141 Blind Bartimaeus, one more character we'd speak of, just for a minute. I'd like to give you his life's story, how he—he was, how he made his living by little doves a tumbling. And so, in them days, they had a lamb that would lead a blind man, just like they have today a dog that leads the blind.
142 And so one day, the story told about blind Bartimaeus, that, Jesus, before He had come on the scene, and that he had a little girl that was sick. And he told… went out and cried and prayed to the Lord, said, "Lord, if You'll… if You just give me this life of my little girl! I've never been able to see her. But if You'll just let her live, I promise You, tomorrow, that I'll give You my two turtledoves." That's what he had to entertain the people. So many beggar, he had to have something unusual. So two little turtledoves would tumble over one another. So he said, well, he'd… He offered, give the offering, because the child got well.
143 Few nights after that, the wife got sick. And he made his way around, side of the house, said, "Lord, I haven't got nothing else but my little lamb that leads me." He said, "If You'll let her get well," said "I'll—I'll—I'll give You this lamb." And so, the next day, his wife got well.
144 So here he was, going down. And said, the priest said, "Where goest thou, blind Bartimaeus?"
145 He said, "I'm going down to offer this lamb." Said, "My wife; Jehovah healed my wife." And said, "I'm going to offer this lamb."
146 Said, "You can't offer that lamb, Bartimaeus." Said, "That lamb is your eyes."
147 He said, "But if Bartimaeus will obey his promise to God, God will provide a lamb for Bartimaeus' eye."
148 One day, he heard a racket coming through the city, some of them hollering, "Say, You prophet of Galilee, they tell me that You raise the dead." That was the priest. "We got a graveyard full of them up here. Come up and raise some of them. They tell me You raise the dead. Let's see You go, raise one of them. Some good men laying up there. Let's see You raise them." Others said, "If Thou be a prophet, tell me what I done yesterday."
149 Some of them said, "Glory to God in the highest! Make way for the King of Israel."
150 All kinds of fusses, and hundreds of them. Now, if you'll go, ever go to Jericho, and mark where he was sitting, he was almost two hundred yards from where they went out the gate. Now, no doubt, people crumbling over him. And the poor old fellow set there in the wind, with shivering, and the rags around him. And no lamb to lead him, and no—and no doves. And he was probably no fuel in for the winter, and is… might have been around in October, and was cold. And there he sit, in that condition. And he… Some kind lady must have said to him, when…
151 He said, "Who? What's all the noise about?" You know, there is something strange. Where Jesus is, there's always a lot of noise. Yeah. Right. He said, "What's all the noise about?" Well, they said…
152 This kind lady, she must have been a follower of Jesus. She said, "You know, it's Jesus of Nazareth." "Well, who is Jesus of Nazareth?"
153 "Well, you know, the Scripture says that the Lord God is going to raise up a prophet." "Oh, yes! You mean the Son of David? Is He on earth?" "I have seen Him do just exactly. He is the Word. That's exactly."
154 He cried, "Oh, Jesus, have… Oh, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Now, he knowed. He had done got a passed. He knowed his physical cry could not be heard. But he knowed, if He was the Word, and He was that Messiah, He would have to be a prophet, 'cause Messiah was a prophet. And he knowed that he could… his faith in God. No doubt but what He screamed out, "Jehovah, have mercy on me! Have mercy! Now let me be able to stop Him." And he cried, "Thou son of David, have mercy upon me!" Probably, all the screams, He couldn't hear it. But his faith stopped Him. Jesus said so.
155 "And Jesus stood still." I want to preach on that, maybe, one time, day. "And then Jesus stood still."
156 And He stood still. He looked around. And He said, "Your faith has made you whole." At the darkest hour, then Jesus come along.
64-0417 - Then Jesus Came And Called
Rev. William Marrion Branham
