spiritual blindness

Mark 10:46-52

"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."

Today’s verses are the written record of the healing of Bartimaeus, a blind beggar outside Jericho, as Jesus begins His final journey to Jerusalem.

Bartimaeus cries out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” publicly recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. Despite the crowd’s attempts to silence him, he persists with stubborn faith.

Jesus stops, calls him forward, and asks what he wants. Bartimaeus simply replies, “Lord, that I might receive my sight.” Jesus declares, “Your faith has made you well” (Greek sōzō, meaning both physical healing and spiritual salvation). Immediately Bartimaeus regains his sight and follows Jesus “in the way.”

In contrast to the spiritually blind disciples and the rich young ruler, Bartimaeus becomes a model of true discipleship: he sees who Jesus is and lets go of everything to follow Him.

The blind man is one of the few who truly “see.” Spiritual blindness remains a danger for us all.

Take a moment to pray for the Holy Ghost to open your eyes to what Jesus is saying to you.

Amen.