This week’s gospel reading is brief, but it is filled with little details that make it easy for us to imagine. Jesus was leaving Jericho, with his disciples and a large crowd. A blind man named Bartimaeus was along the roadside. He was begging, likely the only way he could feed himself and his family. He must have asked what all the noise and activity was about, because when he heard it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out to Jesus. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
I find it ironic that this story about the healing of a man who is blind includes just enough detail that I can see it in my mind’s eye. The dusty, rocky roadside and the crowds of people. Jesus standing still and telling the disciples to call Bartimaeus over. The change as people who were telling Bartimaeus to shut up a moment before start to offer words of encouragement: “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” Bartimaeus flinging aside his cloak as he springs up. The two men facing each other in a direct, brief conversation. Suddenly, it is all over and a healed Bartimaeus follows Jesus.
Throughout the gospels, Jesus heals people of a variety of illnesses and ailments, yet the healing of blind people resonates with us in a particular way. In Bartimaeus’ case, he is blind, but among the large crowd he is the only one who “sees” who Jesus really is. Bartimaeus calls Jesus “Son of David”- a title for the Messiah. Even the disciples haven’t made that connection yet. When his sight is returned, Bartimaeus joins the crowd following Jesus.
Bartimaeus’ story echoes in our own. We are sometimes blind to God’s presence or action. We find ourselves looking to see (literally and figuratively) where God is and what God is doing in our lives and in the world. There are times we feel sightless and unable to manage for ourselves, like Bartimaeus on the roadside. We cry out for mercy, then realize that Jesus is calling us. Perhaps we spring up, tossing aside our cloaks as we make our way to him. God opens our eyes to what we have been unable to see, and we follow.
May Bartimaeus’ story fill us with hope for the kind of restoration and transformation God brings to our lives.
Peace,