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As we continue moving through the gospel of Mark, we come to an event where Mark gives the man being healed a name, while the other gospels that include this event chose not to. I don’t know why Mark gives this detail, but perhaps it was because this man was known in the region of Jericho and he helped the Christian church get started there.
From what I can tell, the man Jesus healed is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible, but what Mark tells us about this event is powerful and an example we can follow in our own lives.
Let’s read what happened. Our passage is found in Mark’s gospel, chapter 10, and let’s read from the Good News Translation. Starting in verse 46, Mark tells us that:
46 They came to Jericho, and as Jesus was leaving with his disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus son of Timaeus was sitting by the road. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!”
48 Many of the people scolded him and told him to be quiet. But he shouted even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called the blind man. “Cheer up!” they said. “Get up, he is calling you.”
50 So he threw off his cloak, jumped up, and came to Jesus.
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.
“Teacher,” the blind man answered, “I want to see again.”
52 “Go,” Jesus told him, “your faith has made you well.”
At once he was able to see and followed Jesus on the road.
When reading this event, several details stand out that are worth paying attention to. In these details, we see an amazing picture of faith in Jesus.
The first detail is that we must be paying attention. While Bartimaeus might not have had the money to pay a guide to help him travel to find Jesus, he is very aware of Jesus being nearby and when he hears that Jesus is coming near him, he is ready. In our own lives, we should be paying attention and ready to come to Jesus when He is near. If we are already following Jesus, this could also challenge us to be paying attention for opportunities God sends our way and to be ready to help those in need.
The next detail for us to pay attention to is what Bartimaeus shouts to get Jesus’ attention. In Bartimaeus’ own words, we see the most basic prayer of faith. Bartimaeus says, “Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!” This short prayer is amazing, because it contains the two most important parts of prayer in it. Bartimaeus’ prayer acknowledges Jesus for who He is and it acknowledges us for who we are. When we pray, regardless of the type of prayer we pray, we should always acknowledge God for who He is, and we should acknowledge us for who we are.
In Bartimaeus’ case, he knew Jesus could heal him, and he knew that he needed healing. Asking for mercy is also interesting because it subtly recognizes that his blindness could be a punishment for a past sin. Bartimaeus’ request acknowledges that his past was not perfect, and with an imperfect past, he recognizes his need for a Savior. Every one of us has an imperfect past, and because of this we need Jesus as our Savior.
Next, we discover the crowd telling Bartimaeus to be quiet and to stop. When we demonstrate our faith in Jesus in visible ways, there will be resistance and other people will tell us to stop. If we are seeking a miracle or breakthrough in our own lives, stopping is the worst mistake we could make at this point. If Bartimaeus had stopped shouting, he would not have been healed.
When we face resistance to our visible faith, like Bartimaeus, we should resolve to lean in to our faith and display it stronger. When Bartimaeus was told to be quiet, he shouted even more loudly.
I am always surprised by the crowd in this event. On one hand, they want Bartimaeus to be quiet, but if they had stopped for a moment to pay attention, they would have realized that there was a miracle opportunity present, and if this crowd was like most crowds that followed Jesus, they would have wanted the opportunity to see another miracle.
Next in this event, Jesus acknowledges Bartimaeus and calls him to Him. Jesus’ message filters through the crowd and those who had been telling Bartimaeus to be quiet and now they get to tell Bartimaeus that Jesus has heard him.
When Bartimaeus is told Jesus has heard him, Mark tells us in verse 50 that, “he threw off his cloak, jumped up, and came to Jesus.” Some Bible scholars see this verse as significant. By throwing off his cloak, we see Bartimaeus leaving behind his earthly possessions when Jesus calls him to come. Bartimaeus does not hold onto anything alongside his faith in Jesus. When God calls us to follow Jesus, we might not be called to give up everything in our lives. However, we will be called to place Jesus first and to dedicate what we have been given to His service.
Next, when Bartimaeus comes near to Jesus, we see Jesus ask a simple question. Mark tells us in verse 51 that Jesus asks Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?”
While this might sound like an obvious question, there is nothing in what Bartimaeus shouted to indicate how he wanted mercy to be shown to him. Having mercy could be giving him back his eyesight, but it also could have been ending his life at that moment with the assurance of an eternal life in heaven. Having mercy could be asking for assurance that his sins were forgiven. While Jesus’ question sounds obvious, when we look a little closer, it is actually reasonable. Jesus has heard the cry for help, and He responds by asking Bartimaeus how would like to be helped.
Bartimaeus responds by requesting his eyesight to be returned, and Jesus grants this request. Jesus attributes this miracle to Bartimaeus’ faith. While it sounds simple, I see the key piece of this miracle not simply having a blind, directionless faith. Instead, Bartimaeus’ visible faith was placed in Jesus, and from Bartimaeus’ example, when we display our visible faith in Jesus, we can expect God to move in powerful ways.
The closing statement in this event is amazing. After being healed, Bartimaeus chooses to follow Jesus. Bartimaeus has left his cloak behind and dedicated himself to Jesus. When Jesus comes into our lives, we are challenged to follow Jesus. While Jesus told Bartimaeus to “go”, Bartimaeus chooses the direction he will go as intentionally following Jesus.
The miracle Bartimaeus experienced happened because he had faith in Jesus and because he made his faith visible. Jesus did not do this miracle seeking another follower, but when Jesus has shown mercy and restored our lives, what better way do we have to say thank you to Jesus than to dedicate our lives to Him! Jesus gave Bartimaeus his life back, and Bartimaeus, as an example for others to follow, dedicates his restored life back to Jesus!
As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:
As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life and choose to dedicate your life to God. Regardless of if you have seen God show up in your life or not, choose to dedicate yourself to Him for no other reason than because of what Jesus did for you when He faced the cross. Jesus died the death we deserve and when we accept His sacrifice on our behalf, He offers us the eternal life He deserved in its place.
Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to God each and every day. Through personal prayer and study, discover how we can open our hearts to Jesus and grow a personal relationship. Don’t let anyone get between you and Jesus and choose to grow closer to Jesus each and every day.
And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or walk away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!
Year in Mark – Episode 28: While Jesus is leaving a major city, someone who needs help is determined to get Jesus’ attention. Discover in this miracle a model we can use for our faith in Jesus and how we can see God show up in amazing ways!
Join the discussion. Share your thoughts on this passage.
Christopher Rissetto said on July 14, 2022
Was Bartimaeus truly blind? When called, he jumped up, threw off his cloak and came to Jesus. How could he see to do this? When you are blind, the first step is in darkness as is the second and by the third, I understand that you are lost. It is not likely Bartimaeus had a white cane to navigate a likely rocky road to Jesus.
I believe that his insistence on seeking forgiveness, and his utter courage in rejecting public scorn, earned him some “inner sight” from Jesus, permitting him to come nearer. Do you believe that when we promise to put God first in our life, that He provides some discernible “inner light” to guide our way to Him, to Jesus?
Cam said on July 14, 2022
Great observation.
I always pictured in my mind that Bartimaeus, when called, jumped up, threw off his cloak, and “made his way” to Jesus. This would allow for someone to guide him to Jesus, or, in the case of the one 100% blind individual I knew briefly, they had an amazing fine-tuned sense of hearing, allowing them, with the aid of a “white cane”, to move around very well. I suspect that a blind person living in that era would also have a pretty good sense of the terrain in the area that they would beg. (This might be one reason why Bartimaeus never traveled to find Jesus.)
However, it is also possible that Bartimaus was not 100% blind, but instead, similar to a different blind man who Jesus healed in two steps, that Bartimaeus could see something, but that it was not clear — like seeing people that look like trees walking around. If this was the case, then he would still need healing, even if the blindness was not as extreme as in other cases.
To answer your last question, I believe that one role the Holy Spirit has is drawing us towards Jesus and when we place growing towards God as a priority in our lives, as we take steps towards Him, the Holy Spirit helps direct these steps along the path we need to take in order to find Him. I hope this makes sense.
Thank you for these thoughts. Hope you have a great rest of your day!