The Story of Bartimaeus

Faith and Healing

“As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Baritmaeus, son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the side of the road. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and say, 'Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me'.”

                                            Mark 10:46-47

There are a few things about this story that make it different. First, the blind beggar has a name, Bartimaeus. In most of the healing stories in the gospels, the one being healed is not named. And, as with all Biblical names, his name tells us something about this particular man's role in society. Bartimaeus means, 'son of uncleanness'; he inherited his role as an outcast.

Secondly, the title by which he calls Jesus, is Son of David, not Son of God, or Son of Man. The title is one of royalty, heir of David, which also translates to 'son of loving' or 'son of compassion'. It is the title given to the Messiah. This son of uncleanness calls upon the compassion of Jesus, the Messiah, to heal him of blindness. Later in the story, Bartimaeus calls Jesus, Rabboni, which means literally, my rabbi, or my master. We are told that after his vision is restored, he follows Jesus as a disciple.

This is another story about Jesus' difference from the other Jews of his day. Every other observant Jew would have passed Bartimaeus on the far side of the road—he was unclean, untouchable, outcast because his blindness was believed to be the result of sin, his father's sin—Timaeus means tame, or unclean. Instead, Jesus stopped the whole procession and told them to bring this outcast to him. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asks. Jesus looks him in the eye, person to person, acknowledging his humanity, his kinship. When Bartimaeus asks him to 'let me see again', Jesus tells him, 'Go, your faith has made you well'. It is worth noting that Jesus does not say, 'I will heal you' or 'so granted, because it is within my power to heal you', but instead, acknowledges that healing comes from within.

We all carry a little bit of Bartimaeus within us—blind to the fact that we hold the key to our own healing. There is nothing in heaven above, or on earth below that can separate us from God's compassion except for our own belief that we are unworthy.

                                           In the spirit,

                                             Jane