They
came to Jericho. As he went out from Jericho, with his disciples and a great multitude, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out, and say, “Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him, that he should be quiet, but he cried out much more, “You son of David, have mercy on me!”
Mark 10:46-48
Mark 10 [42.] Jesus summoned them, and said to them, “You know that they who are recognized as rulers over the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you, but whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant. Whoever of you wants to become first among you, shall be bondservant of all. For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10 [46.] They came to Jericho. As he went out from Jericho, with his disciples and a great multitude, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out, and say, “Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him, that he should be quiet, but he cried out much more, “You son of David, have mercy on me!”
Mark 10 [49.] Jesus stood still, and said, “Call him.”
They called the blind man, saying to him, “Cheer up! Get up. He is calling you!”
Meaning:
Jesus had just told his disciples that the Son of Man came “not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Immediately Mark shows him serving a man whom everyone else ignored. The healing of blind Bartimaeus is the last miracle of healing in Mark’s Gospel and the last stop before Jesus enters Jerusalem. It forms a frame with the healing of another blind man at Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-23). Between the two, Jesus had been trying to open the eyes of his disciples, who were slow to see. Now a blind beggar sees clearly who Jesus is.
- “They came to Jericho”
Jericho lay in the Jordan valley, about twenty-five kilometres north-east of Jerusalem and far below it. It was an oasis city of palm trees and balsam gardens, where Herod the Great had built a winter palace. Pilgrims from Galilee and Perea passed through it on their way up to Jerusalem for the Passover, so the road was crowded. Luke tells how in the same town Jesus called the rich tax collector Zacchaeus, who gave half his goods to the poor (Luke 19:8). Jericho saw both a rich man and a poor man changed by meeting Jesus.
- “Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road”
Mark gives the man’s name, Bartimaeus, which means “son of Timaeus”. He is the only person healed in Mark whose name is recorded, perhaps because he became known among the early Christians. Blindness left people with few ways to earn a living, and many blind people survived by begging. The road out of Jericho, full of pilgrims who wanted to give alms before the feast, was a good place to sit. Yet Bartimaeus was more than a beggar; he was listening.
- “Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!”
Bartimaeus heard that it was “Jesus the Nazarene” passing by, and he called him by a far greater title: “son of David”. God had promised David that one of his descendants would reign forever: “I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12-13). The prophets spoke of a righteous Branch from David’s line (Jeremiah 23:5). By calling Jesus “son of David”, Bartimaeus openly hailed him as the Messiah, the first person in Mark to do so in public. He also knew that the Messiah’s age would be a time of healing, when “the eyes of the blind will be opened” (Isaiah 35:5-6). His cry, “have mercy on me”, echoes the prayers of the Psalms: “Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness” (Psalm 51:1).
- “He cried out much more”
The crowd told him to be quiet. A beggar shouting at a famous rabbi seemed embarrassing, and perhaps the title “son of David” sounded dangerous so close to Jerusalem. But Bartimaeus would not be silenced. Opposition only made him cry louder. His persistence is a picture of faith that refuses to give up, like the persistent widow in Jesus’ parable (Luke 18:1-8).
The Significance of Mark 10:46-48
- No one is beneath Jesus’ notice
The crowd saw a nuisance; Jesus saw a person. Those whom society pushes aside are exactly the people the Son of Man came to serve.
- Persistent prayer
Bartimaeus kept calling until Jesus heard him. When others discourage us from seeking Jesus, the right response is to call out all the more.
- Seeing who Jesus is
A blind man recognised what many sighted people missed: Jesus is the promised son of David. True sight is spiritual before it is physical.
Cross-References:
Luke 18:38-39: "He cried out, “Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who led the way rebuked him, that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “You son of David, have mercy on me!”" Luke’s account of the same blind beggar.
Isaiah 35:5: "Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped." The healing promised for the Messiah’s age.
Jeremiah 23:5: "Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will raise to David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land." The promised son of David.
Luke 4:18: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind" Jesus’ mission includes sight for the blind.
Conclusion: As Jesus left Jericho on his way to Jerusalem, blind Bartimaeus sat begging by the road. Hearing that Jesus was passing, he cried out to him as the son of David, the promised Messiah, and begged for mercy. When the crowd tried to silence him, he cried out all the more. His bold, persistent faith shows that the poor and overlooked can see who Jesus truly is, and that the Son of Man stops for those who call on him.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible