"WHO IMPORTANT HERE"?

"Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his dis-
ciple, together with a large crowd, were leavening
the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is the son
of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging.
when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he
began to shout, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy
on me!' Many rebuked him and told him to be
quiet, but he shouted all the more."
                                                     Mark 10: 46-48

when it comes to the obnoxious, Bartimaeus
would take the prize. He must have carried on
and made quite a scene because it says many
rebuked him. But instead of putting a kid on it,
Batimaeus yelled all the more.
     The blind man's tensity and insistence
caused the Lord to stop. But at that point, Jesus
did not address Bartimaeus. First, He had a thing
or two to say to the people who were trying to
shove the blind man aside. Jesus tells them to
call to Bartimaeus and then bring him forward.
Boy, did those people change their tune fast.
 Suddenly, the guy was given the VIP treatment
. "Cheer up!" they said to Bartimaeus.
      Once these people understood that Jesus
thought this poor handicapped person was
important, once they realized the Lord's priorities,
their whole attitude toward the obnoxious social
outcast switched from negative to positive.
Handicapped people in wheelchairs may track dirt
on the church carpet. Homeless people might
leave trash in the stairwell at the back of the
sanctuary. Runaway teenagers who come to
friday service in torn Jean nd shaved heads may
leave a bad smell in the pew. Do these people
seem obnoxious? Maybe. But read Mark 10:46-48
to see how Jesus would handle the situation.
Lord, I love the fact that after Bartimarus was 
healed he followed You allong the road. Help me 
to bring Your healing touch to those the world 
casts aside.