Mark 10:46-52, Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

⁴⁶ And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus [the son of Timaeus, as remembered by Peter but not given a proper name as “Bar” means “son of”], a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷ And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth [as there were other Jesuses], he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David [messianic title], have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸ And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” [Mercy is what he needs and what Bartimaeus gets through his perseverance and expectant faith. It is amazing how often some followers try and keep those in need away from Jesus.] ⁴⁹ And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” ⁵⁰ And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” ⁵² And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way [into Jerusalem]. [Why does Jesus heal Bartimaeus? First, Jesus healed people. Where the creation was is decay, Jesus came to renew and restore. Second, this man of faith saw and believed in the Messiah, the son of David, where the religious elite were still blind and could not see what God was doing in Jesus.]