Fifty fifth Page: Blind Bartimaeus’s Acute Vision!

⁴⁶ Now they came to Jericho. As He (Jesus) went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. ⁴⁷ And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Stop

“When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth”

⁴⁸ Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

The website Christianity.com goes into rhapsodies over this phrase. Quote:

“Kyrie eleison”, meaning “Lord, have mercy,” is commonly used as a request for mercy before a formal prayer or as a congregational response during worship in various Christian churches.

“Kyrie Eleison” translates from Greek to English as “Lord, have mercy.” Its simplicity belies its depth of meaning, as it encapsulates a plea for divine compassion and forgiveness. This phrase acknowledges human frailty and sinfulness while beseeching the Lord to bestow His mercy upon the supplicant. It is a humble acknowledgment of human dependence on God’s grace and a reminder of the central tenets of the Christian faith: love, forgiveness, and redemption.

The “Kyrie” section typically includes three invocations: “Kyrie Eleison” (Lord, have mercy), “Christe Eleison” (Christ, have mercy), and a final “Kyrie Eleison.” This trinitarian structure emphasizes the Christian belief in the Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and invites the congregation to seek mercy from each person of the Godhead.

Beyond its liturgical use, “Kyrie Eleison” also appears in various hymns and spiritual songs. Its solemnity and simplicity make it a powerful expression of contrition and a reminder of God’s boundless love and mercy.

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Knowing that the Creator of the Universe was in the vicinity, would you let him pass you by without an encounter just because the multitude wants you, nay warns you to keep quiet.

To the multitude, Bartimaeus was a nuisance, not worth much attention. Normally a few rupees should suffice to silence him. But this time, he cried out all the more. And curiously, this chap is using a different nomenclature from the crowd. 

Looks like the blind man knows more than the sighted!

If this wasn’t enough to trigger their inquisitiveness, just check what happens next.

⁴⁹ So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.

Good Lord, this is not in the script at all! What was hitherto a fairly orderly procession is disrupted. By a blind beggar sitting by the side of the road.

But to their credit, they respond to the developments as they occur.

Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”

That is all the invitation Bartimaeus needed.

How many times has Jesus called you?

Let’s look at Matthew 23:37

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”

Several times in the Old Testament we read that God heard the cry of the children of Israel and sent them succour through a prophet or a judge or a king.

How about you? Do you hear his call? Do you hear his gentle knock on the door of your heart?

Let’s see Revelations 3:20

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

Bartimaeus was quick to respond because of two reasons:

a) he knew he had a problem; he was aware of his condition

b) he knew the one who calls him now is able to heal him, make him whole

Do we know our condition? There may not be anything wrong with us physically – but spiritually? Or are we like the typical Australian who gets up from his fall, dusts himself briskly and says “I am alright Jack”

Are you really alright? Is everything about you hunky dory? Or do you need help?

The touch of the divine

Bartimaeus didn’t lose a moment.

⁵⁰ And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.

Anything inhibiting you, coming in the way of a quick response when the Master calls.

Throw it aside.

Look at Heb. 12:1

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,…”

Bartimaeus rose and came to Jesus.

Quite the right thing to do, coming to Jesus. But first we must rise, get up. Possibly there was some degree of comfort (although low) in sitting under the shade of a tree and hear the tinkle, tinkle as the coins fall into the bowl in front. By evening there was usually sufficient money to feed himself.

I imagine Bartimaeus kicked the bowl out of its place as he hurried to meet Jesus.

⁵¹ So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

I think we know by now that Jesus was a gentle man, somebody who valued meekness over aggressive behaviour. He is not one to force his views on unwilling hearts; check out the Revelation narrative again about His standing outside and knocking. Having created man with an ability to make a choice, He respects that, even when the choice is obvious as in this case.

The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”

Bartimaeus the beggar knew that Jesus was not a person going around with big bucks. But as we said earlier, this guy knew something about the divine nature of Jesus. He calls Him “Rabboni”, which is a title of respect in Aramaic or Hebrew, meaning teacher or master. Elsewhere we are told that it is the most honourable of all titles.

Contrast this with our public meetings where a national or political leader presides. Garland after garland  -both liberal and verbal – till it all gets a little syrupy, gooey and cloying.

This man paid his respect with a single word and didn’t waste any time getting to the point.

I want to see

Oh, yes, he was blind; but he had no difficulty recognizing Jesus.

Something we cannot say for many sighted, many well read, many well informed, many well educated people. They have a lot of difficulty recognizing Jesus for what he really is. It was the same when Jesus came into the world. John 1:11 is quite categorical in this regard:

“He came unto his own, and his own received him not.”

and before that John 1:10: “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.”

Do you know Jesus? Have you had an encounter with Him? Have you pleaded with Him to have mercy? Have you sought Him for His grace to give you spiritual eyes, that you may see. Or are you still wallowing around with the swine, yearning for husk – when there is an empty chair at your father’s banquet table? (Luke 15: 11-32)

When are you going to “come to yourself” as Luke quaintly puts it in the story of the Prodigal son?

⁵²Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

We know the Scottish novelist Alistair Mclean wrote the thriller with the captivating name “Fear is the Key”. But when it come to Jesus, the life-giving phrase is “Faith is the Key”.

Matthew 17:20 says:

Jesus said to them, “…………………….. I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

That’s a tough one, what?

Let’s look at the famous John 3:16, the crux of the gospel.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes (faith) in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.