Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight
46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Horsham: 19th February 2025
We are in Jericho, a small town at the bottom of a steep road about twelve miles below Jerusalem. It’s a green place, an well watered oasis on the edge of hostile wilderness. Bartimaeus, aware of the crowds passing through towards Jerusalem for the Passover, is sitting at the roadside begging.
When he hears that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by, he’s on his feet shouting at the top of his voice. He’s calling Jesus, using a messianic title ‘Son of David.’ People are irritated – perhaps embarrassed. This, after all, is a street beggar. Lowest of the low. Except, perhaps, tax collectors.
The unthinkable happens. Jesus stops in this busy street and tells someone, I’d like to think it’s James or John, to bring the beggar to him. Throwing aside the tools of his trade, Bartimaeus allows himself to be led to Jesus. Then something even more extraordinary happens.
A day or so earlier, Jesus had used the phrase, ‘What would you like me to do for you,’ to James and John. They asked to sit in the best places in heaven, beside Jesus. They wanted to be seen as the first amongst the followers of Jesus. Jesus told them and the other disciples, that this isn’t how the kingdom works. If you want to be first, you must be last. Your place is to serve. Here, on a dusty street in Jericho, is the love of Jesus in action. Jesus, the Messiah, Son of David, speaks to the man who is lowest of the low and asks that same question: ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ How can I, Jesus, serve you, the beggar?
What a contrast. Bartimaeus asks for, and is given, his sight. ‘Your faith has healed you.’
End Piece: We’ve seen that in this act of reaching out to this beggar, Jesus was enacting his teaching about the kingdom. I’d love to know whether James and John got the message. But I want to end this post by shining a light on the star of the show, Bartimaeus.
When Christ called Bartimaeus, he threw aside his blanket on which he sat to beg, and onto which people would throw coins. This should have reminded James and John of the moment when they abandoned their father’s boat to follow Jesus (Mark 1:16-20). It’s as if Bartimaeus knew, as soon as Jesus called him, that he wouldn’t need the trappings and tools of his old life again. Like James, John and the other disciples, when Jesus called, Bartimaeus followed.
When Jesus called, there was no hesitation – Bartimaeus literally jumped at the opportunity. When Jesus asked what he wanted, Bartimaeus was ready with his answer. He didn’t ask for greatness. He asked for his sight. He wanted to see Jesus. He took what Jesus gave him and, in his gratitude, he became a follower of Jesus.
This is the last recorded healing of Jesus, and it is the first and only occasion where we are given the name of the person healed. We know that Bartimaeus immediately followed Jesus, the one he called upon as the Messiah. I’d like to think that when Mark wrote his gospel, there would have been people around who would know or remember this man Bartimaeus. Mark’s saying, ‘you know who I mean by Bartimaeus – this is his testimony!’
Jesus and the disciples have walked hundreds of miles, from Caesarea Philippi in the north, through Galilee and Perea, into Judah and Jericho. Jesus has told his followers that his earthly journey will end in Jerusalem. The last stretch is up a very steep hill. There are just twelve miles to go.