As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by. So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” “Be quiet!” the people in front yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” When Jesus heard him, He stopped and ordered that the man be brought to Him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” “Lord,” he said, “I want to see!” And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too.
Luke 18:35-43
Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and His disciples left town, a large crowd followed Him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” When Jesus heard him, He stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, He’s calling you!” Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. “What do you want Me to do for you?”Jesus asked. “My rabbi, ” the blind man said, “I want to see!” And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.”Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.
Mark 10:46-52
As Jesus and the disciples left the town of Jericho, a large crowd followed behind. Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” “Be quiet!” the crowd yelled at them. But they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” When Jesus heard them, He stopped and called, “What do you want Me to do for you?” “Lord,” they said, “we want to see!” Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed Him.
Matthew 20:29-34
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Bartimaeus was informed that Jesus was passing, He was not stopping. So he yelled out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” He knew or sensed this was his chance. He was not going to get closer than this and if he waited, the chance would be gone and he may not get another. Talk about “carpe diem” – seizing the moment. Those in the crowd tried to keep him quiet but he shouted all the more. Jesus heard him and STOPPED. My goodness, this was his moment. It had finally come. By calling Jesus “Son of David”, he had just acknowledged that he recognised Him as Messiah. He knew that when Messiah came, He would heal the sick, release the captives and restore sight to the blind. Now, that was good news for a blind man. So what did he shout out? “Lord I want to see. Restore my sight please!”? No, he didn’t say that at all. Multiple times it seems (at least twice) he yells, “Have mercy on me, Jesus, Son of David.” Instead of coming right out and telling Jesus what his need was, he couched it in vague nebulous terms. “Oh, anything really.” “Kind of whatever suits you Jesus, Messiah.” “Have mercy on me! Have pity on me.”
Did Jesus need to ask what it was that Bartimaeus needed? Of course not. Firstly, it was obvious to anyone there that Bartimaeus was blind. There is something about the posture, movement and gait of blind people which manifests the fact that they are blind. Besides, those at the front of the crowd from Jericho, would have made it clear to Jesus, “Oh that’s blind Bartimeaus, Jesus.” “Don’t worry about him. He’s just a piece of trash. Do you know that we call him Bar-Timeaus? Son of trash, Filthy One.” But don’t forget either, that this is Jesus, Son of David, Messiah, we are talking about. This is the one of whom John wrote,
There was no need for anyone to tell Him what was in mankind, because He himself knew what was in their hearts.
John 2:25
Bartimaeus asked for mercy, a general plea for pity, mercy, a touch of kindness from God. He was there on the side of the road waiting for people to give him alms. He was appealing to the people to give because they were on their way to Passover, a time when the people were encouraged to give to the poor as part of their civic duties. The normal thing was to give him money. That was why he was sitting there. I am sure healing was the farthest thing from his mind. This was the time of the year when he would be given the most money. Suddenly, he hears Messiah is going past. Well, at least the One he has heard about and heard them debating as to whether He is Messiah. Does he even think about the verses in Isaiah telling what the Messiah will do? Maybe. Maybe not. Rather, he asks for a general touch of God’s mercy. To any normal person, that would encourage them to give. But Jesus asks him,”What do you want Me to do for you?” Jesus didn’t need to ask, he already knew. He knew Bartimaeus’s need, He knew his heart, his inner most longings. But still he asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” Why all this beating around the bush? We know from past events in Luke’s gospel that Jesus didn’t even need to have Bartimaeus brought to Him. He could have just looked over, spoken a word and Bartimaeus would have been healed. He could have moved close and let Bartimaeus reach out and touch his robe in faith. But no, he stops, calls them to bring him, so the townsfolk are involved too, and asks Bartimaeus to state clearly what he wants.
Now, that is interesting. Do you realize that you have not, because you ask not? So many times we beat around the bush with vague generalities in prayer. Jesus encourages us to come out and state what we want. Now that’s fascinating in Bartimaeus’s case. Bartimaeus is perfectly placed to get a lot of money. People are obligated to give to the poor, especially at the major feasts and holy days. There are hordes of poor of all kinds. But the blind are probably the most likely to be given something. I see it around me every day and I myself am more likely to give to a blind person than anyone else. So Jesus pointedly asks Bartimeaus what he wants Him to do. You see, if Jesus heals Bartimaeus, he loses his (dis)ability to beg. He is actually on to a lucrative thing but he is now on the verge of losing it. If Jesus should heal him, he will no longer be the blind beggar. He will likely become a beggar who is out of work. He likely has no marketable skills. We are not told how long he has been blind but it is likely he has nothing other than his begging. Jesus is really testing his faith. Does he even want what he so obviously needs? I wondered about calling this Gem “Money or your sight back?” Bartimaeus unequivocally says, “I want to see!” Instantly he could see. Jesus says, “Receive your sight, your faith has healed you.” The inference with this statement is that there is more involved. The word [sodzo] means so much more than just healing. It is the word used in the New Testament for salvation from physical danger, from imprisonment, from sickness and from sin. Wow, talk about getting the complete package.
What then happens? Bartimaeus can now see and he follows Jesus, praising God. That short statement is filled with meaning. Firstly, he doesn’t praise Jesus. He praises God. He realizes where the source comes from. Now for a little bit of grammatical complexity. The verb ‘to follow’ is likely an inchoative imperfect, meaning he BEGAN to follow Jesus. It could just mean that he attached himself to the crowd following Jesus. Or it could have deeper meaning in the sense that this moment was the beginning of him becoming a disciple – a follower or a learner of Jesus. The praise Bartimaeus gave was durative in form – an imperfect tense verb indicating ongoing action. I am sure it was. I am sure Bartimaeus couldn’t stop giving praise to God for what had just happened. But contrasted to that, is the aorist tense associated with the praise the crowd gave. It was an immediate point-in-time praise for what they had just witnessed, but with no hint of the praise continuing. Bartimeaus keeps praising God but the onlookers tire of it after a short time. Isn’t that how it is in life? It is those things we experience deeply that affect us in an on-going way. If we have merely just been a spectator to something, the euphoria will pass quickly.
Not only that, but this is a huge lesson for those from Jericho. The one who has just been healed is “Old Filthy,” the one they had written off. There’s no way that Messiah will stop for him. Oh, really? Think again.
People with hope can dance without music.
Ian Vail
The Christian faith is meant to be lived moment by moment. It is a long walk with a real Person.
Joni Eareckson Tada
Timing plays an important part in learning to trust God. If He did everything we asked for immediately, we would never grow and develop.
Joyce Meyer
You’ll never minister to those Jesus wants you to love and care for if you fear the criticism of guilt by association.
Rick Warren
There is no better exercise for your heart than reaching down & helping to lift someone up.
Bernard Meltzer