The Gospel Story by Ronald Cox
Mark 10: 46 — 52
It was probably early afternoon when Jesus and his followers approached the city of Jericho, after a four hour walk down the mountain pass from Ephrem; pilgrims from Galilee and Perea had joined his little company. A new excitement and jubilation swept through the crowd at the presence of the Master who had been away from them for the past six months. In three days' time, this same crowd will shout the same Messianic cries as Jesus rides in triumph into Jerusalem. The blind man by the roadside probably picked up his 'son of David' from the crowd. It was a title used with a definite Messianic meaning.
This is the sixth blind man cured by our Lord in the gospels……
He shares with Lazarus and Maichus the rare honour of being named by the evangelist at the time of his cure: this was probably due to his prominence in Christian circles when St. Mark wrote his gospel………..He is a good illustration of the principle of persistent prayer, taught by Jesus……. He threw his cloak aside, so as to run more quickly. Jesus questioned him, not to find out what he wanted but to obtain a public act of faith; he is always interested in the individual soul, even in the midst of crowds and excitement; with him it is persons rather than people. And the stray sheep recognises the voice of the Shepherd.
Commentary by Mary Betz
Mark 10: 46 — 52
Over the last few weeks, the gospel readings have shown Jesus to be consistently misunderstood by his disciples, especially the Twelve. They mistake discipleship for a sort of fan club, and expect Jesus to be a power-wielding political messiah. They cannot see beyond their own limited understanding of what power is, to know the real empowerment Jesus is offering them.
Today 's gospel is different, because Bartimaeus, though blind, has a special kind of sight which the other disciples haven't yet learned. Bartimaeus knows who Jesus is, and knows that Jesus can heal him. He associates Jesus with David, not because he hopes Jesus will be a political king like David, but because Jesus has shown the compassion and justice that David had been known for.
Bartimaeus persisted in calling to Jesus even though others told him to be quiet (a good thing for us to remember!). Jesus asked Bartimaeus what he wanted of him, sensing that Bartimaeus already had the most important kind of sight. At Bartimaeus' request, however, he did not hesitate to give him full healing.
The story ends with Bartimaeus becoming a disciple of Jesus, and in the context of the chapters to come, following Jesus on the way of his passion. The story leaves us with challenges: are we sufficiently sighted to understand the power of living the values of God's reign rather than the values the world holds dear? Do we embody those values enough to say we are really following Jesus wherever his way leads?
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