COMMENTARY ON MARK

LESSON NUMBER 118

     “ ^{Mark 10:46} And they came to Jericho: and as He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. ⁴⁷ 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. ⁴⁸ 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. ⁴⁹ And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; He calleth thee. ⁵⁰ And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ 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. ⁵² 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; Matthew 20:29-34; Lk 18:35-43)

BLIND BARTIMAEUS IS HEALED

INTRODUCTION

               Jesus is en route to Jerusalem, where He will lay down His life a ransom for many. Along the way, He ministers in such a way as to accent the salvation He came effect. He has revealed the ignorance of the Pharisees (10:2-9), blessed little children (10:16), taught the disciples more perfectly (10:10-15, 23-31), unveiled the condition of a rich young ruler (10:17-22), revealed His coming death (10:32-34), corrected James and John (10:35-40), and taught the disciples the manner of the Kingdom (10:41-45). He lived out the requirement to set ones’s affection on things above, and not on things on the earth (Col 3:1-2). Those who followed Jesus – really followed Him – never got wrapped up in politics, social issues, and the accumulation of worldly wealth. His thoughts, words, and deeds were consistently in the realm of the Spirit. However men may choose to interpret life and its involvements, the Son of God “always” did the things that pleased God (John 8:29) – always! When it comes to focus or direction, His life is like a spiritual template. He would not be deterred or turned from the goal, and neither will those who truly follow Him. His life was wrapped up in the will of the Lord. Both the direction and manner of His life was determined by the commission given to Him – to lay down His life and take it up again. He never allowed Himself to be turned from that objective. In doing this He established the only valid way to live unto the Lord. To live in any other way is wholly unacceptable. Today He is calling men to live in this manner.

THE EFFECT OF THE NEWS OF JESUS UPON BARTIMAEUS

               “ ^{Mark 10:46} And they came to Jericho: and as He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. ⁴⁷ 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.”

               HE CAME AND WENT. “And they came to Jericho: and as He went out of Jericho.” Remember, Jesus, is en route to Jerusalem, which was around seventeen miles from Jericho. Matthew says, “He departed from Jericho” (Matt 20:29). Luke says, “as He was come nigh unto Jericho” (Lk 18:35). Immediately following Luke’s record of this incident, he wrote, “And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho” (19:1). After this, Luke gives the account of Jesus going to the house of Zacchaeus. No other Gospel writer includes this account. The reconciliation between the accounts is not specifically provided. However, there is no contradiction here. All three accounts have Jesus confronting Bartimaeus outside of the city. Luke does not say Jesus was entering the city, but that He was near it – or not within it. He provides the account of Zacchaeus, something that occurred while He was in Jericho (Lk 19:2-10). Jesus, then, came to Jericho, spent time with Zacchaeus when there, then left the city. On His way out of the city, this incident with Bartimaeus took place.

               BLIND BARTIMAEUS. The name “Bartimaeus” identified this man. The first part of the name, “Bar,” means “son.” The last part of the name “timaeus,” identifies his father, who is sepcified by name: “the son of Timaeus.” Another name compounded in this way is “Barjona” (son of Jonah, Matt 16:17). It is possible that Timaeus was someone of note in this area, and that, consequently, Bartimaeus was also better known. Additionally, he was industrious to do what he could to obtain the necessities of life.

               Bartimaeus had positioned himself outside of the city by the highway, and was begging. In this way, both those who were entering and those who were leaving would see him. It is a sad thing to read of anyone reduced to the state of a beggar. A well known “beggar” was Lazarus, who, when he died, was “carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom” (Lk 16:20). Jesus once healed a blind man who was also a beggar (John 9:8). David once said, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psa 37:25). Some have taken this to mean that the righteous will never beg. However, that would cast reproach upon Lazarus. The meaning of David’s words is that God’s people will never beg more than one generation – their “seed” will not be seen begging bread. The whole church in Jerusalem went through a period of abject poverty, when other brethren had to supply their needs (Rom 15:26). James referred to a “brother or sister” who was “naked, and destitute of daily food” (James 2:15). John referred to a “brother” who had need of the essentials of life (1 John 3:17). All who do not need to beg have good reason to give thanks!

               Matthew says there were two blind men – “behold there were two men sitting by the way side” (Matt 20:29). Bartimaeus, however, appears to have either been the most prominent of the two, or to have spoken for them – as Peter did for the apostles (Acts 2:14)..

               HE HEARD THAT IT WAS JESUS. Luke provides a more detailed account. When Bartimaeus sensed that a multitude of people was passing by, he “asked what it meant” – note, he did not ask who it was, but “what it meant.” He was told, “Jesus of Nazareth passeth by” – that is why there was a multitude of people(Lk 18:36-37). At the time He was not visiting Jericho, but leaving it. Mark says it was “Jesus with His disciples and a great number of people.” Matthew says that as Jesus departed out of Jericho, “a great multitude followed Him” (Matt 20:29). While He was in Jericho, He had apparently stirred up considerable interest. Yet, even though there was a large crowd, Jesus was preeminent – the one mentioned by name.

               HE BEGAN TO CRY OUT. Bartimaeus had some knowledge of Jesus. We do not know how he obtained it, but he must have been around the right people. As soon as he heard, he began to cry out. There were two critical things he knew about Jesus. (1) He had mercy on people. (2) He was the son of David. There are twelve accounts of people asking Jesus for mercy (Matt 9:13; 9:27; 15:22; Matt 17:15; Matt 20:30,31; Mk 10:47,48; Lk 17:13; Lk 18:38-39) – two other blind men, the woman from Canaan, the father of a vexed child, ten lepers, and the men of this text. “Mercy” is having compassion or pity on someone in dire straits – doing something that helps their condition. Bartimaeus associated this kind of response with “the son of David” – that is, the promised offspring of David (Matt 1:1). Although that Offspring was to be a King with an unending kingdom (Lk 1:32-33), yet those with faith associated His reign with having mercy on the people.

               If you would have interrogated Bartimaeus, you probably would not have encountered a lot of profound wisdom. Yet, his faith enabled him to take hold of who Jesus was and what he could do, as prophetically defined. He had an inner vision that transcended what the people all around him were seeing, and it moved him into an aggressive quest for mercy.

BARTIMAEUS OVERCOMES THE CONVENTIONAL ONES

               “ ⁴⁸ 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. ⁴⁹ And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; He calleth thee. ⁵⁰ And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus”

               MANY CHARGED HIM. “Many charged him that he should hold his peace.” Matthew says “the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace” (Matt 20:31). Luke says, “they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace” (Lk 18:37). The picture is of Jesus probably surrounded by a great crowd, and certain of them going ahead, clearing the way for Him. The ones at the head of the entourage confront Bartimaeus, and order him to be quiet. His cry for mercy was seen as a distraction. Perhaps Jesus was speaking to the multitude, and they felt He should not be distracted. Possibly some thought the blind man was asking for alms, and felt such a thing to be out of order. For whatever reason, the people traveling with Jesus were not thinking of Him as One who showed mercy to the needy. They had grown so accustomed to the cries of the destitute that they were not impacted by them. They were, in fact, a kind of irritation to the people, and thus they felt they were out of order.

               HE CRIED THE MORE. “ . . . he cried the more a great deal,” or “all the more.” ^NKJV The Amplified Bible reads, “but he kept on shouting out all the more.” Luke says, “so much the more” (Lk 18:39). Here we confront the tenacious nature of faith. It aggressively seeks the blessing, and will not be turned from it, even though surrounded by all manner of discouragement and hindrance. We know this is the expression of faith because of Jesus’ words to him(verse 52). This is real faith, not faith that is feigned or pretentious. When confronting Jesus, faith becomes all the more aggressive. It is unbelief that draws back, not faith (Heb 10:38-39). In a sense, the faith of Bartimaeus was being tried, or tested. Jesus did not appear to be listening to him, and now the people with him tell him to cease crying out for mercy. It is evidently not the right time. Perhaps a more convenient time will come later.

               Speaking parabolically, Jesus referred to such occasions as being like a woman repeatedly asking a seemingly uninterested judge to avenge her, or give her legal protection from her adversary (Lk 18:3). In another place, he likened it to a man who sought for three loaves for a friend who was on a long journey and needed to be fed, yet the man had nothing to give him. He asked a neighbor to help him, only to be met with rejection, because it was midnight, and the man and his whole family were in bed. Yet, because the man persisted in his request, he obtained what he needed (Lk 11:5-8). That is the nature of faith! It is the same characteristic made known in Jacob when he said to an angel that demanded that he let him go, “I will not let thee go except thou bless me” (Gen 32:26). Many poor souls never obtain what they need because they are too easily discouraged, and cannot pass the test of Divine silence.

               JESUS STOOD STILL AND COMMANDED HIM TO BE CALLED. One version reads, “Tell him to come to Me.” ^LIVING Luke says “Jesus commanded him to be brought to Him” (Lk 18:40). He perceived that this was a work on the Father’s agenda, and so He “stopped” His journey to do the will of God. This work was perfectly harmonious with the death He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. While the people traveling with Jesus were trying to quiet Bartimaeus, Jesus stopped walking. The words of this man’s faith had fallen upon His ears, and He was moved with compassion. That is His nature. I do not doubt that the very ones who were telling Bartimaeus to be quiet were now ordered to have him come to Jesus.

               BE OF GOOD COMFORT. “Be of good comfort,” or “Be of good cheer,” ^NKJV “Take courage,” ^NASB or “Take heart!” ^NRSV They knew that when Jesus calls someone, a blessing is in store for those who come! They do not tell Bartimaeus to wait there while they go and get Jesus, bringing “the son of David” to him. No! When Jesus calls, that call is attended by grace that will enable the person to come – even if he is blind! Some people are afraid to stand before Jesus. Bartimaeus is told to be cheerful, courageous, and expectant as he comes. O, that such a mind will be found in you – to come expecting to receive what you need from Christ.

               HE CAST AWAY HIS GARMENT AND CAME. Bartimaeus does not hesitate! He had an over-garment on, adapted for sitting by the road and begging. He now throws that garment aside “and came to Jesus.” Do not imagine that it is easy for a blind man to come to Jesus – any more than it is for one to make his way to the pool of Siloam (John 9:7). Notwithstanding, it is still true that men “can do all things through Christ,” who strengthens us (Phil 4:13). Unlike the words of law, Christ’s words are accompanied by grace and mercy. His words are enabling words. That is why Jesus Himself said His words “are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). When believed, they produce an immediate response, as seen in Bartimaeus.

               The extraordinary power of faith is seen in the fact that there is not a single record of it ever failing. Jesus affirmed, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23). Those words are still true, and worthy of our undivided attention.

BARTIMAEUS’ FAITH OBTAINS THE BENEFIT

               “ ⁵¹ 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. ⁵² 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.”

               WHAT SHOULD I DO UNTO THEE? Solomon once observed, “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD”(Prov 16:33). That is, it may appear as though we are dealing with chance, random workings, or a kind of haphazard approach to things – like “What do you want?” Ordinarily, expressing our desires is by no means a guarantee that we will have them. However, when Jesus asks this question, it is no longer an ordinary matter. Furthermore, Jesus does not ask this of everyone. Jesus put this question to James and John, then told them He could not grant their request (Mk 10:36-40). So far as the record goes, this is the only other time that Jesus asked this question. I suppose James and John, who were there, could have told Bartimaeus there was a distinct chance he would not receive what he wanted.

               Later, after He had died and risen from the dead, Jesus did speak to His disciples about asking for what they desired. “And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do . . . Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, Me may give it you . . . ” (John 14:13; 15:16,23). However, all of this is unknown to Bartimaeus. What will his request be? Will he ask for a sizeable gift of money so he will not have to beg? Perhaps some new garments, so he can be more comfortable while he begs. How will he think? How extensive is his faith? Will he ask something worthy of the “Son of David?” With what will he associate the mercy for which he has asked? It is possible to think too small. Will he do so?

               THAT I MIGHT RECEIVE MY SIGHT. Matthew reads, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened” (Matt 20:33). This was a remarkable request! There is no record of a blind man being healed in all of Jewish history– no historic precedent prior to Jesus that would warrant such a request. Isaiah hinted that such things would take place when the Messiah came, but even that was not attended with an degree of clarity (Isa 29:18; 35:5; 42:7). David affirmed “the Lord openeth the eyes of the blind” (Psa 146:8). Once, when a man born blind had been healed by the Lord, he was challenged by Jesus’ enemies concerning the legitimacy of his healing. The man cited what appears to have been general knowledge: “Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind” (John 9:32). A Bible and history scholar could probably have made a good case for the folly of asking Jesus to give Bartimaeus sight. After all, statistically speaking, how likely was it that such a request would be honored?

               See, the very fact that Bartimaeus made this request attests to his faith. He rose higher than the border of history, and went beyond the religious convention of the day. He sensed who he was addressing, and therefore formed a petition worthy of the occasion.

               THY FAITH HATH MADE THEE WHOLE. “Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole,” or “well.” ^NASB Matthew reads, “So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight” (Matt 20:34). Luke reads, “Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee” (Luke 18:42). Mark emphasizes the means – “thy faith.” Matthew stresses the One who did the work – “Jesus had compassion.” Luke accents the enabling power of faith – “Receive thy sight.” Faith, then, was the means through which Bartimaeus received the benefit.

               This is the manner of the Kingdom. What we receive from the Lord is by means of our faith – “by faith” (Acts 15:9; 26:18; Rom 1:17; 3:22,28; 5:1,2; Eph 3:17), or “through faith” (Rom 3:25; Gal 3:14; Eph 2:82 Tim 3:15; Heb 6:121 Pet 1:5). That is what is involved in living by faith (Heb 10:38), walking by faith (2 Cor 5:7), and standing by faith (2 Cor 1:24).

               HE RECEIVED HIS SIGHT. Bartimaeus “received” his sight “immediately.” Matthew says “their eyes” immediately received sight (Matt 20:34). Faith – “the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” – was the hand that received the benefit. In other words, there was no question in Bartimaeus’ mind concerning the nature of Jesus, or His ability to do what he requested. The only issue was whether or not He wanted to do it. His persuasion was not that he could be healed, but that Jesus was fully able to do it – and there is a vast difference between those two views. The first centers in self, and the second focuses on Christ. The first says, “I can be,’ the second days, “He is able to!”

                AND FOLLOWED JESUS. What does a person do who has been blessed by Jesus? There were nine lepers who, after being healed, went their own ways (Lk 17:17). Jesus told Bartimaeus, “Go your way.” ^NKJV Which was will he go? Back to the vicinity of Jericho? To his home, wherever that may have been? This man’s “way” had been changed! He “followed Jesus in the way,” choosing to take the path Jesus was taking. Matthew reads, “they followed Him” (Matt 20:34). Luke says that he “followed Him, glorifying God” (Lk 18:43). That is the only fitting response for those who remember the pit from which they have been lifted!