An Eager Coming - Alexander Maclaren

‘And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.

Mark’s vivid picture — long wail of the man, crowd silencing him, but wheeling round when Christ calls him — and the quick energy of the beggar, flinging away his cloak, springing to his feet — and blind as he was, groping his way.

I. What we mean by coming to Jesus: — faith, communion, occupation of mind, heart, and will.

II. How eagerly we shall come when we are conscious of need. This man wanted his eyesight: do we not want too?

III. We must throw off our hindrances if we would come to Him. Impediments of various kinds. ‘Lay aside every weight’ — not only sins, but even right things that hinder. Occupations, pursuits, affections, possessions, sometimes have to be put away altogether; sometimes but to be minimised and kept in restraint. There is no virtue in self-denial except as it helps us to come nearer Him.

IV. We must do it with quick, glad energy. Bartimaeus springs to his feet at once with a bound. So we should leap to meet Jesus, our sight-giver. How slothful and languid we often are. We do not put half as much heart into our Christian life as people do into common things. Far more pains are taken by a ballet-dancer to learn her posturing than by most Christians to keep near Christ.