Luke 18:35-39 35And it happened as he drew near to Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36And when he heard a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. 37And they reported to him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38And he cried out saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39And those who were in front were rebuking him, so that he might be quiet, but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
The journey to Jerusalem continues in the next story with a stopover in Jericho. The city of Jericho is one of the lowest points in the land of Israel, located near the mouth of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. Why did Jesus go all the way to Jericho and not directly to Jerusalem? The following two stories suggest that it was on purpose in order to bring salvation and healing to two people. The following two stories stand have similar plots. This first story is about a blind beggar who was so desperate to see Jesus that he would not give up when people told him to shut up. The second story is about a spiritually blind tax collector who was also desperate to see Jesus and did so by climbing a tree. Both men experience salvation. Luke does not give the name of the blind man but Mark records his name as Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46).
Blind people in the first century had little opportunity to support themselves. They could rely on their families or beg. The blind man in this story must have had no family who cared for him since he was along the roadside begging anyone who would enter Jericho. He was smart enough to know the strategic place to be. Many blind people have developed a keen sense of awareness of what is happening around them. This man heard a crowd going by and knew something big and unusual was happening. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, his hope sparked to life. He had likely heard rumors about Jesus from those who passed along the road. Word about Jesus had spread around the whole region. Jesus was passing both. What a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that could not be missed.
The blind man knew Jesus had the answer, but how could he get Jesus’ attention? Would Jesus stop? Much like most places of the world today, a blind beggar was at the lowest end of the social ladder and treated as a nuisance to those who walked by. The beggar’s cry is one of desperation and hope. He knew something significant about Jesus. The identification of Jesus as the Son of David implies that the beggar believed Jesus to be the Messiah. The cry for mercy (eleēson) was a cry for help from someone who could provide it. The implied message was that the beggar believed Jesus could heal him. People ask for mercy from those who can give something they desperately need, and in this case, the man wanted his sight. He had faith in Jesus that he could provide this need.
The people around the man were more concerned about seeing Jesus than helping the man. They were spiritually blind though they could see Jesus coming. They saw the blind man as an inconvenience, much like society sees many disabled or poor people. The man would not be silenced and cried out even louder. He was desperate and would not miss Jesus passing him by. The reader should be wondering at this point in the story, “How desperate am I to get to Jesus?” Will we be like the crowd that might gawk at Jesus and ignore the needy, or will we be like blind Bartimaeus, who was so desperate to see Jesus that he would not be silenced? We cannot ignore when Jesus passes by.
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