Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar

Topic: Determination
Passage: Luke 18:35–43

April 24, 2021

Commentary

As Jesus heads into Jericho, He meets a blind man named Bartimaeus. We know that’s his name from Mark’s account of the story. As we try to understand this incredible encounter between Bartimaeus and Jesus, we can see four different stages that Bartimaeus goes through.

  1. His Blindness (v.35). As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. He was just sitting there, waiting for something to happen because there was nothing he could do to improve his condition. This pictures our spiritual condition. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel (II Cor. 4:4). We are spiritually blind and can’t change that on our own.
  2. His Belief (vv. 36-38). The second thing we notice is his belief. When Bartimaeus called out for the Son of David to have mercy on him, he was expressing his belief that Jesus was the Messiah, and that He could heal his blindness, while the religious leaders who say the miracles were blinded to His identity and refused to recognize Him as Messiah.
  3. His Boldness (vv. 38-39). Bartimaeus knew that he needed mercy because there was nothing he could do on his own, he was determined to call out to Jesus, the Son of David, for mercy (v. 38). Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet.
  4. His Blessing (vv. 40-43). Jesus said to Bartimaeus, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you” (v.42). Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God (v. 43). Because Bartimaeus believed and put his faith in Jesus, he received his sight back. Jesus is looking for more like Bartimaeus today.

Application

Lord, help me to have a strong determination like Bartimaeus, to see things as Jesus sees them.

Luke 18:35– 43 (NET)

35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. 36 When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was going on. 37 They told him, “Jesus the Nazarene is passing by.” 38 So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And those who were in front scolded him to get him to be quiet, but he shouted even more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 So Jesus stopped and ordered the beggar to be brought to him. When the man came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, “Lord, let me see again.” 42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” 43 And immediately he regained his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they too gave praise to God.