“And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside….And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.” Mark 10:46,52
September 9-10, 2022
Out of thirty five recorded miracles of Jesus in the Gospels five are the blind who were given sight. Having lived in the darkness and then suddenly you are in the world of technicolor, believing in Christ is seeing. This kind of miracle was a powerful witness to what Jesus can do for those blinded by sin. Mark has placed this account of the healing of blind Bartimaeus at this point in His Gospel to highlight the fact that the payment of the ransom (Christ’s death for us) makes it possible for the blind to see (Mk. 10:45). Miracles were easy for Jesus. But we do a disservice to real miracles when we use the word “miracle” to describe a come from behind win the last seconds of a game. An important purpose of Jesus’ miracles was to use supernatural, instantaneous healing to demonstrate what He could do for sinners. What jumps out at us is Jesus’ mercy shown to desperate people who acknowledge their need for only what Jesus could give. Think of it, Bartimaeus could suddenly see the palms of Jericho blowing in the breeze, beautiful flowers, and to top it off, Jesus Himself. Doesn’t it make us rejoice in how the light of the gospel gave us a whole new outlook on life. We came into this world unable to see. But now we see what condition we were in, who we are now, and where we are going, following Jesus. H
“So live, that as people get to know you better they will get to know Christ better.”