Mark 10:46-52

Jesus Trip To Jericho

Jesus was on his way to his last Passover. The route he would take would be straight through Jericho. Jericho is 15 miles outside of Jerusalem. Many of the Temple Priests and Levites lived in Jericho.

There were approximately 20,000 temple priests that served the temple. Not all could serve at the same time. They would serve in rotations. While they were not on their rotation they resided in Jericho.

It was common when a well-known rabbi would travel through a city, people would gather around him and follow him on his journey so they could hear his teaching.

As Jesus was leaving Jericho Mark says that a large crowd followed him. This is because people knew who Jesus was and what he had done in His ministry. This is why the crowd was following Him to Jerusalem.

Jesus was focused on the cross that he was going to bear and was about to make His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. His trip to Jericho was strategic.

Blind Bartimaeus

During Passover beggars would line the streets leading into Jerusalem. They would beg for alms from the generous pilgrims going to Passover. Bartimaeus was one of those beggars. However when he found out Jesus was passing by, he did something unusual.

Mark 10:48–49

The Greek term rendered “cry out” in 10:47 is krazō [2896], which one lexicon defines as “to make a vehement outcry,” “cry out,” “scream,” “shriek,” or “when one utters loud cries, without words capable of being understood,” and is used “of mentally disturbed persons, epileptics, or the evil spirits living in them.”[92] This was not the routine calling of a longtime beggar like “alms for the blind.” The man set aside all dignity and restraint to make himself unavoidable by shrieking at the top of his lungs. Despite attempts by others to shut him up, Jesus took note of the man’s desperate crying and engaged him directly.

Bartimaeus desperation for complete healing caused him to take desperate measures to accomplish his desire.

The Gospel of Mark (A Miracle by the Wayside (Mark 10:46–52))

This is a most illuminating story. In it we can see many of the things which we might call the conditions of miracle.

(1) There is the sheer persistence of Bartimaeus. Nothing would stop his clamour to come face to face with Jesus. He was utterly determined to meet the one person whom he longed to confront with his trouble. In the mind of Bartimaeus there was not just a vague, wistful, sentimental wish to see Jesus. It was a desperate desire, and it is that desperate desire that gets things done.

Are we desperate enough to forsake our pride and take our greatest need to Jesus?

(2) His response to the call of Jesus was immediate and eager, so eager that he cast off his hindering cloak to run to Jesus the more quickly. Many people hear the call of Jesus, but say in effect, ‘Wait until I have done this,’ or ‘Wait until I have finished that.’ Bartimaeus came like a shot when Jesus called. Certain chances happen only once. Bartimaeus instinctively knew that. 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. So very often we do not seize the moment to act on it—and the chance is gone, perhaps never to come back.

Some people try to overcome a sinful habit through behavior modification. There are times where this simply doesn’t work. We must not have the mindset that we will exhaust everything in our power before we turn to Jesus for His power. We must go to Him first

(3) He knew precisely what he wanted—his sight. Too often our admiration for Jesus is a vague attraction. When we go to the doctor it is to have something specific dealt with. When we go to the dentist we do not ask to have any tooth extracted, but the one that is diseased. It should be so with us and Jesus. And that involves the one thing that so few people wish to face—self-examination. When we go to Jesus, if we are as desperately definite as Bartimaeus, things will happen.

There are times that we perceive our issues to be situational, but in all actuality the issue is personal. In order to identify that we must look at our selves. Psalms 139:23-2

Psalm 139:23–24 (NASB95)

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.

4) Bartimaeus had a quite inadequate conception of Jesus. Son of David, he insisted on calling him. Now that was a messianic title, but it has in it all the thought of a conquering Messiah, a king of David’s line who would lead Israel to national greatness. That was a very inadequate idea of Jesus. But, in spite of that, Bartimaeus had faith, and faith made up a hundredfold for the inadequacy of his theology. The demand is not that we should fully understand Jesus. That, in any event, we can never do. The demand is for faith. A wise writer has said, ‘We must ask people to think, but we should not expect them to become theologians before they are Christians.’ Christianity begins with a personal reaction to Jesus, a reaction of love, feeling that here is the one person who can meet our need. Even if we are never able to think things out theologically, that response of the human heart is enough.

We don’t need to have all the answers to have faith. We just need to trust Jesus. We sometimes want to know the answer to “how” rather than say “I don’t know how, but I believe!”

Mark (10:50–52)

The question was a test of faith. “What do you want Me to do for you?” (10:51) could have been answered with, “A couple of spare shekels for a poor blind man, Sir.” His asking of Jesus what he asked of every other traveler would have revealed the substance of his faith and the priority of his life. Far too many ask far too little of Jesus; they seek an extra margin of comfort in their miserable slavery to sin when they could ask for—and receive—a full measure of God’s forgiveness, mercy, and saving grace

We need to make our request of Jesus based on His power and not what we think is reasonable.

Ephesians 3:20 (NASB95)

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,

Mark 10:50–52

The man’s physical blindness reflected his spiritual condition.” Fortunately, he didn’t settle for a few extra shekels; he asked for his sight, a request only God could grant. The word rendered “regain sight” is anablepō [308], which can mean “to gain sight” or, as New Testament writers often use the term, “to look up” (Mark 6:41; 7:34; 8:24; 16:4). Jesus accepted the man’s request as a double entendre and a clear indication of his faith. The Lord responded with a double entendre of His own: “Your faith has made you well” (10:52). “Made well” is translated from the Greek word sōzō [4982], which means “I save.” The context determines the meaning. In one sense, Bartimaeus was saved from his blindness; in another, from sin.

(5) In the end there is a precious touch. Bartimaeus may have been a beggar by the wayside but he was a man 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—and that is a perfect summary of the stages of discipleship.

Following Jesus is the proper response to the blessing of Jesus