Mk 10:46-52
46As [Jesus] was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. 47On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” 48And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” 49Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, he is calling you.” 50He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. 51Jesus 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.” 52Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.
BARTIMAEUS: This is the identification given by Mark to the blind beggar whose sight Jesus restores as he leaves Jericho on his final journey to Jerusalem (see Mt 20:29-34; Lk 18:35-42). The identification is actually not a proper name, but an alias, meaning “son of Timaeus,” or, in Aramaic, “the son of Timai.”
What is remarkable about this character is his courageous and expectant faith. When he hears that Jesus is passing by, he calls out to Jesus using the Messianic title “Son of David.” In the mouth of the blind beggar, this is probably a respectful form of address, born of the conviction that from Jesus he can expect the gracious mercy of God. But Mark’s readers would hear this cry as an acknowledgment of Jesus’ messianic dignity.
Though rebuffed by those around him, and unsure of Jesus’ response, Bartimaeus persists in his appeal. Jesus singles him out of the crowd and heals him. Then, in terms which echo the response of the first disciples to Jesus’ call, Mark writes that the healed man follows Jesus “on the way” (see Mk 1:18; 2:14). Bartimaeus, thus, is not just another recipient of Jesus’ healing touch. He represents the insightful disciple who follows Jesus to Jerusalem, and to the way of the cross.