For Jesus, the end of the road was not far away; He is on the way to Jerusalem for Passover by way of Jericho which was only about 15 miles from Jerusalem.
On his way out of the city Jesus encounters a blind beggar, Bartimaeus who, upon hearing that Jesus is passing through, cries out to him, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.” Many rebuke him but Bartimaeus will not be silenced and cries out a second time.
Those traveling with Jesus look upon Bartimaeus as an interruption on the journey and try to silence him. Jesus, on the other hand, sees Bartimaeus as the point of the journey.
The healing of blind Bartimaeus is, on the surface, a miracle story but it is also, and more profoundly, a demonstration of faith evidenced by the sheer persistence of Bartimaeus and by his immediate response to the call of Jesus; he throws aside his cloak and runs to Jesus.
Many a person hears the call of Jesus but says in effect, “wait until I have done this,” or “wait until I can do that.” But Bartimaeus “sprang up.” Sometimes we have a wave of longing to abandon some habit, to purify life of some wrong thing; to give ourselves more completely to Jesus but so very often, we do not act on it in the moment and the opportunity to demonstrate our readiness and willingness to leave all for God – passes.
Bartimaeus may have been a beggar by the wayside, but he was a person of gratitude. Having received his sight, he followed Jesus. He did not selfishly go on his way when his need was met. He began with need, went on to gratitude, and finished with loyalty – a good summary of the stages of discipleship.
Let the word unfold on the stage of your life!
Adult Formation