Do you know anyone who is blind, or has become blind? When I worked in publishing, one of our authors was a blind man. He was a Dean of a University School, an acknowledged expert in his field, and one of the most reliable of our contributors. When he committed to doing something he did it. He was highly organized and would always get his contributions in on time. I think he had to be like this to survive and thrive. And it suggested to me that when someone has a disability like that, their other senses are heightened. They are able to do things, see things, pick up things, that seeing people are not able to see.
Blindness is a terrible disability. But by dint of necessity, blindness does give some people extraordinary abilities. Blind people can see things that other people don’t see.
And we will learn the same lesson today from blind Bartimaeus. Blind Bartimaeus sees what all those who can see do not see.
We pick up the story with Jesus located outside of Jericho.[1] There is a crowd consisting of disciples and others, because Jesus is heading off to Jerusalem. Jesus has just said, ‘even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’ (Mark 10:45). Jesus is going there to die as a ransom for our sins and rise again, but the crowd don’t realize this. And despite Jesus’ repeated passion predictions, it is highly unlikely that the penny has dropped for his disciples either. For they are still fighting about who receives the place of honour at Jesus left and right hand. And in this context we are introduced to Bartimaeus. Mark gives us his name. This suggests Bartimaeus will be more important than the nameless rich ruler, who we’ve also met along the way. But unlike the rich ruler, Bartimaeus is not rich. He is a beggar, and he is blind, and he sits by the road.
Bartimaeus might be blind, but he sees what no one else sees. For in the whole of the Gospel of Mark, only Bartimaeus calls Jesus the ‘Son of David’. Verse 47:
And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he [Bartimaeus] began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (ESV)
Despite the rebukes, and the attempts to silence him, he keeps shouting. ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ (v. 48) Bartimaeus can see something no one else can see.
First, he can see that Jesus is the ‘Son of David’. In other words, Bartimaeus knows the Old Testament and believes that Jesus fulfills it. He believes Psalm 2 and Psalm 110 and 2 Samuel 7. And when Bartimaeus hears that Jesus the Nazarene is the cause of the crowd, he believes that that this title, ‘the Son of David’, applies to Jesus. David’s son, who will rule the nations, is in earshot. And Bartmaeus believes Jesus can do something about his blindness. The King has healing in his hands.
Second, Bartimaeus can also see—or at least hopes— that Jesus is merciful. And so Bartimaeus asks for mercy. For God is rich in mercy. And just as God the Father is merciful, so God the Son, Jesus, is merciful. So in faith Bartimaeus says to Jesus, ‘have mercy on me’.
And that’s what we should do, too. Now is the opportune time to call on Jesus. Today is the day of salvation, the opportunity for mercy. Because there will be a day when many will cry for mercy, but none will answer. And then the opportunity for mercy and forgiveness has past.
Bartimaeus knows Jesus’ identity. He is the Son of David. Bartimaeus also knows Jesus’ character. He is merciful.
We read that Bartimaeus continues calling Jesus. And when people try and silence him, he just calls out all the more. Bartimaeus’ impassioned pleas stop Jesus in his tracks. Bartimaeus brings Jesus’ journey to a brief halt. Jesus stopped and asks Bartimaeus what he wants. Verse 49-50:
And stopping, Jesus said, ‘Call him!’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Cheer up, get up, he is calling you’. So he threw off his cloak, sprang up and came to Jesus.
Bartimaeus hears that Jesus will see him. So he throws his cloak away. Remember, he s a beggar. He is poor. But when Jesus calls him, even that which he has to keep him warm at night is insignificant. He leaps up, the attention of the Son of David has energized him. And he makes his way to Jesus. Verse 51:
And answering him, Jesus said, ‘What do you want me to do for you? And the blind [man] said to him, ‘Rabbi, I want to see’.
The blind man wants to see—of course. It was hardly necessary for Jesus to ask. For Jesus knows our needs before he asks. But Jesus likes to be asked, and commands us to ask him. And he gives us the example of Bartimaeus asking, to show us that we too should ask Jesus. And Bartimaeus receives what he asks for. Verse 52:
And Jesus said to him, ‘Go, your faith has saved you’. And immediately he saw, and followed him on the road.
The blind man trusted Christ. That was obvious: the calling out, the perseverance, ignoring those around him. And this faith healed him. Literally, his faith ‘saved’ him. Faith in Christ saves. It saved Bartimaeus. It saves all who call on the Lord Jesus as he passes by. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
And faith leads to following Jesus. Unlike the rich man, Bartimaeus had nothing to lose and everything to gain. The rich man could not leave his many riches. But poor Bartimaeus—we can no longer call him ‘blind’—left his cloak there on the road and followed Jesus along the road.
That is, Bartimaeus became a disciple. He joined Jesus’ caravan heading to Jerusalem. And that’s why we know his name. Because undoubtedly, it was remembered by the Church because almost certainly he would become part of the church. That day when Jesus ‘saved’ Bartimaeus from blindness, it pointed to another salvation that Jesus undertook his journey to secure.
So there are four things we can learn from Bartimeaus. First, we learn who Jesus is: the Son of David. Second, we learn what to ask Jesus for: mercy. Third, we learn how a person is saved: faith. And fourth, we learn the appropriate response to mercy received when we are saved: to follow Jesus.
[1] Mark has Jesus coming out of Jericho when Bartimaeus calls to him (ἐκπορευομένου αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ Ἰεριχὼ: Mark 10:46). On the supposition that Bartimaeus is the blind man of Luke 19:35-41, there is no formal inconsistency with Luke’s account, as Luke only mentions where Bartimaeus was as Jesus’ entered Jerusalem. Mark tells us that Jesus goes into Jericho and then he goes out. Luke it would seem, fills out what happens between Mark 10:46a and b with Luke 19:1-10, the account of Zacchaeus. The mode of expression in both Luke and Mark allows for the possibility that Bartimeaus hears of Jesus coming while he sits at one side of the city (supposing a different gate is the site of Jesus’ entrance and exit), but then, missing Jesus, he goes to the other side of the city and waits for him there. All this is supposition, but such a hypothesis may be necessary if a harmonistic exegesis is to be adopted—the only type of exposition that is consistent with verbal and plenary innerancy of Scripture.
Mark 10:46-52
46Καὶ ἔρχονται εἰς Ἰεριχώ. Καὶ ἐκπορευομένου αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ Ἰεριχὼ καὶ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ ὄχλου ἱκανοῦ ὁ υἱὸς Τιμαίου Βαρτιμαῖος, τυφλὸς προσαίτης, ἐκάθητο παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν.
47καὶ ἀκούσας ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζαρηνός ἐστιν ἤρξατο κράζειν καὶ λέγειν· υἱὲ Δαυὶδ Ἰησοῦ, ἐλέησόν με.
48καὶ ἐπετίμων αὐτῷ πολλοὶ ἵνα σιωπήσῃ· ὁ δὲ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἔκραζεν· υἱὲ Δαυίδ, ἐλέησόν με.
49καὶ στὰς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· φωνήσατε αὐτόν. καὶ φωνοῦσιν τὸν τυφλὸν λέγοντες αὐτῷ· θάρσει, ἔγειρε, φωνεῖ σε.
50ὁ δὲ ἀποβαλὼν τὸ ἱμάτιον αὐτοῦ ἀναπηδήσας ἦλθεν πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν.
51καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· τί σοι θέλεις ποιήσω; ὁ δὲ τυφλὸς εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ραββουνι, ἵνα ἀναβλέψω.
52καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ὕπαγε, ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν σε. καὶ εὐθὺς ἀνέβλεψεν καὶ ἠκολούθει αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ.
My translation
46And he came to Jericho. And when he and his disciples and a large crowd came out of Jericho, there was the son of Timaeus, ‘Bartimaeus’ a blind beggar, sitting by the road.
47And when Bartimaeus heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he started crying out and saying, ‘Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me’.
48And many rebuked him, that he would be quiet. But all the more he cried out, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me’.
49And so Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him!’ So they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Cheer up and get to your feet, he is calling you’.
50So he threw his cloak aside, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
51And answering him, Jesus said, ‘What do you want me to do for you? And the blind [man] said to him, ‘Rabbi, I want to see’.
52And Jesus said to him, ‘Go, your faith has saved you’. And immediately he could see, and followed him along the road.