Journey With Jesus: 31 Days Devotion From the Gospel of MarkExemplo

Is Jesus your Lord?

If you’re a fan of superhero movies, you would notice that the good guys share these traits:

1. They have a special skill or talent.
2. They are regarded with honour.
3. They have a mission to save the world.

Jesus might very well be the superhero of biblical times. In the face of opposition, people were awestruck by His great wisdom and unusual boldness. They were stunned by His supernatural works. It’s no wonder that his disciples James and John desired to claim the prestige of being His top followers (v35-37).

Little did they know that before they could bask in Jesus’ glory, they would have to suffer pain and humiliation like He would as He served others (v42-45).

Today, Jesus calls us to follow in His footsteps of selfless service.

Some of us may gamely accept Jesus’ invitation. Others may hesitate. Perhaps it’s because we gladly receive Jesus as our Saviour but are not ready to call Him our Lord. Calling Jesus our Lord means we will do whatever He says, whatever the cost. We hesitate to follow Jesus because we may not be ready to pay the price of discipleship.

Like the beggar Bartimaeus, we were spiritually blind and poor. Out of His mercy, Jesus healed us and gave us spiritual sight so that we could recognise Him as our Saviour and Lord. In response, will we be like Bartimaeus, who willingly gave up all that he had to follow Jesus (v50-52)?

Bartimaeus didn’t have much to offer to Jesus. He was a blind beggar who owned nothing but a cloak to his name. The crowd expected Jesus to ignore him – surely there were people and matters far more worthy of His attention. But Jesus stopped for Bartimaeus. Overwhelmed with gratitude, Bartimaeus threw his possessions aside and ran to Jesus. That day, Bartimaeus chose to live for Jesus.

You were once spiritually blind, but now you see. The world may not think that you’re important, but Jesus does. You may think you have little to give to Jesus, but He calls you anyway. Will you follow the Lord who has saved you?