I Want To See!

Posted on by Japanese Congregational Church

Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.  Mark 10:46-52

This story, the healing of Bartimaeus, is the climax, or conclusion, to the first half of the gospel of Mark, as Jesus is making his final trip toward Jerusalem. For this entire final journey to Jerusalem Jesus has been trying to explain what true discipleship is – what it looks like, what it means to be a disciple. And those around him never seem to really understand.

  • Peter doesn’t seem to understand….he recognizes that Jesus is the Messiah, but refuses to accept that Jesus must die on a cross.
  • The rich young man didn’t seem to “get it” as he turned sadly away from following Jesus, after being told that he would have to sell all his possessions.
  • The sons of Zebedee, James and John, didn’t seem to understand discipleship when they asked for special positions – on Jesus’ right and left – when he came into his kingdom.

But here we have a blind beggar, who seems to understand clearly, who Jesus is, and what following him will entail. We know that he’s important to Mark, because of all the healings recorded in Mark, this is the only individual who is named. We see the faith of Bartimaeus in the following:

  1. He grasps who Jesus is. (“Jesus, Son of David……”) this phrase appears ONLY here in Mark.
  2. He persists… despite hindrances  (the people try to shut him up, but he continues shouting…..)
  3. He expects a transformation… he expects to be healed  (he throws off his cloak as he’s led to Jesus)
  4. He asks for the right thing  (not a place of privilege – see James and John earlier…but sight.)
  5. He immediately follows Jesus on his way (to Jerusalem and crucifixion)

But I want to have you take special notice of….. and remember…..his cry:

“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

This has been used within the Christian Church, particularly the Orthodox Church, and known as the “Jesus Prayer”. It is similar to the prayer of the publican (tax collector) in Jesus’ parable who, in contrast to the proud Pharisee, prayed “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

“Jesus Christ, Son of David, have mercy on me, a sinner!”

In this short prayer and cry – all of the essentials are confessed:

Who Jesus is:  Royalty, Messiah, Son of God

Who I am:  A blind beggar

What I need:  Mercy

This is the essential way in which we approach God, in our neediness, blindness, and sin.

We have no real claim on Jesus outside of this plea for mercy. It may seem strange that Jesus asks Bartimaeus a question that would seem obvious. “What is it you want?” One way to understand it is that the man is a beggar, so he might simply be after some money.  In that case, Jesus’s question may be better understood as, “What do you really want?”

Bartimaeus says that he wants to see… to have his sight restored. But it’s clear that although his eyes are blind, Bartimaeus already has a kind of spiritual insight – he knows clearly who Jesus is, and that Jesus is the only one that can help him.

If Jesus were to ask us “What do you want me to do for you?”…. how would we answer?

Would it be a list of things that we wish God would do for us…..?  A place of privilege? Security for our retirement?    Or…. If we really understood who Jesus was, and what our need was, would we simply have a request more like Bartimaeus…   “Lord, I want to see!” 

(The above is a summary of the message shared during worship on October 6, 2024.)