Mark 10:46-48 46And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting along the road. 47And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me!” 48And many were rebuking him so that he might be quiet. But he cried out even more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus and his disciples continued to journey towards Jerusalem, stopping in the city of Jericho. Jericho was an ancient city with a lot of history in the Bible. It is one of the lowest cities in the world since it is close to the Dead Sea. The journey from there to Jerusalem was all uphill. The walk would become symbolic in many ways for Jesus. As he and the disciples left the city, on the outskirts was a blind beggar, probably hoping to to receive some help from people entering or leaving the city. He was probably in a place of heavy traffic where the latest news would be passed along with the large crowd that had gathered. He likely heard that Jesus was making his way towards him. This news sparked hope which ignited faith.
Bartimaeus is the only person healed by Jesus in the Gospels who is named. His name, however, is associated with his father; so in a sense, he still remains nameless. He is simply Bar (meaning “son”) Timaeus (the name of his father). That his name is remembered in Mark’s Gospel suggests that he became known in the early church. Blind people often have a keen awareness of the people and events happening around them. Bartimaeus had this sense and so cried out to get Jesus’ attention.
Each part of his statement is significant. Son of David was another way to say “Messiah.” Jesus was the anointed one promised by God to usher in the kingdom. Bartimaeus recognized Jesus. Although the text does not say, there may be more implied in this word than just a name. Jesus became the “Savior” for Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus’ cry for mercy (eleēson) came from his deep need for healing and the faith sparked by the presence of Jesus. He believed Jesus could do something about his situation, though we do not find out about it until verse 52.
Bartimaeus was one of the forgotten and unimportant people of that society. He was someone to be silenced because the Teacher had more important people to help. Bartimaeus would not let anyone or anything hinder him from coming to Jesus. His faith was bold and persistent. We must not let anything get in the way of our faith. Bartimaeus provides a model of discipleship at its most basic: recognizing Jesus and committed faith with assurance and boldness.
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