In the Gospel of Mark and Luke, we read about a man named Bartimaeus. He is near the city of Jericho. The narrative is short. The man is blind. He cries out to Jesus. Jesus heals the man. A similar story is also told in the Gospel of Matthew. However, in Matthew’s account there are two blind men, and both ask to receive their sight. For this study, we will focus on Mark and Luke’s account.
Mark 10:46-52
46 Then they *came to Jericho. And later, as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a beggar who was blind named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.” So they *called the man who was blind, saying to him, “Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. 51 And replying to him, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the man who was blind said to Him, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.
Luke 18:35-42
35 Now as Jesus was approaching Jericho, a man who was blind was sitting by the road, begging. 36 But when he heard a crowd going by, he began inquiring what this was. 37 They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38 And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He asked him, 41 “What do you want Me to do for you?” And he said, “Lord, I want to regain my sight!” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Regain your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 And immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.
Bartimaeus
Bartimaeus is two words. It is “bar” which means son and timaeus which is a person’s name. Timaeus is the Latinized form of the Greek name Timaios. Timaios is derived from the word timao, which means to honor. So, Bartimaeus means son of honor.
Jericho
Jericho is located in the West Bank. It is located in the Jordan Valley. The Jordan River lies to the east and Jerusalem is to the west. Since 1967, Jericho has been under Israeli occupation. However, administrative control was handed over to the Palestinian Authority in 1994. It is believed to be one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. It has the oldest known protective wall in the world. Springs in and around the city have attracted inhabitants to this area for thousands of years.
Jericho is the place where the Israelites crossed over the Jordan River and defeated this city in the Promised Land. Israel sends two spies into the area and they search out Jericho. They find shelter in the home of Rahab the harlot. Rahab is questioned by the city guards as to the whereabouts of the Israeli spies. She lies and says they have left the city. For Rahab’s protection of the spies, she is told to gather her family and friends into her house which is on the city wall. A scarlet cord is placed outside her window. (Joshua 2:1-21)
This is the city in which Israel circled the city for six days. On the seventh day, they circled it seven times, and then God caused the walls of the city to fall. Israel defeated the city. Rahab’s household is saved when Israel attacks the city. (Joshua 6:1-25)
The Importance of Rahab
Rahab married Salmon from the tribe of Judah. They have a son named Boaz. Boaz married a Moabite woman named Ruth. Ruth and Boaz had a son called Obed. Obed had a son named Jesse. Jesse had a son named David. David is a man after God’s own heart. He was the second King of Israel after King Saul.
When Bartimaeus calls Jesus the Son of David, it should not be lost on the reader the importance of Jericho in David’s lineage. David’s great-great grandmother is Rahab from Jericho.
A Blind Man
Blind was and still is today an affliction which often has no cure. Once eye sight is lost, it cannot be regained. Blindness is one medical challenge which is seen as being lifelong.
Being cured from blindness is viewed as being miraculous in the Bible. Once a person lost his sight, there was no hope of regaining it. If a blind person regained his sight, it was often questioned if the person was actually blind to begin with since curing blindness meant a miracle must have occurred.
Having one’s sight restored is often described as something God does as one of His promises when the kingdom is restored.
Psalm 146:8-10
The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:
The LORD protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow, But He thwarts the way of the wicked.
The LORD will reign forever, Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!
Isaiah 29:18-23
And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.
19The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the LORD,
And the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the ruthless will come to an end and the scorner will be finished,
Indeed all who are intent on doing evil will be cut off;
21Who cause a person to be indicted by a word,
And ensnare him who adjudicates at the gate,
And defraud the one in the right with meaningless arguments.
22 Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:
“Jacob shall not now be ashamed, nor shall his face now turn pale;
23 But when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst,
They will sanctify My name;
Indeed, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob
And will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
Isaiah 32:1-4
1Behold, a king will reign righteously
And princes will rule justly.
2 Each will be like a refuge from the wind
And a shelter from the storm,
Like streams of water in a dry country,
Like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land.
3 Then the eyes of those who see will not be blinded,
And the ears of those who hear will listen.
4 T he mind of the hasty will discern the truth,
And the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly.
Isaiah 42:5-8
5 Thus says God the LORD,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread out the earth and its offspring,
Who gives breath to the people on it
And spirit to those who walk in it,
6 “I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness,
I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You,
And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the nations,
7 To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the dungeon
And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.
8 “I am the LORD, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another,
Nor My praise to graven images.
Son of David
The title, “Son of David” is a messianic title. If someone was thought to be the messiah, they were called the Son of David. This title is taken from 2 Samuel 7, when Nathan tells David a prophecy.
Now it came about, when the king lived in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, 2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I live in a house of cedar, but the ark of God remains within the tent.” 3 Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.”
4 But in the same night, the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, 5 “Go and say to My servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Should you build Me a house for My dwelling? 6 For I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; rather, I have been moving about in a tent, that is, in a dwelling place. 7 Wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’
8 Now then, this is what you shall say to My servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “I Myself took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader over My people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have eliminated all your enemies from you; I will also make a great name for you, like the names of the great men who are on the earth. 10 And I will establish a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will malicious people oppress them anymore as previously, 11 even from the day that I appointed judges over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you. 12 When your days are finished and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and with strokes of sons of mankind, 15 but My favor shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from you. 16 Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’” 17 In accordance with all these words and all of this vision, so Nathan spoke to David. (2 Samuel 7:1-17)
The most important verses are 12-15. Note, God says a descendant will come from David, and God will establish His kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish his kingdom forever. This means, the person God is going to raise up will be a ruler forever and ever. In other words, Messiah is going to come from King David’s lineage. Also note in verse 14, it says God will be his father and this ruler will be a son of God. When he does wrong, God will discipline him with a rod of men and with strokes of sons of mankind.
Isaiah’s Promise
The prophet promised that one day a new branch would grow up from the old stump of the Davidic dynasty. A new king would arise from the House of David:
“Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.” (Isaiah 11:1-2)
The prophets called the new shoot the mashiach, which means anointed one. The prophets anointed the kinds of Israel with oil to symbolize the LORD’S spirit resting upon them to rule the nation. The word mashiach has the same meaning as our English word Messiah and the transliterated word Christ, which both mean anointed one. Moreover, the word mashiach also referred to the king of Israel. Thus, the name Jesus Christ could be translated as Jesus the King and the name Christ Jesus as King Jesus.
The community of Israelites who returned and rebuilt Jerusalem after the captivity in Babylon hoped their governor Zerubbabel, a descendant of David who had returned with them from Babylon, might be the promised king, the shoot from the stump of David’s house. He was not. Judah’s political subjugation to Persia prevented the possibility of restoring the crown.
Generations passed. The heirs to the throne of David continued to wait. Empires rose and fell. Still no Davidic king emerged.
The descendants of David held on to the promises. They kept careful records of their genealogies because they knew that the coming Messiah must be born from their family. Their genealogical records were like legal deeds to the throne of Israel. Before anyone could claim to be a candidate for Messiah, he must first prove his ancestry was from the house of David. This is the reason why rabbinic literature uses the title Son of David as a name for the Messiah. This also explains why Matthew calls Jesus “the Messiah, Son of David”. To say Jesus is a son of David means He is an heir to the royal dynasty and a legitimate contender for the throne of David.
The early Believers, Jesus’ first followers and His family members all recognized Him as a Davidic heir. Paul states, “He was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh” (Romans 1:3).
If Jesus was not a descendant from David, He is not Messiah at all. God entered into an eternal covenant with King David, promising him that his family and his throne will endure forever, and the throne of Israel will belong to his seed. The true and rightful king must come from David’s house.
Bartimaeus calling Jesus the Son of David
When Bartimaeus calls Jesus the Son of David, he is proclaiming Jesus is Messiah. People in the crowd try to silence Bartimaeus, by he yells louder. It is interesting that Bartimaeus is blind. He could not see Jesus. Of everyone in the world, he should have been one of the last people to recognize the Messiah by sight. However, he seems to be the only person in the crowd to recognize Jesus as Messiah.
This situation reminds me of Isaiah 6:9-10:
9 And He said, “Go, and tell this people:
‘Keep on listening, but do not understand;
And keep on looking, but do not gain knowledge.’
10 Make the hearts of this people insensitive,
Their ears dull,
And their eyes blind,
So that they will not see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
Understand with their hearts,
And return and be healed.”
Although these people could see, their eyes were blind. Bartimaeus was blind, but he was the only one who could see Jesus for who He was.
Back to the Gospels…
Immediately preceding both Luke and Mark’s account of Bartimaeus, we are told about Jesus’ sufferings He will experience in Jerusalem.
Mark 10:32-34
Now they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, 33 saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock Him and spit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him; and three days later He will rise from the dead.”
Luke 18:31-34
31 Now He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things that have been written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. 32 For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be ridiculed, and abused, and spit upon, 33 and after they have flogged Him, they will kill Him; and on the third day He will rise.” 34 The disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.
When reading Luke 18 and Mark 10, we should be reminded about the messianic prophecy given to King David which states his offspring will be disciplined and will be disciplined with strokes given by man. Jesus says such in both Luke 18:34 and Mark 10:34 that He will be flogged. Flogging is being thrashed with a whip or a stick. By Jesus stating what type of punishment He will receive, we should again be reminded that Messiah is prophesied to suffer similar punishment.
For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of dry ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we would look at Him,
Nor an appearance that we would take pleasure in Him.
3 He was despised and abandoned by men,
A man of great pain and familiar with sickness;
And like one from whom people hide their faces,
He was despised, and we had no regard for Him.
4 However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore,
And our pains that He carried;
Yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted,
Struck down by God, and humiliated.
5 But He was pierced for our offenses,
He was crushed for our wrongdoings;
The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him,
And by His wounds we are healed.
(Isaiah 53:2-5)
Throwing off his cloak
In Mark 10:50, we are told Bartimaeus threw off his garment. We can easily overlook this as something unimportant; however, this details is VERY important.
During the Temple period, people who wanted to beg had to be certified by the Temple officials. Not anyone could beg. You must have a limitation such as being lame or blind which impeded you from gaining employment. Unlike today where anyone can hold a sign and beg for money, during the Temple period you had to be declared to be a beggar.
To beg, you were given a special garment. It was an outer cloak which the person had with him at all times. The cloak was the outer symbol that the person was certified by the Temple to beg. If you did not have the cloak, you could not beg, or could not beg legally.
When Bartimaeus throws off his cloak, he is telling everyone around him that he will no longer need to beg. He is going to be healed. He will be made well. He will be able to work and make money to support himself. This is a profound statement about his faith. If Jesus did not heal him, Bartimaeus would have lost his ability to beg. The cloak would have been lost in the crowd. He was blind and would have had a very hard if not impossible time trying to find the garment again. Bartimaeus may have been able to get another cloak from the Temple, but it would have been a lengthy process, with the intervening time being a period in which he could not beg for money.
Your faith has made you well
Jesus tells Bartimaeus his faith has made him well. We have seen Bartimaeus demonstrate his faith by loudly proclaiming Jesus is Messiah when he called Him “Son of David”. Also, when Bartimaeus throws off his beggar’s garment, again, Bartimaeus knows Jesus can and will heal him.
If we were Bartimaeus, would we be willing to give up our security blanket—perhaps our retirement savings, car or home—in an instant because we had so much trust and faith that Jesus could give us a better life. Bartimaeus had a tremendous amount of faith. Although he was blind, he could see clearly who the Messiah was and who would be able to do what man and medicine had not been able to do—to heal Bartimeaus and allow him to see the world with his eyes.
John 9:39-41
39And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” 40Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” 41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
God heals the blind and those crying for help
I will exalt You, Lord, for You have lifted me up,
And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
2 Lord my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me. (Psalm 30:1-2)
The Lord opens the eyes of those who are blind;
The Lord raises up those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over strangers;
He supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He thwarts the way of the wicked.
10 The Lord will reign forever,
Your God, Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord! (Psalm 146:8-10)
“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold;
My chosen one in whom My soul delights.
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry out nor raise His voice,
Nor make His voice heard in the street.
3 A bent reed He will not break off
And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;
He will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not be disheartened or crushed
Until He has established justice on the earth;
And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”
5 This is what God the Lord says,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread out the earth and its offspring,
Who gives breath to the people on it
And spirit to those who walk in it:
6 “I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness,
I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You,
And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the nations,
7 To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the dungeon
And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.
8 I am the Lord, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another,
Nor My praise to idols.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
Now I declare new things;
Before they sprout I proclaim them to you.” (Isaiah 42:1-9)
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