Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, ‘Go your way; your faith has saved you.”

For the last couple chapters of Mark we have been learning about the nature of Jesus’ kingship, Jesus has been working miracles and He is warning His disciples of His coming death and He even revealed his glorified body to the disciples on the mountain. But they do not seem to understand the plain meaning of the things that He was showing and teaching them. To emphasize this point, Mark employs a common practice in greek literature, to bookend a story or teaching with two separate but related stories. That is what is happening here. The section begins in chapter 8 with Jesus healing a blind man, and ends in todays reading with His healing another blind man. In between He is transfigured, feeds 5000 people by multiplication of loaves, and He predicts His death 3 times.

The healing of the blind men, is meant to call out the disciples blindness to the plain meaning of His teachings, and to get them to understand that Jesus is indeed going to die. He uses the examples of the blind men to help them reflect on the fact of what He is telling them. The Jewish people were waiting for 2000 years for the appearance of a messiah that would be a military and political leaders, that would bring justice. Jesus is trying to get them to understand that this is not what is going to happen, at least not right now.

This message is for us as well. He is calling us all out for being blind too, and asking us to pay attention to His teachings. What is it in your life that God is trying to get you to pay attention to, to look at with the eyes of truth? What is it about this world and this life that you are holding onto, and not fully understanding? It is time to reevaluate your thinking, and make sure that you are following God’s will for your life, and not your own. And if you are not, it is time to sit up and listen to what He is trying to tell you, and have the courage to change if necessary.

But despite that more generalized view of these scriptures, there is also a specific message about this blind beggar and how what he did applies to us as well. The name “Bartimaeus” means “son of Timaeus.” Timaeus is a Greek name meaning “honor” or “honorable” thus this mans name litterally mean “son of honor.” Remember now that when Solomon’s kingdom was divided in two by his sons, and 10 of the tribes moved north. Those tribes merged culturally and religiously with the pagan greeks, and the their synchotism created a new people called hellenistic Jews. Hellenistic means “culturally Greek” but they were also jewish by birth. So this man represents the son of a jewish man with a very greek name, but also a son of the honorable jewish people.

This one name contains a lot of meaning, and it is important that we make note of it. Timeaus in his blindness represents the confused nature of these hellenistic Jews that have lost their way, but nevertheless still have retained the thread of knowledge about their messiah and can still recognize Him when he arrives. What happens next between Jesus and Timeaus is a beautiful representation of what happens when we hear the call of Jesus and answer it. The steps that uccured bewteen Jesus and Timeaus went as follows:

1. Timeaus becomes aware of Jesus and who he really is.
2. He calls out to Jesus, and Jesus hears him.
3. Jesus invites Timeaus to come to Him.
4. At this point he is faced with a decision… possibly the biggest decision of his life… will he either thow off his cloak (his past life) and get up and go to Jesus, or let Him pass by?
5. He throws off his cloak, and runs to Jesus.
6. Jesus then asks him what he wants Him to do for him?
7. Timaeus answers that he wants to see, he wants to know the truth and goodness that Jesus represents, and he wants to live in the grace of the knowlege.
8. Jesus answers the request, but the answer to that question is dependant on Timeaus’ movement. Will he move towards God, and away from his old sinful life, or will he stay stuck in his old life? His cure depends on that choice.
9. Timeaus then decideds to follow Jesus, and this movement is rewarded with God’s blessing and grace.

The same is true for us believers. We too (even today) are called by Jesus, and many of us are so deaf and blind that we do not hear the call, or we are so stuck in our sinful nature that we totally ingnore it. But we are all called just the same. Jesus’s is asking us all the same question, what do you want of me? Do you know what you want? We are all being called today to confront that question. What do you want? Are you deaf to who Jesus is, are you blind to His goodness? If Jesus said to you today “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” what would you do, would you go back to your old life, or would you move toward the new life and the Glory fo God that awaits?

The call stands before you today, the choice is yours. Jesus is waiting like the father of the prodigal son. He is standing on his porch looking to the horizon for you. When he sees you he will come running to you and put his cloak around you and ring on your finger, and you will be his bloved son once again. What are you going to do? Are you going to walk towards him, or away in the other direction? God is waiting for you. Run to him, and you will see again. And you might hear those most glorious words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.”

Oh lord, help me today to not be blind or deaf, to see and hear what you have to share with me in my life at this moment.