“And they came to Jericho; and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And 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. And 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. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they called the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. And 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. And 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).
Today’s passage concerns a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. A mountain of commentaries reflect on this beautiful story. Though lengthy, Matthew Henry’s commentary is powerful. Here are some highlights from his writings.
First of all, we find the name “Bartimaeus, the son of Timeus which, some think, signifies the son of a blind man he was the blind son of a blind father, which made the case worse, and the cure more wonderful.” With this in mind, it is almost understandable he was begging for his livelihood. When Bartimaeus heard was near the highway where he sat begging, he cried out to Him.
“In coming to Christ for help and healing, we should have an eye to him as the promised Messiah, the Trustee of mercy and grace.” The crowd tried to quiet him, but he was determined to be with Jesus. He cried out later.
Finally, Jesus called out to him. “The gracious invitations Christ gives us to come to him are great encouragements to our hope, that we shall speed well if we come to him, and shall have what we come for.”
Once summoned, Bartimaeus “cast away everything that might be in danger of throwing him down, or might in any way hinder him coming to Christ. Those who would come to Jesus, must cast away the garment of their own sufficiency, must strip themselves of all conceit of that, and must free themselves from every weight, and the sin that, like long garments, doth most easily beset them. (Hebrews 12:1)” When asked what he wanted Christ to do, Bartimaeus asked that “his eyes might be opened so he might be able to work for his living, and might be no longer burdensome to others.” This part was so amazing—Christ spoke the words that changed his life forever. Jesus told him “his faith had made him whole.”
“When he had received his sight, he followed Jesus by the way. By this he made it appear that he was thoroughly cured, that he no more needed one to lead him, but could go himself and by his he evidenced the grateful sense he had of Christ’s kindness to him, that when he had his sight, he made this use of it.”
Sue Winchester
Missouri
PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for Elizabeth Hodges, in Fort Worth, Texas, this week for preliminary 2014 pre-convention meetings.
