Did more than state his claim to Zion's throne.
It meant that Judah's waiting days were done,
The grace of God would now be fully known.
Yet not by crowds in trembling expectation
Nor by disciples--friends who knew him best--
And not by priests in hymns of adulation
Was Jesus with such boldness first addressed.
Instead outside the gate of Jericho
Unruly Bartimaeus blurts it out.
This blind and begging man springs up to show
What faith in Jesus' mercy is about:
To call on Christ, whose kingdom comes today,
And, sight regained, to follow on His way.
© Phillip Martin, 2012
