Mark 10:46 - Meaning and Application

This story matches the one in Matthew 20:29 and following. There, two blind men are mentioned, but here and in Luke 18:35, only one is named. If there were two, there was certainly one, and this one is singled out because he was a well-known blind beggar.

He is called Bartimaeus, meaning “son of Timaeus.” Some think that name means “son of a blind man,” so he may have been the blind son of a blind father. That would have made his condition worse, and his healing even more amazing. It also gives a picture of the spiritual healing Christ brings to those who are not only born blind in soul, but come from blind parents as well.

I. This blind man sat begging, as beggars do among us. Those whom God has kept from earning a living by their own work, and who have no other way to support themselves, are proper objects of charity. We should take special care of them.

II. He cried out to the Lord Jesus for mercy: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David.” Misery is the right object of mercy. He brought his unhappy condition to the pity of the Son of David, the promised Messiah. It had been foretold that when the Savior came, “the eyes of the blind shall be opened” (Isaiah 35:5). When we come to Christ for help and healing, we should look to him as the promised Messiah, the one full of mercy and grace.

III. Christ encouraged him to hope for mercy, because he stopped and ordered the man to be called. We should never count it a waste of time to stop when a good work needs to be done. Those around him, who had first discouraged the blind man, may now have been the ones to tell him Christ’s kind call: “Be of good comfort, rise, he calls you.” And if he calls you, he will heal you.

Christ’s gracious invitations to come to him are strong reasons to hope that we will do well if we come, and receive what we seek. Let the guilty, the empty, the tempted, the hungry, and the naked take heart, because he calls them to be pardoned, supplied, helped, filled, and clothed, and to have everything done for them that their need requires.

IV. The poor man then made his way to Christ as quickly as he could. He threw off his loose outer garment and came to Jesus (Mark 10:50). He put aside anything that might trip him, slow him down, or keep him from coming. Anyone who wants to come to Jesus must cast off the garment of self-sufficiency, give up pride in their own ability, and free themselves from every weight and sin that easily entangles them, like long clothing (Hebrews 12:1).

V. The specific favor he asked for was that his eyes would be opened, so he could work for his living and no longer depend on others. It is a good and desirable thing to be able to earn our own bread. When God has given people their limbs and senses, it is shameful for them, through laziness or foolishness, to make themselves as if they were blind and lame.

VI. He received this favor, and his eyes were opened (Mark 10:52). Mark adds two things that show how Christ made this a double blessing. First, he gave the honor of the miracle to the man’s faith: “Your faith has made you well.” It was faith in Christ as the Son of David, and faith in his mercy and power. It was not his insistence that worked, but his faith. Or rather, Christ had set his faith to work. The help we receive through faith is the most comforting kind.

Second, Christ made it a double blessing to the man himself. When he received his sight, he followed Jesus on the way. This showed that he was truly healed, since he no longer needed someone to lead him. It also showed how thankful he was for Christ’s kindness. It is not enough to come to Christ for spiritual healing. When we are healed, we must keep following him, so that we may honor him and keep learning from him. Those who have spiritual sight see such beauty in Christ that they are drawn to run after him.