Jesus heals many people who can’t see, but we usually don’t know their names. Bartimaeus is one exception. He lives in Jericho and is the son of Timaeus. That’s all we know about him, except for the story of Jesus healing him.
Bartimaeus sits by the road begging for money, so he can get something to eat, else he might starve. Jesus and his entourage approach. Someone tells Bartimaeus who it is. “Jesus,” Bartimaeus yells. “Help me!”
The crowd tries to hush him. He’s annoying them.
But he just yells louder. “Jesus!”
Jesus stops and tells the crowd to fetch this blind beggar.
“It’s your lucky day,” they tell Bartimaeus. “Jesus is asking for you.” Bartimaeus jumps up and comes to Jesus.
“What do you want?”
Bartimaeus states the obvious. “I want to see.”
“Okay,” Jesus says. “By your faith you are healed.”
Then Bartimaeus can see. He follows Jesus down the road.
We don’t hear of Bartimaeus again, so we don’t know if he continues following Jesus for real. But we can revere God for the miracle Jesus performs for this once blind man.
Do we follow Jesus now like we once did? Do we still revere him?
[Discover more about Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46–52.]
Read more about other biblical characters in The Friends and Foes of Jesus, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
