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Mark 10:46–52 (ESV)
46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.
One of the movies that I enjoy from time to time is Disney’s Alladin, the animated version starring the late Robin Williams who plays the Genie in the lamp who grants three wishes. Watching that movie almost always sparks the question, “What would you wish for?” So, what would you wish for? Don’t just gloss over that question, think for a moment. What is it you really want?
It would be easy to read through this passage and quickly size it up as one of Jesus’ miraculous healings. In this encounter with Jesus, a miraculous healing does take place but there is more here if we’re willing to dig a bit deeper.
Think about the Bartimaeus for a moment. Begging has been his life for some time. He knows what to expect when he is begging. He knows that he will probably be ignored most of the time, that there will be some who occasionally toss him a coin or two, that every now and again someone might take a few moments out of their day to talk with him or bless him in a different way (a loaf of bread, some old clothing perhaps).
But Bartimaeus also knows that every once in a while, someone of wealth and means will pass by, and in this cultural context, a public situation is a perfect opportunity for the rich to show off their wealth and display their generosity.
At this moment, when Jesus is passing by, Bartimaeus knew that something is up. He can hear the noise of the crowd and so they recognize that there is an opportunity for him to receive more than what he usually gets in a day’s begging. Somehow, Bartimaeus learns that Jesus is passing by and clearly Bartimaeus knows something about Jesus so he begins to cry out to Jesus asking for help.
The crowd tries to stifle his shouts, but this only serves to spur Bartimaeus on, perhaps people will give him money to stop shouting?
But then the crowd goes silent.
And suddenly Bartimaeus hears someone telling him, “Take heart! He is calling you.” And then Bartimaeus hears the voice of Jesus with that incredible question, “What do you want me to do for you?”
Bartimaeus has heard something about Jesus; the things that Jesus has taught, the whispers of the religious leaders against Jesus (after all no one really pays attention to a blind beggar on the corner—you hear lots of interesting things that way), the incredible testimonies regarding the miraculous signs, and the healings—the deaf hearing, the leper cleansed, the lame walking, the healing of the sick, and…, the blind receiving their sight.
Could He? Would He? Does Bartimaeus even dare to ask for that?
Bartimaeus does. He desperately wants to see again and so he asks for the one thing that he really wants, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And suddenly, without any magical words or a wave of the hand, Bartimaeus can see.
And please don’t skip past the response of Bartimaeus after he received their sight; he followed Jesus. Bartimaeus went from being a beggar beside the road to following Jesus on the road. He becomes for us a wonderful example of what a disciple looks like as they respond in faith to Jesus.
On the other side of the cross, many of us know the healing and freedom that we have received from Jesus. We have made that decision to entrust our lives to Jesus and now there is only one response for us moving forward; to follow Jesus wherever He leads.
Following Jesus doesn’t mean that everything will be picture perfect. In our readings so far, we know that Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem where He will soon be falsely accused, handed over to the authorities, beaten, and crucified. He said that He came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10.45).
Following Jesus is costly, challenging, and takes courage, strength, and commitment. It looks different for each of us, but if we are truly going to be His missional disciples, it’s the only response that we can offer to the only One who has or ever could embrace and heal the great darkness of our lives.
God bless you and know that you are constantly in my prayers!
Scott
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