James Clein T.

Tang
LCENWRD - A64D
Jesus Heals the Blind Man - Story of Bartimaeus
Mark 10:46-52

This Bible story (or Bible verse in particular) can be found in the Gospel according to
Mark (Mark 10:46-52). Mark wrote the Gospel of Mark, a short, action-packed account of the life
and mission of Jesus. He also helped Paul, Barnabas, and Peter in building and strengthening
the early Christian church.Three names appear in the New Testament for this early Christian:
John Mark, his Jewish and Roman names; Mark; and John. The King James Bible calls him
Marcus. Mark wrote his gospel a few years after the death of Jesus, in about A.D. 70 with the
intention of broadcasting Jesus' good works. A close reading will reveal that the writings are
mainly focused on the last three weeks of the life of Jesus. In it, Mark declares Jesus is the Son
of God, and a messenger of God.

This Bible verse is a reference point as Jesus moves to Jerusalem, the centre of power
and authority in Judaism. In Jerusalem, faithlessness and spiritual blindness are portrayed in all
their malevolence, vindictiveness and deadliness. Jewish people also believed that illness and
disability were a punishment from God because the person had committed sins. Bartimaeus, a
blind beggar, was told by the crowd to be quiet. In their opinion, he did not deserve to have
Jesus listen to him. The gospel of Mark was written for the Galilean Christians who were living
under threat of persecution by the Jews. In Mark's depiction of Jesus' ministry and death he
focuses on eliminating, or debunking any political connotations connected with the title "Christ"
and the crucifixion. Mark stresses that Jesus was not an anti-Roman rebel who intended to
assume political power over an earthly Israel. The purpose of the gospel of Mark is purely and
simply an announcement of the words and works of Jesus. It is the shortest of all the gospels
which would have suited the simple, straightforward approach the Romans favored. In his work,
Mark gives reference to the Old Testament only once, again this would have suited his
readership knowing that they had little or no knowledge of the Old Testament.

One interpretation of the Bible verse I chose was by Matt Skinner. Matthew L. Skinner is
Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.. In his interpretation of the
verse, he tells us to don’t feel bad for Bartimaeus, though; he already knows how to deal with
people who try to silence him. His persistence adds substance to his bold expression of “faith
alone” According to Skinner (2008), Jesus names faith as what impels Bartimaeus, which can
be seen in the final verse. The rest of the story shows us what that faith is. Bartimaeus’s faith is
not about reciting the correct confession or subscribing to certain dogmas. It is his unrelenting
conviction that Jesus can and will rescue him from his need. Bartimaeus expressed his active
faith in several and all possible ways: He grasps who Jesus is, He persists despite hindrances,
He expects a transformation, and He asks for the right thing. Without Bartimaeus, and others in
Mark like him who tenaciously cling to Jesus out of faith born from their urgent needs, this
Gospel would offer little assurance that anyone could have the spiritual insight to perceive the
mysterious ways of God in the person and ministry of Jesus Christ.

Reflection:
After thorough research and reading different interpretations of this Bible story or verse
on the internet, I gained a lot of new insights about the Gospel of Mark and also in life. Initially, I
chose this Bible verse since it focuses on miracles and healing those with disabilities. I do
commend myself for choosing this Bible story as I gained additional knowledge not only about
the verse and gospel itself but also about the life of people during the era of Bartimaeus, and
how society treated people with disabilities like him. I do learned that in the time of Bartimaeus,
most blind men would be beggars. While begging is regarded charitably in that culture, this
man’s life would be unpleasant at best. I also had a grasp of what it’s like before when it comes
to their surroundings and environment. The roadside is a place for marginal people. The road on
the day the Bible story took place would be noisy with pilgrims headed for Jerusalem. I do
express pity for Bartimaeus’ as I could not imagine his difficulty understanding what is
happening in the confusion of the noisy crowd. Not only is he blind, but he also seems not to
have friends and companions to help him.
 Bartimaeus is physically blind. We all know how challenging it is to be blind, and he has
spent his entire life living in the dark. In a world full with darkness, it is challenging to look for
light. Life may be demanding and challenging. In that pitch-blackness, Bartimaeus discovered
the light and made the decision to believe in His Savior. He kept on pleading to Jesus for mercy
to the point where the crowd urged him to keep silent. Even if this can make him feel dejected,
he nevertheless called out to Christ. He was healed because of his unwavering faith and desire
to find light. This illustrates how, only if we desire His glory, our trust in God may transform our
lives. God is merciful, but we also need to play our role, which is to try our hardest and
accomplish everything we can. We might not be physically blind like him, but we are spiritually
blind. We all have our similarities which is how we want to seek light land clarity. Only God is
capable to do that and He has shown us the light in the form of Christ to show how God loves
us. God may not give everything that we demand, but He will always find a way to bring light,
healing, and forgiveness to all who seek Him. He has plans for us and will never leave us astray.
Seek Him and He will do everything to see the glory of God.
References:
https://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/the-purpose-of-the-gospel-of-mark-faq.htm
https://www.learnreligions.com/john-mark-author-of-the-gospel-of-mark-701085
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2010%3A46-52&version=NIV
https://catholicidentity.bne.catholic.edu.au/scripture/SitePages/Mark-10-4652--Giving-sight-to-a-
blind-man-at-Jericho.aspx?csf=1&e=pb5efG