Two Miracles of Restored Sight
TRANSLATION
(46) And they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples together with a large crowd were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means the son of Timaeus), was sitting by the side of the road begging. (47) And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” (48) And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out even more, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” (49) And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him to me.” And they called the blind man telling him, “Take heart. Get up, he is calling you.” (50) And throwing his cloak aside, he jumped up and came to Jesus. (51) And Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, I want to see.” (52) And Jesus said to him, “Go your way. Your faith has healed you.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed Jesus on the way.
OBSERVATIONS
Of the several repetitions that mark this narrative, the beggar’s repeated appeal, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” (vss. 47 & 48), stood out. Others included “Jericho” (twice in vs. 46), “blind” (vss. 46 & 51), “sight” (vss. 51 & 52), “cry/cried out” (vss. 47 & 48) along with “call” (three times in vs. 49). One more repetition made it evident that two miracles actually took place when Jesus healed Bartimaeus. First, we read that Jesus told him, “Go your way,” and then at the end of the verse we see that Bartimaeus had decided to follow Jesus “on the way,” making Jesus’ way his way (vs. 52). Not only had Jesus restored his physical sight but had opened his spiritual eyes as well.
OUTLINE
I. Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus for healing. (46-50)
II. Jesus responded to his faith by restoring his sight, both physical and spiritual. (51 & 52)
IDEA STATEMENT
To those who seek him in faith Jesus responds with healing grace.
APPLICATION
Paul offered the following benediction at the end of Ephesians 3, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20 & 21). The healing of blind Bartimaeus is an outstanding example of the Savior doing abundantly more than he was asked to do. When Jesus said, “What do you want me to do for you?” Bartimaeus responded, “Rabbi, I want to see.” In the process of opening his physical eyes, Jesus also gave him spiritual enlightenment to see who the Son of David really was and to trust in him for life eternal.
Which was the greater miracle? Both took the powerful working of God, the first in physically healing the blind man’s eyes and the second in spiritually regenerating his heart. While we may never determine which was the greater demonstration of power, we can certainly agree that the second healing had a far greater impact in Bartimaeus’ life. Physical sight is needed only as long as we remain on earth, but spiritual insight impacts our eternal existence. Physical blindness, while a terrible disability, is nothing compared to the tragedy of spiritual blindness. Those who with physical sight remain in spiritual darkness have no idea of the glory, the wonder, the delights of knowing God’s love through the Savior, Jesus Christ. As we live and testify to our faith among the spiritually blind, our prayer should constantly be, echoing the cry of Bartimaeus, “Lord, let them see!”