Mark 10:47-52
Mark 10:47 (KJB)
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.
Jesus no doubt heard him but did nothing at that time until He was leaving
Jericho. Blind Bartimaeus had moved from one place to another, from where Jesus
entered Jericho to where He was leaving. Many times in Scripture we read that
Jesus had delayed any action in the life of someone who requested it. He would
wait to see if their faith was real and if they followed Him believing He could
accomplish what they asked, then He would perform their request. Here Bartimaeus
moved with the crowd and continued to call on Jesus. Remember Lazarus a delay of
4 days. The delay with the daughter of Jairus.
Mark 10:48 (KJB)
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.
A person with nominal faith would have said, well He is leaving Jericho so I
guess I will not be healed. This was not the case with Bart and his friends.
Instead of backing off, he yelled much louder to the point he was rebuked by the
crowd to hold their peace. He had assessed properly who Jesus was, that He was
the Lord and Son of David which was another name for the Messiah. Isn’t it
something how the physically blind in this case had their spiritual eyes opened
to the fact that Christ is the Messiah while those who had sight tried to rebuke
them from calling out. The physically blind had more sight than those who could
see. While there may have been more than one begging, it seems Blind Bartimaeus
was the one who was the most vocal and spoke for the group.
Mark 10:49 (KJB)
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.
Jesus than stands still and has the blind man brought to Him. This was done in
the presence of the entire multitude. A moment ago they were rebuking Bartimaeus
for speaking out loudly but now they turn to him and say, “Be of good comfort,
rise; he calleth thee.” What a difference the call of Jesus made on the attitude
of the crowd. Gone are the days of anonymity as now the proclamation of Jesus as
Messiah was to be as public as possible.
Mark 10:50 (KJB)
And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.
As soon as Jesus called him, Bartimaeus had cast aside his outer garment to make
sure he did not get entangled in it. His response was decisive and immediate.
Then he came to Jesus once he had free course to do so. (2 Tim 2:4 KJV) No
man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may
please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. We can learn a great
spiritual lesson from Bartimaeus. When he received his call from the Lord Jesus
Christ, he cast away his outer garment which could represent religion and came
and received eternal life. The garment could also represent something which
entangles us with the world and hinders our service to the Lord Jesus Christ,
something which must be cast away.
Mark 10:51 (KJB)
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.
So Jesus then looks at the blind men and asks them what He would like them to do
for them? He knew what they needed but He wanted them to ask Him. (Mat 6:8
KJV) Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye
have need of, before ye ask him. God wants us to come to Him fully by
making full request of whatever is on our heart even though He knows what we
need. We come to Him in humility and especially seeking His will for whatever we
are seeking. If what we ask is in keeping with His will, then we would receive
it but if not, then He will say no.
Mark 10:52 (KJB)
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.
Jesus saw his faith and had compassion on him and touched his eyes and
immediately his eyes were able to see and he followed Him. Having received his
sight back, he could have taken off for a trip around Israel to see everything
that he was unable to see or even take a vacation by the Mediterranean Sea and
watch the ships but what did he do? Instead of getting tied up with worldly
things, as soon as his eyes were healed, he followed Jesus. This is a good
example of anyone who becomes saved. Instead of worrying about worldly things
any longer, they now follow Jesus having received their spiritual sight which is
far more important.