Bartimaeus was a blind man who was healed by his faith in Jesus. Let’s read his story in Mark’s gospel.
Then they came to Jericho. And as [Jesus] was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here. ” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.” Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. And answering him, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road (Mark 10:46-52).
First notice that Jesus didn’t seek Bartimaeus. (This is the exact opposite of what happened with the man at the Pool of Bethesda). In fact, Jesus was walking past him, and if Bartimaeus hadn’t cried out, Jesus would have kept on walking. That means Bartimaeus wouldn’t have been healed.
Now think about that. What if Bartimaeus had sat there and said to himself, “Well, if it’s Jesus’ will for me to be healed, then He’ll come over and heal me.” What would have happened? Bartimaeus never would have been healed, even though this story plainly reveals it was Jesus’ will for him to be healed. The first sign of Bartimaeus’ faith is that he cried out to Jesus.
Second, notice that Bartimaeus would not be discouraged by the ones who were trying to quiet him down. When the people tried to silence him, he just cried out “all the more” (Mark 10:48). That shows his faith.
Third, notice that Jesus didn’t respond to Bartimaeus’ initial cries. Of course, it is possible that He couldn’t hear Bartimaeus’ initial cries, but if He did, Jesus didn’t respond. In other words, Jesus let the man’s faith be tested.
If Bartimaeus had given up after crying out only one time, he would not have been healed . We, too, must sometimes persevere in faith because many times it looks as if our prayer will not be answered. That is when our faith is tested, so we need to continue to stand, refusing to be discouraged by contrary circumstances.
