The Blind Bartimaeus Story – 5 Amazing Truths

Blind Bartimaeus most likely had a rotten life in extreme poverty.  To make matters worse, he was blind.  With no way to earn a living and no one to care for him, he was reduced to begging for money on the streets of Jericho.

Then he had an encounter with Jesus, and his life was completely changed…

The blind Bartimaeus story is a great example of faith and God’s ability to do the miraculous.  Found in Mark 10:46-52, the blind Bartimaeus account is relatively short.

However, there are five key truths found in this passage that we can apply to our walk with Jesus.

Blind Bartimaeus Made the First Move

I think it is very important to notice that Bartimaeus acted first by crying out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”

It’s a very simple concept: If you want to see a move of God, you have to take the first action in faith.

If you think Jesus will work in your life just because you believe He can, I implore you to further study the scriptures.

You will discover that anyone who experienced God’s miraculous work had an active faith in God...

I could probably fill a book with all the examples in the Bible of how faith requires us to take a step, but I think you get the idea.

Good Deeds And Active Faith Are Not The Same

I think there needs to be a distinction made between good deeds and active faith: active faith can be a good deed, but good deeds are not all considered active faith.

For example, I can volunteer to help at a soup kitchen to feed the homeless.  That is a good deed, but not necessarily active faith.  If I repent and get baptized in the name of Jesus, that is active faith.  I am obeying Acts 2:38 in expectation of receiving the Holy Ghost as promised.

This is the exact principle James teaches in James 2:14-24.  If your faith lacks works, or action, then it’s not really faith at all.    

Bartimaeus Overcame Opposition

After Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus for help, there was push back from the crowd: “Then many warned him to be quiet…”

People that were around Bartimaeus wanted him to be quiet.  They didn’t care he was trying to get the attention of Jesus, the Almighty God.  They didn’t seem to care he had a huge need only Jesus could meet.  They simply didn’t want to hear his yelling.

Don’t be like those people in the crowd with Bartimaeus that day.  If you are in the business of discouraging others, then you have something seriously wrong with your spirit. 

The Bible is clear: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” -Ephesians 4:29-32

Paul couldn’t have put it any plainer.  Not only do you have a wrong spirit if you are discouraging your brother or sister in Christ, you are grieving God himself.  I wouldn’t want to do that if I were you.

Bartimaeus was faced with an obstacle and had a decision to make: would he give up or push forward?

When ever we seek out Jesus in prayer, we don’t always get the answer we are looking for.  It is at that point we have to make a decision on how we will respond.

And our response will determine what God will do next…

Blind Bartimaeus decided to not let the negative voices affect him.  He understood this may be the only opportunity he would get to have an encounter with Jesus.  So, instead of being quiet, Bartimaeus yelled for Jesus even louder.

The Bible says that Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.

Bartimaeus pushed through the obstacle thrown at him, which got the attention of Jesus.

Some People Encouraged Blind Bartimaeus

Not everyone in the crowd was against Bartimaeus.  There were some that decided to encourage Blind Bartimaeus towards his miracle…

Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” Mark 10:49

Just like these people in the crowd, we need to encourage our brother or sister in Christ when they are down or in need.

You just never know; an encouraging word could be exactly what someone needs to give them that final push toward their miracle.  Don’t ever discount the power of encouragement.

Bartimaeus Shook Off His Old Identity

This is part of the Blind Bartimaeus account that I think gets overlooked.  

Check out this excerpt from hebrews12endurance.com:

Bible scholars believe blind Bartimaeus may have spread his cloak in front of him as a kind of catch all for any coins that were tossed to him. If that were the case, then his cloak was a tool of his trade. Without his cloak, he would have difficulties collecting the alms that were given to him.

In other words, this outer garment identified Bartimaeus as a beggar.  By casting this garment off, Blind Bartimaeus was essentially stating he no longer wanted to identify with his past life of a blind beggar. 

It also showed that Bartimaeus had faith that Jesus was going to heal him.  He was completely bought in to his impending miracle from Jesus and knew he would no longer need that outer garment he used for so long to collect money to live.

He was about to receive his sight and an opportunity for a new life!   

Bartimaeus was Healed Because of His Faith in Jesus

Jesus asked Bartimaeus what he could do for him, and Bartimaeus asked for his sight to be restored.  Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” 

And from that moment forward, Bartimaeus was healed.  No longer would he be labeled as a blind beggar; Bartimaeus now had his sight and a testimony of the miraculous work Jesus did in his life.

Bartimaeus fought for his miracle, and Jesus honored his faith by restoring his sight.  If Bartimaeus hadn’t cried out and continued to cry out in the face of opposition, he would have stayed a blind man begging on the side of the road.

The active faith of Bartimaeus brought him to the great master, God almighty in flesh, Jesus who responded to his faith by opening his eyes.

Do You Need A Miracle?

If you need Jesus to work the miraculous in your life, it is important that you follow the example of Bartimaeus in Mark 10.

You need to have faith that Jesus can and will answer your prayer.  You also must be willing to keep seeking after God if it seems like He is silent at the moment.

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