Jesus Restores The Sight Of Blind Bartimaeus In Jericho
Jesus was leaving Jericho with his followers and Zacchaeus on his last trip to Jerusalem when a blind man cried out to him, begging for his mercy. The crowd with Jesus tried to quiet him, but he cried out more, and Jesus heard him and called to him to come. That man was Bartimaeus, and leaving his cloak behind, he dropped everything that would hinder him from going to Jesus. Jesus touched him and said his faith had saved him. Bartimaeus then followed Jesus. In Matthew’s version, there were two blind men, but Mark and Luke only mention one, and only Mark tells us his name. The differences in these stories are important so that we know these men weren’t copying one another’s accounts of the details.
What can we take away from this story? Though Jesus calls us, it is our faith in him that saves us. Bartimaeus heard about Jesus and believed he could heal him, which gave him enough faith to be saved. Historical information suggests that his father, Timaeus, was also blind, and that Bartimaeus may have been blind from birth, though the Bible doesn’t specify. If this is true, then this miracle is one of the outstanding proofs of Jesus’ deity to the Pharisees, who were full of unbelief. Their livelihood was at stake if they believed in him.
And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God. Luke 18:42
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