Mark 10:46 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.
The ancient language of the Jews was Hebrew, but by the time of Jesus the land had been conquered and re-conquered so many times that the main language had changed to Aramaic. In Hebrew, the word for “son” is “ben.” “Ben-yamin” means “son of my right hand.” However in Aramaic, the word for son is “bar.”
As Jesus was leaving the city of Jericho one day, He heard a blind man crying out to Him. While the rest of the entourage suggested that He ignore him, Jesus came to Him and asked what He could do for him. He wanted to receive his sight, which Jesus granted. But, to my way of thinking, the gift of his sight was secondary. Here is a man whose only identity was that he was “the son of Timaeus.” He had no skill; all he could do was beg. He must have felt utterly worthless. Still, though he couldn’t see, Bartimaeus could reason. He reasoned that this miracle-working Rabbi must be the Son of David, an idiom for “Messiah.” And he reasoned that this might be the only opportunity he would ever have of being this close to Him. So he wouldn’t be stopped in his effort to get Jesus’ attention. If Jesus passed him by, it wouldn’t be for lack of effort on Bartimaeus’ part.
The healing of Bartimaeus’ eyes was minor compared to the healing of his soul. Suddenly, after his encounter with Messiah, this man had an identity. He could make a name for himself; he could be a productive part of society; he wouldn’t have to depend upon the pity of others; he would no longer be known as “that blind son of Timaeus.”
The wonderful thing about this story is that it is repeated again and again. People who encounter Jesus suddenly find that their life has a meaning and purpose that they never had known before. They discovered it when they acknowledged Him as Messiah and pursued Him with all their hearts.
