TEXT [Commentary]

14. Jesus heals the blind man Bartimaeus (10:46-52; cf. Matt 20:29-33; Luke 18:35-43)

46 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. 47 When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

48 “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him.

But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

49 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!” 50 Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.

“My Rabbi,[*]” the blind man said, “I want to see!”

52 And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.[*]

NOTES

10:46 Jericho. At this point, Jesus was only fifteen miles northeast of Jerusalem and five miles west of the Jordan River.

10:48 Be quiet! . . . But he only shouted louder. The crowd thought that Bartimaeus was not worthy to call out to Jesus, impose demands upon him, or take his time, so they told him to be quiet. The blind man did not back off, but continued to cry out to Jesus. This is expressed in the imperfect tense (ekrazen [TG2896, ZG3189]), emphasizing that his call was ongoing.

10:50 threw aside his coat. The blind man had laid his cloak on the ground to collect alms from compassionate people. He now tossed it aside.

10:51 My Rabbi. The blind man addressed Jesus respectfully in a way that may indicate that he saw Jesus as his Lord. The term means “my master” as well as “my teacher” (Evans 2001:134).

I want to see! The blind man clearly trusted Jesus’ power to heal and he had the courage to call out to him despite the crowd’s opposition. This is a picture of persistent faith.

10:52 your faith has healed you. Jesus commended the man’s faith as the means by which he was healed (5:34; Luke 7:50; 17:19). Once he was healed, the man became Jesus’ follower.

COMMENTARY [Text]

The opening description of Bartimaeus as a “blind beggar” indicates that he had no social rank or importance. Since he was blind, he had to beg for his basic needs. The crowds’ rejection of his pleas (10:48) showed his lack of status, but this did not matter to Jesus.

Though Bartimaeus was blind, he understood a great deal about Jesus; he called out to him as “Son of David” and asked him to heal him out of his mercy (cf. Psalms of Solomon 17:21). The idea that the Son of David could heal might seem strange, but in Judaism there was a tradition that Solomon, as David’s son, was specially enabled by God to heal (Josephus Antiquities 8.41-47; cf. 4Q521). Jesus never discouraged the use of this title. As Jesus drew near to Jerusalem, his previous hesitation to allow people to name him as the Messiah was lifted (France 2002:424).

Bartimaeus’s healing highlights Jesus’ continued work of compassion and his ability to bring sight to those in darkness. It also dramatizes an example of faith. Unlike the rich man a few scenes earlier who had everything except spiritual insight, the blind man had nothing but saw clearly. He understood that Jesus, as Son of David, could heal, and that he had the power of God to bring renewal of life. Jesus commended the faith by which he spoke up in the midst of a crowd that wanted to silence him. The man was healed; he came to full sight and followed Jesus to Jerusalem. This last healing in Mark exemplifies how Jesus brought sight to those who could not see. This is also the last section of Jesus’ training of the disciples.