A Beggar’s Cloak
Mark 10:46-52
46 Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you."
50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.
51 So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."
52 Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.
When blind Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was calling him, he threw aside his garment, rose up and came to Jesus. The persistence of the man, and the compassion of Christ, are both powerful messages within this passage of scripture. There is another detail to this story however that we tend to overlook. Blind Bartimaeus threw aside his garment even before he rose to come to Jesus. Why such an action? Why did he part with his garment before he went after the healing that he was so desperate to claim?
The simple answer is that the outer garment or cloak could easily have tripped him and hindered his progress. Passion for the things of God often leads us to cast aside the things that could impede our focus and devotion. More importantly however, his outer garment was a beggar’s cloak. It defined who he was and displayed his right to sit at the city gate and receive alms. To cast aside his garment was to no longer be defined by his circumstances or past. He no longer held to the identity of a beggar.
There are times when all of us are tempted to hold on to a beggar’s cloak. It gives us permission to look to others, receive their sympathy, and go nowhere. Beggars often have a story to tell, or an axe to grind. They look to the support of others, and mumble when the provision is low. They stay within the confines of the known and predictable and avoid the daring and adventurous. To cast aside a beggar’s cloak, is to walk beyond what has defined us, and lay hold of a new identity and a fresh start.
There are those who are beggars indeed. Their story, or history of abuse, justifies their stance at the side of the road. There are others however, who have cried out for mercy, heard the calling of their name, and have arisen with cloak in hand. They seek for comfort, but not for change. They want answers, but not responsibility. They cry for supply but spurn empowerment.
When life has been tough and circumstances have brought us low, will we hold to our beggar’s cloak and the pity that it brings? To cast aside this garment demands that we let go of the hurt and the offence. It removes our excuse to stay low. The beggar’s cloak will bring sympathy and support our way, but it will define us by our past, cripple our walk and limit who we can be. Will we continue to sit and be marked by what once was? He has called our name. It is time to rise and let go of what was, so we can embrace what can be.
Yes, there are times when life brings us down, and we seek the comfort of knowing that others care. There are seasons of grief and trauma to process. There are times when all we can do is cry, “Lord have mercy.” There comes a time however, when His call reaches our ears, and enters our heart. It is a call to take courage and throw aside our beggar’s cloak. It is a summons to rise up, walk towards the Lord, receive our healing and follow Him.
Consider:
Are we using events of the past to justify a lack of progress and perpetuate our hopelessness?
What would it look like to let go of the “beggar’s cloak”?
