In the gospel of Mark we read about two persons who came running to Jesus. First, it was a rich young man. He came to Jesus to clear a doubt. ‘As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him. “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ (Mk 10:17). Jesus clarified his doubts without leaving any scope for ambiguity. He was supposed to detach himself from his worldly possessions and then follow Jesus. As he found the prescription bitter, he was shocked, and went away grieving.
Then it was the turn of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar. When a large crowd was passing through the road where he sat begging, he understood that something important was happening. He enquired and learnt that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. Now, Bartimaeus was different from the rich young man who identified Jesus as just another teacher. Bartimaeus had the wisdom to realize that this person, Jesus of Nazareth, was none other than the Messiah whom they were waiting for centuries. When he heard that Jesus was calling him, he threw off his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. He found his heavy cloak an obstacle in his run towards the Lord. So he decided to throw it – his only valuable possession- away. The narration ends not with Bartimaeus regaining his sight but with the statement that he followed Jesus on the way (Mk 10:52).
Out of two persons, who came running to Jesus, one returned grieving because he was searching for a teacher. He had already learnt all commandments and laws, and had meticulously followed them in his life. But he could not identify Jesus as the fulfillment of all that he learnt in the Scripture. On the other hand the second person never returned from Jesus because he knew that he was running to a Savior who could heal his blindness, and more importantly lead him to the path of salvation. It was not an ordinary run. It was a blind man running through a large crowd of people, even throwing away his outer coat to make the run easy. And the Lord rewarded him for his child-like faith, for he was running towards Jesus who said that ‘whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it (Mk 10:15).
Bartimaeus did not see any obstacles on his way, for his eyes were closed towards the outer world. What he could see was Christ calling him from a distance. And he was blessed with the inner eyes to see the Messiah who was waiting for him. Bartimaeus is a model for us, as we wait for the Lord who ‘came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind’ (Jn 9: 39). Let us continue our journey of faith, with the steadfast hope that the Lord will command his angels to guard us in all our ways, and to bear us up on their hands, so that we will not dash our foot against a stone’ (Ps 91: 11-12).
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