“Now as Jesus was approaching Jericho, a man who was blind was sitting by the road, begging. “. [Luke 18:35]
The blind man’s name is Bartimaeus, but Luke doesn’t tell us that. We learn his name in the same story in Mark 10:46. Maybe Luke forgot to mention his name, or maybe he was being kind. You see, Bartimaeus actually means “son of filth.” Son of filth, seriously, what a heartbreaking name. The deck is really stacked against this guy. He has a humiliating name, he’s blind, and he is treated like garbage by his community. When Bartimaeus finds out that Jesus is walking by and starts calling out to Him, the people around him yell at him to shut his mouth.
They want him to shut up because all his hollering and misery are ruining their moment. The people of Jericho had walked out of their village in a customary show of respect to honor an important religious leader, a rabbi, who was approaching their village. Most likely, a wealthy and important man from their town had been chosen to host the rabbi at his house and they were escorting him to his house. But this rabbi was different. Rather than being swept up in the surge of praise and honor from the people around him, Jesus hears the cry of a broken man. He hears his suffering and stops the whole procession to show compassion to the man this community had shut out. The word “compassion” literally mean, to suffer with. Jesus is more interested in entering into the suffering of Bartimaeus than in hurrying along to the dinner party being given in His honor.
After Jesus stops, Luke tells us that He, “commanded that he be brought to Him.” Don’t miss this moment because there’s something really beautiful going on here. In a subtle way, Jesus is rebuking the community for their treatment of Bartimaeus. He commands the same people who were yelling at Bartimaeus to shut up to now act as his servants, taking him by the hand and leading him into Jesus’ presence. It’s almost as if Jesus is gently telling them, “this is what compassion looks like and this is what you were supposed to be doing all along. You congratulate yourselves for honoring me, who you think of as a big-name religious guy, but I’m much more interested in you showing honor to the outcasts.”
Next, Jesus asks a question that seems obvious. He asks Bartimaeus, “What do you want Me to do for you?” To which we would all be tempted to roll our eyes and say, “come on Jesus, obviously, he wants to see.” But Jesus knows that if he heals Bartimaeus, Bartimaeus will lose his livelihood. As a blind man, Bartimaeus wouldn’t have had a trade or an education. His blindness was actually his means of employment. Among the Jews, giving to the poor and needy was a religious obligation and blindness made Bartimaeus an obvious recipient. Jesus knows he’s going to have a hard time making a living if he regains his sight and He wants to make sure Bartimaeus is up for the challenge. This is another layer of Jesus’ beautiful love and care for Bartimaeus. The story begins with Bartimaeus crying out to Jesus alone. It ends with him crying out to God in praise, and the entire community joins in with him.
Scripture Reference:
“As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.”
Luke 18:35-43 ESV
Discussion Questions:
1. Bartimaeus made a scene, crying out for help when Jesus passed by. Are you willing to do the same? Or are you too ashamed to admit that you need Him, too prideful or too afraid of what others may think?
2. The Kingdom of Heaven has an entirely different value system than the kingdoms of this world. Do you find yourself being more interested in joining the crowd around the people who the world values than you are in finding the “worthless” people who are quietly suffering on the outskirts of our communities?
3. Write a list of the three people who you consider to be the most important humans alive today. Now, make a list of the types of people you think of as the least valuable, the people no one would notice if they disappeared. Notice the contrast in your list. Based on the story of Bartimaeus, what do you think is the value system of the Kingdom of Heaven?
Assignment:
Reflect and Journal
Take a moment to think about the lies this poor beggar believed about himself and the parallels to your own life. What are the lies you are believing about your own life that are actually deceiving you about the reality of Christ’s power to change your life?
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so. “ – Mark Twain
What are you believing for sure, that just ain’t so? About God, about your future, about yourself….but it just ain’t so.
Here are a few that came to mind;
1. I’m fine
2. I don’t need anyone’s help
3. Nobody cares about me
4. Nothing going to change
5. I can’t trust anyone
Take a moment to reflect and journals about the lies your are believing, that are preventing you from living your life to the fullest.