Go Thy Way: When Jesus Healed A Blind Man Series

Background: Jesus, in this passage, is only a few days away from Calvary, where He would die for the sins of the world. He had already explained this to the disciples, a short time before this (Mark 10: 43-44). Now the group is heading through Jericho, where He performed a miracle for a man who was blind. This is, interestingly, the last time the phrase “Go thy way” is found in the Gospel by Mark.

Introduction

One of the most severe problems people had in Bible times was blindness. There were few, if any, “safety nets” or assistance programs. If someone became blind, about all he or she could do was beg, or, perhaps, depend on the assistance of others. Several blind people are mentioned in the Scriptures, especially Bartimaeus, who is featured in this text.

[Mark 10:46-52, KJV] 46 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. 47 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. 48 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. 49 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. 50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. 51 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. 52 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.

I He was sitting by the way

In the immediate context, Jesus has only recently finished His conversation with the rich young ruler, one of the few men in the Bible mentioned as running to a person. Sadly, the ruler came running, perhaps expecting a blessing, but left sorrowful. He didn’t really own his possessions, but they surely had control of him (see Mark 10:17-22).

Then in Mark 10:32 we read how Jesus went before them (the disciples), and explained what was going to happen. I don’t think they ever “got it” or understood what Jesus was actually saying. According to Luke 18:34, they didn’t know or understand what He had said at that time.

Something to remember about Jericho: this was a very old city, in existence before even the time of Joshua. The city was also the first to fall to the Israelites when they finally entered Canaan, and it was the first to be totally destroyed. It was also one of the few cities to ever be cursed if it was ever rebuilt. All this is found in Joshua chapter 5. But it was rebuilt (see 1 Kings 16:34) and was still standing in Jesus’ time.

Now Jesus was there in Jericho, and, He’s leaving. According to Luke 19, Jesus had already healed one blind man, as He was coming into the city. He had met Zacchaeus, a hated man because he was chief of the tax collectors, but he was a man Jesus loved. In fact, Jesus commented that “ . . .salvation [came] to this house today(!) Luke 19:9, paraphrased]” because Zacchaeus was (now) a son of Abraham.

His ministry finished in Jericho, Jesus now heads out of that city, towards Jerusalem, and blind Bartimaeus is sitting by the highway side, begging. Remember there was little if any assistance available for anyone with a handicap or physical challenge. Something that puzzles me, though, is this—where was the family of Bartimaeus? Who led him to the city? Who handled the materiel that he may have received? What future did he really have?

But that wasn’t the end of the story.

Somehow he heard that Jesus of Nazareth who was passing by. I myself imagine, this was big news in those days! The fame of Jesus had probably spread “from Dan to Beersheba (!)”, at least from Capernaum to Jerusalem, and Jericho, a town which had suffered God’s curse, was the site where the Son of God made a stop on His journey.

And yet, even though Jesus was passing by, leaving Jericho for the last time before Calvary, would He make a stop? Would He take notice of one particular blind man?

II He came to Jesus in the way

Bartimaeus didn’t waste any time in trying to find out. He began to cry, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” and he didn’t stop. One cry wasn’t enough for Bartimaeus. He wanted to see! He wanted to be delivered from his blindness! And he knew Jesus could do it. You know, I’ve often wondered just how word got around from place to place, regarding the various miracles, healings, and so on that Jesus did. At any rate, news of Jesus and news of His mighty deeds somehow reached Bartimaeus and he was going to make his request known.