The blind Bartimaeus revisited

Today’s Sunday Gospel is once more about the cure of the Blind Bartimaeus. You can read it in your Bible in Mark 10:46-52.

“As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. 47 On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David have pity on me.” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept on calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.”

49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, he is calling you.” 50 he threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. 51 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.” 52 Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sigh and followed him on the way.”

If you’re wondering why our Lord Jesus gave sight to the blind Bartimaeus, you can find this in the prophesy of Isaiah, when our Lord read the scroll in his native Nazareth… that sight has come to the blind and the captives shall be set free. But then, is it just physical blindness that we are talking about here or is it something else? As our Lord Jesus was passing by, the blind Bartimaeus cried out in a loud voice, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” His shouting only brought a rebuke from the disciples of our Lord Jesus who told him to keep silent. But Bartimaeus didn’t stop shouting.

But Jesus heard his cries and stopped. This is because here was a blind man who knew who Jesus really was… that he was the Son of David, while none of his disciples even dared to call him by that name. Clearly, even the disciples of our Lord Jesus were blind to this reality that their Master was indeed the Son of David. But here was a blind man, who shouted this reality and when he was stopped, he continued shouting out this truth. Hence, he received from our Lord his mercy and his sight as his faith told him that this Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Son of David who was prophesied to come to the world to save us from our sins.

Early Church Fathers have used the blind Bartimaeus as a symbol for those who do not yet have a clear vision of who Jesus really is in our lives. Too often we are “blinded” by so many other things even though we have a 20+20 vision because our eyesight is blocked by our materialism or our sinful wretchedness. We may attain a deep spirituality and even become a Servant Leader in our community, perhaps because this is our comfort zone. Many of us are often contended with our spirituality. Yet we still fail to see our Lord Jesus Christ in the face of a poor beggar or a friend in need. This is why even Servant Leaders in our charismatic communities do fall from grace.

You can also say that this is true to many in the clergy who already made their vows of poverty and chastity. Then out of the blue, they suddenly turn their backs on their avowed discipleship and even get married. You can say that these people once could see, but were blinded by sin. Unless we avail of the sacrament of reconciliation, then we have lost our souls! A case in point is the controversy that hounded the brothers in Simala, which has now led to a libel case against our beloved Ricardo Cardinal Vidal.

Indeed this happens to the best of us for the Lord often tests his faithful servants and is tempted and falls. This is why we often find ourselves in a “spiritual desert” just like the Lord himself was tempted in the desert by Satan. God tests us as a means to purify our souls and increase our humility. All we need to know is that, we must give our complete trust to his divine love that even if we have lost sight of his love and grace, we know that our Lord Jesus is always there to take us back to his fold. After all, we are never tested beyond our capabilities. Ours is to persevere and keep the faith.

The story of the Blind Bartimaeus gives us a beautiful lesson that when we are in our troubled moments, all we need to do is cry out and call upon our Lord Jesus Christ… the Son of David and our faith teaches us that the lord will come to pick us up. Remember when Simon Peter saw the Lord walking in the Sea of Galilee and asked the Lord if he too can do the same. Our Lord called on him to come into the water and Simon Peter indeed walked in the water…but when he started to lose his faith, Simon Peter started to sink and then he cried out, “Lord help me!” Then the Lord held his hand and rebuked him for his lack of faith.

Often because of our trials and difficulties, we find it hard to pray. But you must know that our Lord Jesus Christ is just a prayer away. In fact, we don’t even have to shout like the way Bartimaeus did. All we need to do is go and visit the Lord in any of the Adoration Chapels in many churches or convents because we know he is just there waiting for us. God Bless!

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