestones here with their arm and arm, going down. And Elisha took that mantle off and struck the Jordan, said... And the Jordan come open, and Elisha took it, and come back and struck the Jordan, and come back with it."

L-53 Oh, I can hear Bartimaeus now, scream out to himself and say, "Oh, if I would've only been setting here then. If I would've been setting here then, I'd have run out in the street and said, 'Oh, great holy prophets of God, pray for me, that the Lord God will make me to see.' And they'd have laid their hands upon me, and I... My dream last night of seeing again would've been true. I'd have got my eyesight. But alas, my priest tells me at the temple that the days of miracles is passed."

L-54 Oh, when was "The days of miracles is passed"? When the day of miracles is passed, the day of God is passed, for God is miracles. Certainly, the days of miracles never will be passed--never was and never will be. But they said that the--the days of miracles is passed.
About that time, he hears a--a little clicking coming down the street. He listened. "It must be a--it's a little mule. There's somebody running in front with sandals on. It must be a rich man coming." He couldn't see, but he could hear. "It must be rich man, because he's riding on a mule."

L-55 So he got up off his rock. Said, "Help me! I'm... My name is Bartimaeus. I'm a blind man. I have a little girl at home, a wife. Please, would you give me an alm? I--I--I was here too late this morning."
And the servant stopped, and said, "Master?"
And it happened to be, the fellow on there said, "Listen, out of my way bum, beggar! I'm a priest. I'm on my road down here to meet the ministerial association. There's a fanatic prophet in the land, claims to see visions and so forth, and heal sick people and so forth. He's a fanatic prophet from Galilee. I'm going to meet the ministerial association to see that none of that fanaticism ever starts around Jericho here. Get out of my way! I'm on my way." M-m. "I am the servant of the Lord (With an attitude like that?) on the way."
Bartimaeus found his way back and found his rock again, but the... You know, the sun had went around the other side a little, and it--it kindy got shady there. So he--he moved out in the sun again, found him another rock and set down, pulled up his garment again.


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