Undertaking this wilderness journey with Jesus and his disciples invites us to look inward. We ask ourselves about where we are in the story, and how we ought to respond. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Mark 10:46-47 AFV
[46] Then they came to Jericho. And as He and His disciples were going up from Jericho with a large multitude, Bartimeus the blind man, the son of Timeus, was sitting beside the road begging.
[47] And after hearing that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
He Cried Out
Then, like now, a beggar would be strategically located in busy places, seeking whatever one deems fit to offer them. Then, like now, they didn’t always receive compassion from everyone. Initially, some of us might see them, but they soon become part of the scenery, intentionally ignored. I confess, I don’t always see them, and, given the current connection of begging with other activities, I hardly ever help them. It’s likely that I would not have ‘seen’ Bartimeus.
Self-Check
Do we ignore beggars on the streets? Why/not?
Deeper Dive
As we explore the contrast between the disciples and Bartimeus, it’s important that we ‘see’ this story from multiple angles. Note that Mark has allowed us the privilege of seeing and hearing Bartimeus. This opens a spectrum of possibilities. We might even have the opportunity to hear his perspective. For now, we focus on his actual words. We note that immediately he discovered that Jesus was passing by, he cried out.
Siblings, if we were in Bartimeus’ shoes, would we have cried out? What would we have said? More importantly, would we believe that Jesus could save/heal us?
Reading this Nougat in our time, we can’t help but see and hear as outsiders. Had we read the text from the start of the chapter, we would have seen that Mark was building a case about sight and lack of vision. Some sighted folk lacked the vision to see Jesus as the Son of God. We might not grasp the full story of how Bartimeus saw, but it is evident that despite his physical blindness, he saw Y’shua.
Unlike Matthew and Luke, Mark did not share Jesus’ lineage with us. So Bartimeus’ cry says more than just, ‘Have mercy’. His reference to Y’shua as David’s son indicates that he recognized Jesus’ divine and political authority, one aspect of Y’shua’s identity that was always questioned by His detractors. His desperate cry carried far greater theological and spiritual significance than the brothers’ request to sit in the place of honor. Yet, at face value, we might be inclined to think that the brothers were seeking Heavenly treasures (see Matthew 9:19-21).
As we close our reflection on this Nougat, let us not forget Y’shua’s definition of honor: service and sacrifice. We wait with bated breath to see how Jesus, the disciples, and the crowd will respond to Bartimeus’ faith-filled request.
Points to Ponder
How does Bartimeus’ cry influence our view of
i) beggars;
ii) Y’shua?
More so, what do we learn about our approach to Jesus in prayer?
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May all we seek be found in Christ
