Open My Eyes Lord So That I Can Follow You

Mark 10:46-52

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

Introduction

There is a blind man left his village and followed the winding path through the forest. He was on his way to see his friend in the neighbouring hamlet. After his arrival, the two friends spent many happy hours together. At last, it was time for the blind man to return to his village.

"I want to go home now," the blind man said, "it is already nightfall. Please give me a lantern to carry it along the way home."

"Lantern? What good is a lantern to a blind man?" his friend asked.

"It is to avoid accidents. It will help other travellers on the narrow path see me coming." The blind man answered.

With this thought in mind, the blind man took the lantern; thanked his friend, and went on his way. While plodding along the meandering path, he enjoyed the cool, fragrant mist which enveloped both him and the sound of chirping crickets. However, imagine his surprise when nearly home, he suddenly collided with a huge man.

"Fool! Why don’t you watch where you’re going?" the big man shouted.

"Why didn’t you see my lantern?" asked the blind man.

"Lantern? Oh, yes, . . . Well, the candle is out!"

So, a lantern is not much help to a blind man after all. This story reminds us that many of us think that we can see and we are carrying a lantern to light up the dark for others to see. But actually, we are blind and we don’t realise that the light of our lanterns has gone off.

Interpretation

Jesus and his disciples came to Jericho. As they were leaving Jericho together with a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard, it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out, "Son of David, Jesus! Have mercy on me!"

By using 'Son of David entering Jerusalem', he echoed the popular expectation of a Messiah who was to come to revive Israel. This phrase likens to a political taboo under Roman rule. Many people rebuked Bartimaeus and told him to be quiet, yet Bartimaeus shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

The fact that Bartimaeus is not dissuaded but shouts out all the more confirms the depth of his faith in Jesus!

Jesus stopped, and said to the people, "Call him."

So, the people called the blind man, "Cheer up, and get up! He’s calling you."

Bartimaeus threw his cloak aside, jumped up and came to Jesus. The cloak was used to store the charity money collected from begging. So Bartimaeus, without a care, abandoned his ‘rice bowl’ to respond to Jesus’ calling. He believed that Jesus was the Messiah, who would surely heal him.

Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man said, 'Rabbi, I want to see!"

Jesus said: "Go, your faith has healed you."

Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the way!

Bartimaeus wanted more than money. He wanted to see. More importantly, after he had received his sight, he followed Jesus on the way, the way leading to Jerusalem. Bartimaeus wanted to see because he wanted to follow Jesus. He wanted to be a disciple of Jesus! What kind of way are Jesus and Bartimaeus leading to?

It’s the way of obedience to God’s will, the way of self-denial and long-suffering. How do we know this?

In the preceding texts (8:31; 9:31; 10:33-34), three times, Jesus predicted that He would enter Jerusalem to suffer and die. So, the way to Jerusalem is definitely the suffering road.

From the context of the Scripture, the Bartimaeus' account was the ending of the section of 8:22-10:52. In this section, the two blind men receiving their sight formed the inclusio, i.e the 'frame' for this section of text. Bartimaeus was the last blind man who echoed the first blind man from Bethsaida (8:22-26).

At Bethsaida, Jesus had spit on the blind man’s eyes and put his hands on him. He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more, Jesus put His hands on the blind man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Why did Jesus need to lay His hands twice on the blind man to heal him?

This is a rhetorical strategy of the narrator; the first blind man in Bethsaida who gradually received his sight, indicated that the disciples shall also gradually come to understand Jesus as the suffering Messiah who would give His life to bring salvation to all. They would also come to understand the cost of discipleship.

Immediately after Jesus had healed the first blind man at Bethsaida, Peter declared that Jesus was the Messiah, so the disciples' 'eyes' were opened! However, when Jesus predicted His death for the first time, Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But Jesus in turn rebuked Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You do not have the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (8:33)

Then the text moved on to the account where Jesus predicted his death a second time, the disciples had on the way argued about who was the greatest (9:34). Later when Jesus predicted His death a third time, James and John came to him. Jesus asked them the same question that He would later asked Bartimaeus: "What do you want me to do for you?" (10:36)

They replied, “Let one of us sit at Your right and the other at Your left in Your glory.”

Even though the disciples had recognized Jesus as the Messiah, they did not see clearly. They did not know what true discipleship was. Instead, they pursued their own power, prestige, status, glory and comfort. For this, Jesus rebuked them.

Ironically, the disciples who had wanted to share 'the glory of Jesus', later found out that this “glory” was the humiliating cross, and on both sides of the cross, two criminals stood crucified.

However, for the second blind man, Bartimaeus from Jericho; he was completely healed at once and he received his sight. This healing act indicated that the disciples' spiritual eyes would finally see clearly and have faith in Jesus after His resurrection, just as Jesus had commended Bartimaeus, ‘Your faith healed you!’

In addition, we also noted that Bartimaeus' faithful act of following Jesus reversed the act of the rich man whose face fell and went away sad when he was challenged to follow Jesus, because he had great wealth. (10:22)

The rich man and the disciples were blinded by wealth, power, status, prestige and glory. They had not really understood who Jesus was. However, both Bartimaeus’ spiritual and physical eyes were opened and he became a true disciple of Christ.

Conclusion

Bartimaeus reversed the rich man's refusal to follow Jesus. He also reversed the disciples’ misunderstanding of discipleship. As Jesus was entering into His Passion, Bartimaeus was waving to us, the readers of Mark, to give us a model of true discipleship to imitate. The true disciple will walk on the way of Jesus—the way to suffering.

Application

Dear brothers and sisters! You are to trust the Lord firmly. Call out to Him and when He summons you, put everything aside and go to Him. And when He asked you what you want Him to do, go for it. Don’t look back at the small, selfish comforts of victimhood but ask for freedom, for salvation.

Don’t ask "What can the church do for me?" but rather "What can I do for the church?" And when you get it, be prepared to follow Jesus wherever He leads, even to a suffering road.

Today, do we trust in Jesus, and believe that following His steps is always good for us?

Maybe we have been too busy with ourselves and pushed God to the edge of our lives; our love for God fading, our service to Him also dwindling; we grow cold or even doubt God's presence; or we become dependent on our own wisdom and wealth or the powerful people around us, rather than clinging to God alone. Maybe we are already blind and we also don’t realize our lanterns are no more shining.

Today, our Lord Jesus is asking you the same question: "What do you want me to do for you?”

We pray to God for health and wealth, for success in our careers and studies. There is nothing wrong in asking for such blessings, but the crux is, “Why are we pursuing these?" If it is just for personal gain and comfort, we would be like the disciples, though our eyes are opened, yet they are still blurred in vision!

The Lord is good to us. He has indeed led us all the way, given us enough grace to move up the ladder among the successful, in order that we can be better equipped to follow Christ, to imitate Christ, to be disciples of Christ.

Let’s now act like Bartimaeus: spring up from our seats at the sideline, throw aside our cloak, and follow Jesus all the way, even if the way leads to suffering and servanthood. Along the way, we will encounter difficulties, setbacks, losses, slanders or persecutions, but do not retreat. We shall overcome as Christ has overcome on our behalf on the cross.

Let’s offer this prayer to the Lord:

O Lord Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me, I want to see!  I want to see how to be better equipped to be a disciple after your own heart. I want to see the problems that this world, my country and my society are facing. I want to see how I can contribute to overcome these problems and overcome the evils prevailing. I want to see how I can deliver the words of the Scripture as a relevant message to this world. I want to see how I can be the salt of the world and to shine for Jesus. I want to see in what way I can help my fellow brothers and sisters, also help the local church to grow from strength to strength…...