Mark 10:49-52 49And after stopping, Jesus said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Have courage, get up, he is calling you.” 50And after throwing off his cloak and jumping up, he came to Jesus. 51And answering Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, that I might see.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has healed you.” And immediately he could see again and followed him on the way.
In the midst of the large crowd, the cry of Bartimaeus grabbed the attention of Jesus. Even with all the people crowded around him, Jesus noticed the faith of the blind man and had the him brought forward. Whoever told Bartimaeus to take heart may not have fully realized the power of these words of encouragement. Jesus could have gone straight to Bartimaeus but chose to involve others in the process of faith growing. Bartimaeus did not need anything more but the simple invitation from Jesus. His enthusiasm and quick response show the strength of his faith in Jesus of Nazareth. Throwing off his outer cloak showed his expectation and that he was ready for action.
Jesus’ question offered the blind man the opportunity to express his faith in a tangible way. This is the same question that Jesus earlier asked James and John in verse 36, but Bartimaeus’ response was much different. The two brothers sought glory, position, and honor, but Bartimaeus simply wanted sight. He pleaded with Jesus using a more formal and reverent form of Rabbi. He saw power and hope in Jesus. There is no description of Jesus touching him or doing anything physical but simply the word of response. The word for healed is the same for “save” (sōsesken) and is used in the New Testament for both physical healing and spiritual salvation. The verb is perfect tense indicating that the healing continued after that point.
This is a story about discipleship and shows Jesus’ authority and power as the Messiah and Son of God. Bartimaeus’ response is symbolic of discipleship. After the call to come to Jesus, he experienced healing. His healing was a result of his faith and hope in Jesus. His physical healing was the outer representation of his spiritual healing. This is the final healing story in Mark’s Gospel before Jesus faced the trials and sufferings in Jerusalem. Bartimaeus saw Jesus better than those with two good eyes. He represents the type of response those who seek salvation should have.
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