Jesus 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.” Mark 10:51 (NABRE)
In the book of Mark chapter 10:46-52, the Bible tells us a story about Jesus healing a certain blind man called Bartimaeus.
It happened after Jesus and His disciples reached the town of Jericho, on their way to Jerusalem, when a large crowd of people followed him, and along with them, there was Bartimaeus, a blind man who used to sit beside the road, begging.
The story tells us that when he (the blind man), heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
But apparently, people following Jesus felt annoyed at his screaming, so they yelled at him to be quiet. The more they yelled at him to be quiet, the more he shouted louder.
And when Jesus heard him, he stopped and asked his disciples to call for the blind man to come to him.
Which he did, and at Jesus presence, in verse 51, Jesus asked him saying; “What do you want me to do for you?”
What a question!
Isn’t He the Messiah?
Isn’t He God and suppose to know what the man wanted from Him?
Isn’t it obvious that the man wanted to be healed from his blindness? – People may ask!
But know this people, Jesus’ question is deeper than that. He wanted him to profess his faith. He wanted Bartimaeus to profess his belief in the Son of Man.
Bartimaeus recognized Jesus as the Messiah. He knew that the Messiah would be a descendent of King David (Isaiah 9:7), when he called, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
He knew that Jesus was the Son of the living God.
Bartimaeus believed in Jesus. His faith in Jesus as the Messiah brought healing to his blindness.
And in Luke 10:52, the Lord concludes by telling Bartimaeus to go, for his faith had healed him. Just as it's written, “Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17 (NABRE)
So, as you can see, the book of Mark 10:46-52 is like a mirror / reflection to show us how blind we can be when we choose not to believe in Jesus.
Back in Jesus' time, there were many spiritually blind people, not only the average man, but also the religious leaders who considered themselves wise before their own eyes.
So it is also clear that, the same spiritual blindness that affected the people of Jesus time, is also affecting us in this present time when we allow our pride to control our hearts.
In conclusion:
Just like Bartimaeus, in faith and boldness, asked Jesus to be healed; we should also in faith and boldness, but with a humble heart, ask our Father in heaven, that through Jesus, He may grant us our requests.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, in the book of John 16:23 you said; “truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, He will give it to you.” So behold, with a humble heart, in your name I ask the Father that He may increase my faith in the Trinity so that I can love you more and serve you better. In your name I pray, Amen.
