Following Jesus
And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. Mark 10:51-52 ESV
He was a man dependent on others to get to his place each day. Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus was a blind man from Jericho, who was sitting by the road begging when Jesus came by, surrounded by a crowd. He couldn’t have followed the crowd very well, much less followed Jesus. What he could do was cry out to Jesus, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Bartimaeus saw Jesus by faith. He called Jesus the Son of David and asked Him to have mercy on him. He saw more in this traveling preacher than some. It may be that he believed Jesus to be the Messiah, the Promised Savior. The extent of his faith is unknown, but that he believed Jesus could help him is indisputable.
What did he want? It seems almost a stupid question. He wanted to see with his own eyes again. He heard Jesus say, “Go. Your faith has made you well.” Then immediately he received his sight. The first person he saw in his new life was Jesus. He left behind his life as a blind beggar and followed Jesus.
We are born spiritually blind, unable to see and understand what God has done for us in His Son. God opened our eyes and cleansed us of sin at baptism. We’ve been following Jesus ever since, seeing Him better and better through His Word. One day we will close our eyes in death and then open them again to see Him. Now we follow, one day He will stop, turn, and embrace us.
He comes, from thickest films of vice To clear the mental ray
And on the eye-balls of the blind To pour celestial day.
The Lutheran Hymnal 66:3