Mark 10

⁴⁶ And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷ And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, 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!” 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.

New Testament scholar Ben Witherington has made the interesting observation that “bar-Timaeus turns out to be the best paradigm of a disciple that Mark offers us in this entire part of the Gospel.” Michael Card goes further and says that Bartimaeus “becomes the jewel of Jesus’ ministry.”[1]

These are interesting observations because the story of blind Bartimaeus is, on the surface, just one more healing story among many in the gospels. Yet we are told that there is something in this story that reveals Bartimaeus to be the standard of discipleship and “the jewel of Jesus’ ministry”? Why?

Bartimaeus’ need was greater than the obstacles put before him.

Jesus, you will recall, has just made His third and final passion prediction. He has informed the disciples that He is going to Jerusalem to die and that His death will be painful and violent and difficult. He has set His feet towards the cross and they are struggling not only to understand but to keep up. It is in this context, on the way to Jerusalem, that Jesus passes through Jericho. As a He passes through, a blind beggar hears that He is near.

⁴⁶ And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷ And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Adela Yarbro Collins writes that “it is quite unusual for the suppliant in a miracle story to be named.”[2] That is so, but Bartimaeus is named. This is the first clue that there was something memorable, something perhaps unique even, about this miracle. We are told his name and we are told the name of his father. This is “bar-Timaeus,” the son of Timaeus.

He hears that Jesus is coming and “he began to cry out.” Jesus is moving with intensity, with deliberate forward motion, with laser-like focus. There is a huge crowd around him. We might imagine that the crowd gets bigger the closer that Jesus gets to Jerusalem, especially with this being the season of Passover, a season in which the population of Jerusalem swelled to the point of bursting.

There is a commotion and this blind beggar hears the name buzzing among and throughout the crowd: Jesus! Instinctively, as if he is aware that his only hope is passing by, Bartimaeus cries out: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The response from the crowd is as telling as it is sad.

⁴⁸ And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Perhaps something just stirred in your memory. May I propose to you that what we might have in the story of Bartimaeus is a story that contrasts with most things that have preceded it in Mark 10? Consider, for instance, how, earlier in our chapter, parents are bringing their children to Jesus and the disciples try to stop them. And consider that the efforts to stop the children from coming were likely predicated on the same faulty foundation upon which the efforts to stop Bartimaeus from crying out are founded, namely, that Jesus was too busy and too dignified for such an uncouth disruption.

They tried to stop the children.

They tried to stop Bartimaeus.

“But,” Mark tells us, “he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!” Bartimaeus’ need was greater than the obstacles put before him.

Have you ever needed Jesus like this? Have you come to Jesus like this?

Tragically, for most of us, it is not other people keeping us from coming to Jesus, it is our own wretched selves! The voices within us say, “Not now! Not here! Quiet down!” And this works until that great and necessary moment when our need outweighs our obstacles. At that point, we cry out for mercy simply because we can do no other!

Bartimaeus refused to be deterred! How about you? How about me?

Bartimaeus’ desire for a relationship was greater than customs and formalities.

And it is not just that Bartimaeus cried out, it is also what Bartimaeus cried out!

⁴⁷ And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

In many ways this sounds like a typical cry to Jesus. What is unique about it? Michael Card observes that Bartimaeus “is the only person in Mark’s Gospel who calls Jesus by his personal name (Mark 10:47)!”[3]

Many people address Jesus in the gospel of Mark, but only one person calls Him “Jesus.” Here again we find a contrast with what precedes this story in Mark 10. When the rich young ruler approached Jesus he referred to Him as “good teacher.” The rich young ruler calls Jesus “good teacher” and ultimately rejects him. Bartimaeus calls Jesus “Jesus” and will not stop until he is healed.

Why? Why does he do this? It is because Bartimaeus’ desire for a relationship was greater than customs and formalities. At the mention of the name of Jesus, Bartimaeus’ heart outpaces his sense of custom and he calls out the name: Jesus!

Interestingly, Bartimaeus is the only person to address Jesus by His first name, but he is not the only entity to do so in Mark. The demons do so. We find this, for instance, in Mark 1, when the demons speak to Jesus.

²⁴ “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” ²⁵ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”

Likewise, we find this in Mark 5 when the many demons, Legion, do the same:

⁷ And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”

The only other time a human being uses the personal name in Mark is the girl who confronts Peter in the midst of his three denials of Jesus in Mark 14.

⁶⁷ and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.”

Put another way we might say that the use of Jesus’ personal name in the gospel of Mark is always tied to rebellion and sin…with the radical exception of Bartimaeus’ use of it! Only once in Mark is the personal name used in love and addressed to Jesus…and it is right here!

The demons use it as an offensive maneuver to try to thwart Jesus and exert power over Him by using His personal name. They fail. The girl uses the name of Jesus to capture Peter in a lie and her use of the name leads to a denial of Jesus by the lead disciple.

But Bartimaeus says the name and He cries it out to Jesus because he sees in Jesus his only hope, because he loves Jesus, because he has faith in Jesus! Bartimaeus, then, presents an alternative to the other uses of the name in Mark. Which leads us to this startling conclusion: Bartimaeus’ loving and faithful usage of the name Jesus reveals that he, a blind man, can see better than anybody else in the gospel to this point.

The Pharisees are consistently blind to what is happening, but Bartimaeus sees Jesus clearly.

The disciples are consistently blind to what is happening, but Bartimaeus sees Jesus clearly.

Pretty much everybody keeps missing the point…but Bartimaeus sees Jesus clearly!

Last Sunday night, in our youth led worship service, our youth concluded the service by signing the Hillsong song, “What a Beautiful Name.” It was an especially powerful and beautiful moment. Here are the lyrics:

You were the Word at the beginning
One With God the Lord Most High
Your hidden glory in creation
Now revealed in You our Christ

What a beautiful Name it is
What a beautiful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King

What a beautiful Name it is
Nothing compares to this
What a beautiful Name it is
The Name of Jesus

You didn’t want heaven without us
So Jesus, You brought heaven down
My sin was great, Your love was greater
What could separate us now

What a wonderful Name it is
What a wonderful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King

What a wonderful Name it is
Nothing compares to this
What a wonderful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
What a wonderful Name it is
The Name of Jesus

How sweet is your name, Lord, how good You are
Love to sing in the name of the Lord, love to sing for you all?
Death could not hold You, the veil tore before You
You silenced the boast, of sin and grave
The heavens are roaring, the praise of Your glory
For You are raised to life again

You have no rival, You have no equal
Now and forever, Our God reigns
Yours is the Kingdom, Yours is the glory
Yours is the Name, above all names

What a powerful Name it is
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King

What a powerful Name it is
Nothing can stand against
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus

You have no rival, You have no equal
Now and forever, Our God reigns
Yours is the Kingdom, Yours is the glory
Yours is the Name, above all names

What a powerful Name it is
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King

What a powerful Name it is
Nothing can stand against
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus

What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus

Ah yes! Beautiful! Wonderful! Powerful! The name of Jesus!

This is how Bartimaeus saw the name, even if seemingly nobody else could really understand it yet. He saw it and he dared to shout the name!

Bartimaeus’ prize was of more value than his possessions.

Jesus hears his cry and then, beautifully, welcomes him in. What follows is one of the most beautiful scenes in all of scripture.

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.”

Those words, “And Jesus stopped,” contain the gospel. That is our joy and our hope. He is not too busy for you. You are why Jesus came! “And Jesus stopped.”

The people stop rebuking Bartimaeus and say, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” What a scene! Apparently Bartimaeus’ imploring was of such intensity and feeling and desperation that the people had to tell him not to let his heart break, not to despair, because Jesus was not simply going to pass him by.

Bartimaeus’ response to this news is simply awesome.

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.

Why is this awesome? It is awesome because in the ancient world it was on the outstretched cloak that beggars received money. Imagine him there, his cloak stretched before him, and on occasion he hears the sound of coins dropping. That cloak contains all that he has. That cloak contains his livelihood. That cloak is his life!

And what does he do when the people tell him he can come? He throws off his cloak! This casting off of the cloak is an awesome sign of total commitment, of absolute discipleship. Adela Yarbro Collins likens Bartimaeus’ throwing of his cloak aside to “the widow who contributed ‘her whole livelihood’ to the service of God in the temple (12:44).”[4]

Here again we see how this story represents a contrast to all that preceded it. I am speaking specifically of the rich young ruler. The rich young ruler comes to Jesus formally and he will not let go of his possessions to follow Him. Blind Bartimaeus comes to Jesus with raw desperation and feeling, and he immediately throws aside everything he has to follow!

Joel Marcus explains that some early interpreters of this story even took it to mean that Bartimaeus was wearing only one cloak and so he basically ripped off his clothes and ran to Jesus naked!

The garment Bartimaeus casts off is his himation, or outer tunic, but he is probably still wearing his chiton, or inner tunic…Nevertheless, some scribes seem to have been concerned by the possible implication of nakedness…The earliest commentary on Mark [Pseudo-Jerome, Expositions on Mark]…[echoes] the baptismal language of Eph 4:22; Col 3:9: “He is said to jump nude out of the old man”…[5]

We do not know this, of course, and it is most likely that this is simply his outer cloak, but we may be sure of this: there was such an intensity about this man’s response to the call of Jesus that if he did not rip off everything it was only because he was in too great a hurry! He cast aside his only means of survival! Why? Because for Bartimaeus his prize was of more value than his possessions. His prize was Jesus.

Marcus has also pointed out something very interesting about Bartimaeus’ name.

Timaeus = Timaios is a common Greek name (cf. the title character in one of Plato’s dialogues) derived from the word for “valuable, honored.” It is ironic that the beggar is the son of a man whose name in Greek means “honored”; Augustine remarks that the man has fallen from prosperity to “the most notorious and remarkable wretchedness”…[6]

“Bar-Timaeus,” writes Witherington, “has become bar-Theos (a son of God).”[7] Indeed he has! The valuable who had become valueless becomes valuable again…because the Valuable set aside His glory and made Himself “invaluable” in the eyes of the world. He, the Valuable Jesus, went to the cross and rose from the dead. In doing so, he makes a way for poor, blind Bartimaeus to be a child of the living God, for the valueless to become valuable.

We are all blind beggars sitting by the side of the road. Jesus is coming by. He still stops for those who call His name.

Call His name!

 

[1] Ben Witherington III, The Gospel of Mark. (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001), p.298. Michael Card, Mark. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2012), p.134.

[2] Adela Yarbro Collins, Mark. Hermeneia. Ed., Harold W. Attridge. (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007), p.508.

[3] Card, p.134.

[4] Collins, p.511.

[5] Joel Marcus, Mark 8-16. The Anchor Bible. Vol.27A (New Haven, CT: The Anchor Yale Bible, 2009), p.759-760.

[6] Marcus, p.759.

[7] Witherington, p.299.