Bartimaeus, after receiving his sight, though he is told to go his way, chooses to follow Jesus. He identifies the way he should be going as the way Jesus was going. Though he did not know that in just a week, Jesus will end up dead, he still follows him. When he is told Jesus is calling him, he throws away his coat and I believe his tools of the trade as well. He shows us that he was ready to leave everything behind and go to Jesus. Things that could remind him of his past were not worth holding on to. So he decides to throw them away and come to Jesus just as he is. His attitude reminds me of the hymn song, “Just as I am, without one plea,” In this hymn, the Lord bids us to come to him, and our response will determine the outcome of what will become of us. This is the kind of response we should all give to the Lord; And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come! I come! 7 Walter Wilson equated the call on Bartimaeus to that of the disciples when Jesus called them to follow him. Like the disciples who heeded the call, Bartimaeus heeded the because he was 8 expectant of the outcome of coming to Jesus. So there was no way he was going to sit in defiance when what he had been longing for was at such a close wrong- his healing. His reaction is worth emulating. He does not want to carry life’s garbage with him to follow Jesus. Like Peter and some of those who left everything to follow Jesus, Bartimaeus leaves all he had and jumps to his feet to go to his caller. Matthew 4:19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 9 This is a great teaching to us believers of today. Once our souls are healed, do we follow Jesus still or do we go a different route?