Healing 4 Boldness
Chris Knepp
Healing 4 Boldness
Links
< Home Page > < Hope & Healing Menu >
Hope & Healing Week 4 Text
Stories of Hope and Healing
Boldness
(and Blindness)
Mark 10:46-52
The Healing of Blind Bartimaeus
46 They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a
large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar,
was sitting by the roadside. 47 When he heard that
it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David,
have mercy on me!” 48 Many sternly ordered him to
be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on
me!” 49 Jesus stood still and said, “Call him
here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is
calling you.” 50 So throwing off his cloak, he
sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 Then Jesus said to
him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My
teacher, let me see again.” 52 Jesus said to
him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and
followed him on the way.
Comparison with Other Synoptics
Matthew
• No mention of disciples
• 2 blind men, unnamed, cry to “Lord” (not Jesus) for mercy on us
• No “Call him here” from Jesus; no “Take heart, get up” from the crowd; no throwing off his cloak and “springing up” to Jesus
• “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened” vs. “My teacher [Rabboni], let me see again”
• Jesus heals them because he is “moved with compassion” vs. “your faith has made you well”
• Jesus heals by touching their eyes
What might we learn from this comparison?
Luke
• Jesus is approaching Jericho, not leaving
• One blind man, not named
• No mention of disciples
• Blind man asks what is going on
• “Those who led the way” (not unspecified “many”) tell him to be quiet
• No “Take heart, get up” from the crowd; no throwing off his cloak and “springing up” to Jesus
• “Lord,” not “My teacher,” “I want to regain my sight”
• After regaining his sight, the man began following Jesus, “glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.”
What might we learn from this comparison?
Where are we? On the pilgrimage route from Galilee to Jerusalem (avoiding Samaritans!) for Passover and to the cross
Where are we in Mark’s Gospel?
• Mark 10:46-52 bookends a section beginning with Jesus healing a blind man at Bethsaida in Mark 8:22-26. There, Jesus spits on the man’s eyes and sight is restored in two stages: vaguely, then clearly (unique to Mark). Preview of the disciples!
• Immediately after this first bookend, Peter confesses Jesus as Messiah, not fully grasping that he is to be a suffering Messiah.
• Between the “bookends” are three predictions by Jesus of his death and resurrection; the disciples remain blind to his true mission.
• Immediately after the story of Blind Bartimaeus, Mark gives his account of the triumphal entry of Jesus. The celebration of Jesus envisions a nationalistic, militaristic Messiah.
• And talk about BOLDNESS! Immediately preceding the story of Blind Bartimaeus, James and John have a request. Jesus asks them, exactly as he will ask Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” The brothers say to Jesus: “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”
• Who is more blind: Those who want to sit on thrones or the one who sits in the dust?
Questions and Observations
Bartimaeus
• Beggars sought generosity from those on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. How was that going for Bartimaeus?
• Bartimaeus calls Jesus “Son of David.” What is his “vision” of Jesus? Is this a messianic acclimation, expression of faith, or both? (This is the only time this title is used in Mark.)
• What does Bartimaeus himself show us?
(1) Sheer persistence to overcome the crowd
(2) An immediate and eager response; cast off his cloak and “sprang up.” He who hesitates is lost.
(3) Intentionality; knew precisely what he wanted and asked for it
(4) Faith (albeit in a conquering Messiah), “and faith made up a hundredfold for the inadequacy of his theology.” William Barclay, The Gospel of Mark
• How does Bartimaeus respond to the miracle he has experienced? In what ways has he been healed?
Questions and Observations
“The Many”
• Who do we think makes up this crowd?
• Why do many rebuke Bartimaeus?
• Does the attitude of the crowd change? Why?
• Are we in the crowd?
• “The crowd’s negative reaction to the blind man’s cries for help raises the issue of our compassion for those in need. The community may want to silence embarrassing cries that serve to accentuate the helplessness of those whom they have failed to help. Cries of desperation make most people uncomfortable, particularly when they come from our midst.” David E. Garland, NIV Application Commentary: Mark
Questions and Observations
Jesus
• Why does Jesus tell the crowd to call Bartimaeus?
• What is Jesus himself about to experience? What does this tell us about his concern for the marginalized?
• Again, Jesus asks what seems to be an obvious question: “What do you want me to do for you?” Or is it so obvious?
• “’What do you want me to do for you?’ is the most important question God ever asks us, and the one to which we most frequently give the wrong answer. We ask for all the wrong things in life.” David E. Garland. NIV Application Commentary: Mark
• Bartimaeus’ faith in Jesus as “Son of David” was “inadequate” (Barclay). Does Jesus correct him? (He corrects the scribes on this very point in Mark 12:36-37, quoting Psalm 110.)
• “The present episode reveals that as the Son of David, Jesus expresses his royal authority in works of healing and mercy for the despised outcast, not in rounding up recruits for a revolution.” David E. Garland. NIV Application Commentary: Mark
• Does Jesus enjoin Bartimaeus to keep quiet about what has happened? Why not?
• Does Jesus say to Bartimaeus, “Follow me?”
Amazing Grace
Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch; like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.