Bible Word of the Day
Bartimaeus (A True Disciple)
Meaning
Bartimaeus was a Jewish person who was blind during the time of Jesus. He is well known because of the Biblical account of his healing. Bartimaeus was one of the few people who understood who Jesus really was. He correctly identified Jesus as the “Son of David,” in other words, as the promised Messiah of God. This was a Messianic term which referred to the coming Messiah, in other words the coming of God to the earth. We find the story in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.
We have to understand that during the time of Jesus, a condition like blindness whether caused by injury, birth defect or illness was considered a sign from God that you were being punished as a sinful or bad person. In addition, the restoration of sight was a sign of the coming Messiah. In the end because of his faith, Jesus healed Bartimaeus and restored his sight. Moreover, because of his faith Bartimaeus is considered a model disciple of Jesus. And his story is part of a larger section which discusses the healings of Jesus during His earthly ministry.
“Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me’ Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me’ So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.’ And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ The blind man said to Him, ‘Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.” (Mark 10:46-52)