Bartimaeus - Not Just Another Blind Man

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,  
Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,
sat by the roadside begging.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say,
"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. 
But he kept calling out all the more,
"Son of David, have pity on me."
Jesus stopped and said, "Call him."
So they called the blind man, saying to him,
"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.  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."  Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

Did you ever notice that there seemed to be a lot of blind people in the ancient world?  There was a reason you could go to any marketplace and find the blind there begging for alms.  The disease, which still occurs in third world countries today is caused by flies.  What happens is that the water underneath they eyelid dries up, the eyelids became puffy and they swelled causing the loss of sight.  Today we call it "Ophthalmic conjunctivitis."   It is extremely contagious and can be contained only by segregating those that have it from others.   One of the signs of the Messiah, according to Jewish belief, would be that the Messiah would restore sight to the blind. (Isaiah 35:5)  So the fact that Jesus healed the blind pointed to Him as being the Messiah. 

But Bartimaeus was meant to be a role model for us.  We are all blind in some respects and we all need the healing touch of Jesus to make us whole again. Look at what Bart went through to get His sight back.

1.  Since he could not see, he had to depend on the sight of others to determine when Jesus around.  In our lives too we, sometimes, have to hear from others that Jesus is present because we may not see Him in the circumstances that we find ourselves in. 
2. Bartimaeus calls out and he is rebuked by the people nearby who do not want Jesus to be bothered with the likes of a dirty blind man.  The world will tell us that seeking help from Jesus is a waste of time.  We must be persistent and keep our faith in Jesus and in His ability to help.
3. Jesus did not seem to hear the blind man but that did not stop Bart from raising his voice again and again until Jesus responded.  We must be persistent in our prayers.
4. Jesus asked what the blind man wanted and Bart responded very clearly, "I want to see."  When we want a favor from God, be bold and request exactly what you want., be specific.  You may not get what you want, but you will always get what you need. 
5. Finally, Bart received his sight back and he began to follow Jesus.  God will often use the circumstances in our lives to get us back on the right path to Him. 

So the blind man Bartimaeus was not simply a blind beggar. He was an example for you and me to become followers of Jesus with twenty-twenty spiritual sight. 

Remember the Poor Souls in Purgatory.  Pray for them today and every day. 

"