Let’s begin by reading Luke 18:35-39, “And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.”

Now let’s read Mark 10:46-52, “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. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.”

It seems reasonable to believe that these two accounts found in Luke and Mark, and also in Matthew 20, are describing the same person. He was a blind man named Bartimaeus. Obviously he was well known as being blind as he was referred to as blind Bartimaeus. Verse 47 tells us that Bartimaeus addressed the Lord as ‘Thou Son of David.’ This was a title of the Messiah! Although Bartimaeus was physically blind, it seems he could see what the nation of Israel could not see. Jesus was the promised Messiah! Notice, too, that although he was a beggar when the Lord asked him, “What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?” he didn’t ask for money. He asked for a miracle. He said, “Lord, that I might receive my sight.” Certainly Bartimaeus would never have asked this of any mere man. He called Jesus, ‘Lord’. He had faith in the Lord and the Lord rewarded that faith by healing this blind man. The Lord said to him, “Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole.” After he received his sight, Bartimaeus went from being one who sat by the highway to one who ‘followed Jesus in the way.’

It is an important lesson for us to see that Bartimaeus had a need, he realized his need, and he was determined to have his need met. It is sad to realize that as he called out to the Lord that ‘many charged him that he should hold his peace.’ Yet, in spite of those who tried to quiet him, Bartimaeus persevered and called out to the Lord and he received his sight because of that.

My friend, do you realize your need? Are you in need of forgiveness and eternal life? I pray the Lord would open your spiritual eyes to let you see that Jesus Christ is the one to call on. He is the only one that can save you. He is the one who loves you and died for you. If you would put your faith in the Lord Jesus you could sing along with the hymn writer who wrote:

I once was lost, but now I’m found,

Was blind but now I see

It was so critical that Bartimaeus called out to the Lord that day in Jericho. As the Lord was on His way to the cross, He never went through Jericho again. Today is your opportunity to be saved. Tomorrow may be too late for you. The Lord said in John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (174.10)