Blind Bartimaeus - Mark 10:46

Mark wrote how Jesus told His disciples, “You know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister. And whosoever of you will be the chief, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many”, and in chapter ten and verse forty-six of his book, Mark shared about, “blind Bartimaeus” where we read:

And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.

The verse reads, “And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, ...” Mark began with the words, “and they” which means “and Jesus and His disciples” “came to Jericho” or “appeared and arose to Jericho which means place of fragrance and was a noted city, abounding in balsam, honey, cyprus, myrobalanus, roses and other fragrant products. It was near the north shore of the Dead Sea in the tribe of Benjamin, between Jerusalem and the Jordan River ”: “and as he went out of Jericho” which means “and when Jesus exited the place of fragrance known as Jericho” “with his disciples” or “alongside Jesus' students, pupils and attendants” “and a great number” which means “as well as a large amount and massive group” “of people” or “of human beings both male and female”. Mark shared how Jesus and His disciples not only went into “Jericho” but also “exited” it with a huge crowd following along.

The verse goes on to say, “... blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.” Mark continued with the words, “blind Bartimaeus” which refers to “a man whose vision was opaque and could not see named Bartimaeus which means son of Timaeus”, “the son of Timaeus” or “the offspring and progeny of a man whose name means highly prized”, “sat by the highway side” which means “was seated along the traveled road and journeying way” “begging” or “approaching people with supplications and asking alms”. Mark shared how a man who was “blind” named “Bartimaeus” was “begging” alongside the roadway upon which Jesus and His disciples were traveling.

When we consider Mark's words in this verse, we see Jesus and His disciples were on the move again. This time they were passing through “Jericho” and as they traveled a crowd followed them and a “blind man” named “Bartimaeus” sat along the roadside “begging” as they walked by. This man will have an encounter with Jesus, but suffice it for now to realize even as He traveled, Jesus was ready to minister to people. God sent His Son Jesus so every person may have a relationship with Him, and even as people go about their regular activities, Jesus is ready to minister to them both physically and spiritually when they yield their lives to Him.

Next time Mark shares how “blind Bartemaeus”, “began to cry out, and say, Jesus, you Son of David, have mercy on me” , so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".