Mark 10:46-5246And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimeus, the son of Timeus, sat by the highway side begging. 47And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 48And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 49And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. 50And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. 51And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. 52And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way. (Mark 10:46‑52)
This is the story of a poor blind beggar: he sat beside the highway near a city which Jesus passed through on His way to Jerusalem.
His name was Bartimaeus, which meant, “blind son,” so he must have been blind as a baby when named. He was very poor, or he would not have sat beside the road to beg.
This man seems to have heard before about Jesus, and the great things He did, and he believed Jesus could cure his blindness. He also believed that Jesus was the King to come from the family of King David, as promised in the scriptures. When he learned that Jesus was then passing along the highway, he began to call to Him, saying,
“Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.”
There was a crowd on the, highway, and persons near the blind man tried to stop him calling. But Bartimaeus was so anxious to have his sight, and so sure Jesus could help him, that he called out even more.
Jesus heard his cries and stopped and said he should be brought to Him, Then the people near the blind man told him,
“Be of good comfort, rise; He calleth thee.”
The poor man did not wait to obey, he threw aside his cloak, to go more quickly, and came, or, was led to Jesus.
Jesus kindly asked what He could do for him. Jesus knew what the blind man needed, but it seemed He wanted people to tell Him their needs. When Bartimaeus heard the voice of Jesus, he knew this One to be King was the Lord, and he answered,
“Lord, that I might receive my sight.”
Jesus caused him to see and told him that he could go his way. But the man did not go his own way; he followed Jesus on His way to Jerusalem.
We need the mercy of the Lord, His pity and power, as much as the poor, blind man: he could not give himself sight; we cannot save our souls from sin. There were some things the blind man could do: he called, he rose, and came to Jesus, he asked for mercy, and confessed Jesus to be his Lord.
We must do the same; must call, or want His mercy, must rise and “come” to Him (believe His call), and confess Him our Lord, the One with all power and right over us.
You may think that he has not called you to come, but the last chapter of the Bible gives His call to everyone: it is
“Rise, He calleth you.”
No more was told of Bartimaeus, but when he went on with Jesus, he would learn that Jesus was refused as King. Jesus again told the disciples He would be King, but first would be cruelly treated. So they were afraid to go on, but “Jesus went before,” and they followed Him (vs. 32). He kept on as the obedient, holy Servant for God, all the time doing good to the people. He wanted the disciples to do good and serve one another, and said,
ML 04/23/1944