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Pealing out the mask of sin, is the Lord’s work of sanctification,  

Having complete faith in Him, will reveal to us our true identification,  

Jesus removes the dust and rust within, our hearts in purification, 

Leaving the life of sin and living in God’s divine affection. 

Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, the son of honor,  

Lived in dishonor, blind and begging in a street corner,  

He heard Jesus passing, he believed and cried out to his true owner, 

When people tried to stop him, he cried louder, listening to no scorner. 

Have mercy on me, Son of David, crying out to the Messiah,  

He could not help himself; he sought a power that’s higher,  

He needed God’s help to change the situation that was dire,  

Faith in the Most High God can light water with fire.  

Your faith has healed you, Jesus said to the once blind man,  

Faith in God, the best remedy, if only we would learn, 

What you cannot currently do, simply believe that you can,  

Faith will make you cross oceans with no boat, have faith like the blind man.  

Mark 10:46-52 (KJV) – “⁴⁶ And they came to Jericho: and as He went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. ⁴⁷ And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. ⁴⁸ And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. ⁴⁹ And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; He calleth thee. ⁵⁰ And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto Him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. ⁵² And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.” 

The name “Bartimaeus” is a compound of two elements: “Bar” and “Timaeus.” “Bar” is an Aramaic word meaning “son of.” “Timaeus” is a Greek name meaning “honored” or “highly prized.” Thus, “Bartimaeus” means “son of Timaeus.” Son of Timaeus means “son of honor” or “son of one who is highly prized.” 

Names have significance. For a good majority of people, the names they have been given depict their character. Sometimes, one may have a good name with a noble meaning, but his character and personality oppose that name. When that person turns from his wicked ways and gives his life to Christ, God shows that person their true identity. As a result, that person becomes what God intended him to be.  

Talking of identity, let us take a glimpse into the story of John the Baptist: 

Luke 1:10-13 (KJV) – “¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. ¹¹ And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ¹² And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. ¹³ But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.” 

God through His angel commanded Zacharias that his child should be named John. God has more authority over a child more than the parent. Parents should allow God to take control over their children’s lives. They should realize that they are but a vessel that connects the child to God. Therefore, they should not lead the children contrariwise to God’s commandments. The most key role of a parent in a child’s life is to communicate God’s Word to the child. The parents should do this to the child right from the womb.  

Parents should bring up the child in accordance with God’s divine law. They should take heed of everything that God tells them concerning the child, including the special instructions that God has given them concerning that specific child. The identity of the child should be gotten from God and not from the parents. Therefore, even when naming that child, before seeking the rules of tradition, or naming them after the person whom you loved most, one should seek God’s guidance on how to name the child.  

Luke 1:57-64 (KJV) – “⁵⁷ Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. ⁵⁸ And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. ⁵⁹ And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. ⁶⁰ And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. ⁶¹ And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. ⁶² And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. ⁶³ And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, his name is John. And they marveled all. ⁶⁴ And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.” 

God gave the child the identity John. In Hebrew, the name John means “God is gracious.” The relatives, neighbors and friends of Elizabeth and Zacharias suggested that the child should be named Zacharias after his father. The name Zacharias means “God remembers.”  

Both names John and Zacharias have a righteous meaning. However, the meaning each name possesses is different. Your parents’ identity is not yours. You should identify as part of the family you were born or brought up in, but you should realize that you are a unique person.  

Family and friends wanted John to be like his father, but God wanted John to be John. John’s father Zacharias was a righteous man for he was a priest, but God had a different purpose for John the Baptist (John 1:15-17). Parents do great harm to their children by comparing them with other children. Quit telling your children things like, “why don’t you be like so and so?” You need to realize that the child is unique and try your best through God’s help to bring out the best version of that child.  

Sometimes when God shows you your identity, He may retain your current name. Other times, He may give you a new name. He changed Abram’s name to Abraham. Abram was quite a good name for it meant “exalted father” or “high father,” but Abraham was a better name as it meant “father of many” or “father of a multitude.” Abram had lived for seventy-five years with that name but when God called him, He gave him a new name.  

Some people have been given false identities by their ethnicities, their traditions, their parents, relatives, friends, enemies, countries, towns, and neighborhoods among other societal categorizations. Some have allowed the sins they indulge in to define who they are. We should know that God’s knowledge of us is beyond everyone else’s. People in the world, including those closest to you, know you from the basis of what they have seen you doing or what they have heard you saying.  

If someone sees you stealing, that person will know you as a thief. If someone has seen you failing primary and high school exams, it will be difficult for that person to picture you passing university examinations.  

A common belief among many people is that their mothers are the ones who know them best. This belief may be true to a certain extent because often it is your mother who has seen you do most of the things that you have done. Mothers can accurately predict how their children think to a certain level.  

However, we should understand that our mothers and by large our parents are human beings and have certain limitations concerning their knowledge about us. For example, our parents do not know everything we do in secret, especially when we reach the age of teenage hood and beyond.  

Our parents do not possess the ability to listen to our silent prayers. Our parents can physically identify us based on our outer skin, our voices, modes of dressing and other physical attributes that appeal to the five senses (sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste).  

When shown a photograph of us amid other people, we can be able to know where we are in that photograph by looking at the physical appearance of the people in the photo. If we were shown the same photograph without the outer skin but with the inner skeletons and asked to identify which skeleton is ours, I do not think anyone would be able to identify themselves. I do not think that there is a parent who can easily identify their child’s skeleton without special DNA tests being done. God can identify you, beyond your outer skin.  

God knows each part of your inner body and how each cell is distinguished in you from the billions of people in the world, past, present, and future. When a group of people get burned today (God forbid) and their ashes get mixed up, God can identify those people amidst those ashes. He can take those ashes, join them together to their respective people and bring all those people to life again.  

Exodus 31:13 (KJV) – “Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily My sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.” The Sabbath commandment reminds you that it is God who sanctifies you. You cannot sanctify yourself.  

The closer you get to God, the more He purifies you. His work of purification removes all the stains covering your identity. Thus, making God’s image on you and in you to be clearer. It is like taking your white garments and rolling them in brown colored mud. When you look at those garments and when someone else looks at them, they will be convinced that those garments are brown in color.  

However, when one takes the same clothes and soaks them in a bleaching detergent and thoroughly washes them, they get back to their original white color. That is what happens when you get close to God. Through, His Word, God does a magnificent work to define you. He does this through sanctifying you.  

God giving a person his identity is evidenced in the story of Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus’ name meant “son of honor,” but his state of blindness caused him not to live in full honor as God intended him to. The Bible records that he sat down begging on the streets (Matthew 10:46). Some insensitive people might have mocked and ridiculed him. Some people might have even taken advantage of him because of his state of blindness.  

When he was blind, he would often hear people describing how beautiful something is, but he had no privilege to see what was being described. He felt disadvantaged in such situations; thus, he lived his life wishing he could see. In other words, he lived his life wishing he could do what he was not able to do at that present moment.  

In his song, “When I was a boy,” Kenyan Gospel singer Reuben Kigame who stated that he became blind at age three says, “Sometimes I wish I could see.” This is the wish of every sick and disabled person. They wish they could be fully functional. Bartimaeus wished the same.  

As he was by the highway side begging, Bartimaeus heard Jesus of Nazareth passing by and he began to cry out for Jesus to have mercy on him (Mark 10:47). He began to cry out because he believed in Jesus. He believed that Jesus is God that is why he cried out to Him to have mercy on him, for it is God alone who can forgive sins.  

Many people told him to hold his peace, but he was righteously stubborn and cried out more. He did not listen to the voice and the noise of the majority even though he was only one person. Instead, he did what was righteous.  

Sometimes and often when most people are against you, you may be inclined to think that they are right. Since they are more than you, they may outsmart you in arguments, giving you all the ‘smart’ (logical and sound) reasons not to do what God has called you to do. They may advise you to do the bare minimum at work, stating that human beings will not appreciate you no matter how well you work.  

Human beings may not appreciate you, but God will surely appreciate you and reward you (Hebrews 11:6) because God is not a robber. He is no respecter of people (Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25; Acts 10:34-35), but He is a respecter of every righteous deed done by a person regardless of that person’s ethnic or religious background. If an unbeliever does a righteous deed, God blesses that righteous act as He did with Rahab (Hebrews 11:31).  

People at work may tell you that if you want to get promoted, you should engage in office politics. If you are in business, people may advise you to sell your products at exorbitant prices if you want to get rich quickly. If you are in school, people may tell you that the only way to pass school examinations is through cheating in exams or other fraudulent academic activities. People will do their best to discourage you from following your God-given purpose which will give you more freedom, in exchange for temporary financial security.  

In Luke 10:49, when Jesus heard the blind man crying, He did not go where the blind man was even though He could see where Bartimaeus was. Instead, He commanded him to be called. It was less challenging for Jesus to go to the blind man than for the blind man to go to Jesus. Jesus sent people to go to Bartimaeus.  

Jesus sending those people gave them the opportunity to be blessed. When Jesus sends you on a mission, do not hesitate, because that is an opportunity He is giving you to receive blessings. Agreeing to go for His mission is an act of faith and faith always pleases God (Hebrews 11:6).  

Jesus can come to you directly, but He does not always do that. Sometimes, He involves and engages other people so that they may get blessed too. He may also send people to you to test your faith, to test if you can truly recognize and discern His voice.  

The people whom Jesus sent faithfully passed the message to Bartimaeus. When Bartimaeus heard this, he did not complain of how he could not see the road leading to where Jesus was. Instead, he arose and followed the voice of Jesus, probably tracing it or the people who were sent by Jesus helped him get to where Jesus was. It might have been quite challenging for him to get there but he finally got there (Luke 10:50).  

Bartimaeus told Jesus his request (Luke 10:51. He believed that Jesus could restore his sight. This is quite rare as many disabled people (especially those who are disabled since birth) view their conditions as permanent. Bartimaeus understood the condition he had was terrible and troublesome, but he believed the power of Jesus was more powerful and eternal than the condition which seemed permanent.  

Jesus was delighted by Bartimaeus faith. He commended him and healed him (Luke 10:52). Christ told Bartimaeus, “Your faith has healed you.” Faith in God is the greatest remedy we need for our healing. It goes above and beyond all medical research ever done by human beings. God rewards and favors those who show faith in Him. He does not do the same to those who show disbelief.  

Out of His mercy, God may give them what they need to survive in life, but He will not go to leaps and bounds to give them the great treasures of faith. Faith is the key that is needed to unlock the most valuable treasures. The key is handed to you by God. It is your personal choice whether to use it or not.  

“Throngs of people who possess their sight are passing to and fro, but they have no desire to see Jesus. One look of faith would touch His heart of love, and bring them the blessings of His grace; but they know not the sickness and poverty of their souls, and they feel no need of Christ. Not so with the poor blind man. His only hope is in Jesus. As he waits and watches, he hears the tread of many feet, and he eagerly inquires, what means this noise of travel? The by-standers answer that “Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.” With the eagerness of intense desire, he cries, “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me!” They try to silence him, but he cries the more vehemently, “Thou Son of David, have mercy on me!” This appeal is heard. His persevering faith is rewarded. Not only is physical sight restored, but the eyes of his understanding are opened. In Christ he sees his Redeemer, and the Sun of Righteousness shines into his soul. All who feel their need of Christ as did blind Bartimeus, and who will be as earnest and determined as he was, will, like him, receive the blessing which they crave.” – Sons and Daughters of God, Page 126, Ellen G. White.  

After Bartimaeus received his sight, he followed Jesus (Luke 10:52). Following Jesus proved that he appreciated what Jesus had done for him. He wanted to feel more of His wonderful love. He wanted to witness more of His wondrous works. There is more beyond the blessings that Jesus has already given you.  

People make a catastrophic error when they leave God after God has blessed them when God gives them what they had been asking from Him for a long time. When we leave God after He has blessed us, we face the danger of going back to the former terrible condition which He redeemed us from.  

Some people often say that such astonishing miracles like restoration of sight to blind men was only possible in the Bible days and it is not possible now. Some believe that the miracles that Jesus did in those days were possible since Jesus was physically present at the situation.  

John 20:29 (KJV): “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” The people who lived in the time of Jesus had the privilege to physically see Jesus and go to Him to get healed. Since they had the privilege to physically see Him, it did not require them to have a lot of faith compared to now when we do not see Him.  

Reading John 20:29, we see that not seeing Jesus physically in this present day is somehow advantageous. It is advantageous because not seeing Jesus physically now requires us to have more faith than those who saw Him physically while He was on this earth. Therefore, those of us who believe in Him now shall be able to witness Him do mighty things in our lives than He did when He was on this earth because we have believed without seeing.  

Jesus created Adam and Eve as a perfect couple, with perfect stature, a perfect mind, perfect character, perfect love, and perfect health among other perfect facets. Sin brought imperfection. As a result, children are born with imperfect conditions, thus blurring their identity. When we go to Jesus like Bartimaeus did, He shall uncover the mask of sin that is covering us and reveal to us our identity.  

GOD BLESS YOU! 

Prayer 

Dear God, I come before You today asking You to have mercy on me. Wash away all the stains of sin from my life and show me my true identity. Please help me to live according to the purpose that you created me for. Please make me reflect your image more clearly. Heal me of all the diseases that reside in me and the disabilities that I possess. Please help me to do the righteous acts that I have always wanted to do but I have not been able to do. In Jesus name, Amen.  

Activity 

1. Find out the meaning of all your names, including nicknames and reflect how they portray you. It can be good if you write each name and write things in your life that you have done that are in line with each name.  

2. If you are not living to the good and righteous meaning of your name, pray and ask God to help you live to its standards. Do this daily.  

3. Ask God if He requires you to have a name change or if there is an additional name He wants to give you.  

4. If you are ill and/or disable, pray for your illness and/or disability.  

5. Create a prayer list for people who are suffering from illness and disability and daily pray for God to heal them.  

6. Plan with friends to do hospital ministry or visiting disabled people and fellowship with them.  

7. Evaluate your life and ask God how you can get closer to Him. Getting closer to God requires Bible study and total obedience. Are you using your gifts for His glory? Ask God to show you how you can do that.  

Author: Mark Alex   

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