Blind Bartimaeus
Blindness and sight—that’s what our gospel story is about today. In this wonderful miracle story of Jesus healing Bartimaeus, we learn something of what it means to journey out of darkness and blindness into light and the gift of seeing. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to live as a physically or spiritually blind person? Have you ever thought about what difference it could make if you were blind and then, suddenly Jesus came along to give you the gift of sigh?
Mark begins this story by telling us that Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, it is the season of Passover, and Jesus has just arrived at Jericho, about fifteen miles northeast of Jerusalem. Travelling through town, crowds line the streets, most likely some to welcome Jesus, and others to criticize him and find some reason to do away with him. It was customary for rabbis at that time to have a following and teach as they travelled to Jerusalem for the Passover.
As they were just about to leave, lo and behold, there was at least one heckler in the crowd. This one was perhaps different than many though, since he was a blind beggar, Mark tells us, and his name was Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus. Actually, there is a bit of a word play on his name, for in Aramaic, the prefix “bar” means “son of.” His name actually tells us who his father was—Bartimaeus. Mark doesn’t make it clear whether or not Bartimaeus was born blind—although he hints at him perhaps having sight earlier in his life, for in verse fifty-one, Bartimaeus makes the following request of Jesus: “let me see again.” And in verse fifty-two, Mark says: “he regained his sight.” These two words, “again,” and “regained” may very well refer to an earlier time when Bartimaeus could see.
At any rate, to be a blind person at that time, in that society, was certainly no fun. As Mark tells us, Bartimaeus was a beggar. He was a desperate man. He had no secure means of making a living—condemned to life on the streets of Jericho begging.
Mark begins this story by telling us that Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, it is the season of Passover, and Jesus has just arrived at Jericho, about fifteen miles northeast of Jerusalem. Travelling through town, crowds line the streets, most likely some to welcome Jesus, and others to criticize him and find some reason to do away with him. It was customary for rabbis at that time to have a following and teach as they travelled to Jerusalem for the Passover.
As they were just about to leave, lo and behold, there was at least one heckler in the crowd. This one was perhaps different than many though, since he was a blind beggar, Mark tells us, and his name was Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus. Actually, there is a bit of a word play on his name, for in Aramaic, the prefix “bar” means “son of.” His name actually tells us who his father was—Bartimaeus. Mark doesn’t make it clear whether or not Bartimaeus was born blind—although he hints at him perhaps having sight earlier in his life, for in verse fifty-one, Bartimaeus makes the following request of Jesus: “let me see again.” And in verse fifty-two, Mark says: “he regained his sight.” These two words, “again,” and “regained” may very well refer to an earlier time when Bartimaeus could see.
At any rate, to be a blind person at that time, in that society, was certainly no fun. As Mark tells us, Bartimaeus was a beggar. He was a desperate man. He had no secure means of making a living—condemned to life on the streets of Jericho begging.
Cited: Nelson Thomas. Nelson’s Illustrated Bible. Dictionary.copyright.1978. Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson and distributed in Canada by Lawson. Falle, Ltd., Cambridge, Ontario. Gorman, Michael J.1955- Elements of biblical exegesis: a basic guide for students and ministers / Michael J. r man. Rev. and expanded ed. p. cm.