Mark 10: 46-52 - Giving sight to a blind man at Jericho

Mark 10:46-52

⁴⁶ They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹ Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” ⁵⁰ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” ⁵² Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

After a brief Prelude (Mark 1:1-14), there are four major sections in the Gospel of Mark. Section 1 is The Galilean Ministry (Mark 1:14 – 7:23); Section 2 focuses on Jesus’ Journeys Outside Galilee (Mark 7:25 – 10:52); Section 3 is titled The Jerusalem Ministry (Mark 11:1 – 13:37) and the concluding Section 4 is the Passion and Resurrection (Mark 14:1 – 16:20).

In each of these sections many oppose Jesus and fail to recognise Jesus for who he is. In short, they are spiritually blind. In contrast, others respond with faith to Jesus and display the insight of faith rather than being spiritually blind (e.g. Jairus 5:21-24; Woman with a haemorrhage 5:25-34; the Gentile Syrophoenician woman 7:24-30; Cure of a blind man at Bethsaida 8:22-26; Peter’s profession of faith 8:27-30). 

The authorship of the Gospel which bears the name of Mark is unknown. The Gospel writer was influenced by the stories, wisdom and leadership of Peter until Peter’s martyrdom sometime between 64 and 67 CE. The Gospel of Mark was probably written between 65 and 70 CE, after the death of Peter and towards or at the end of the four-year war between Israel and Rome. This was a time of turmoil, violence and great suffering. By 67 CE, Nero, the Roman Emperor had already killed many of the leaders of the Christian community in Rome.

Mark and many of his Christian contemporaries held strongly the early Christian apocalyptic hope for the end of the world and the imminent second coming of Jesus. Mark thinks of himself and his Christian community as caught up in events that indicate that the end of the world and the end of history is near at hand.

According to tradition, Mark’s Gospel was written in Rome. The Gospel of Mark was written for a Christian church that was made up for the most part of Gentile Christians. Scholars think that the community for whom Mark wrote needed affirmation and encouragement as they dealt with problems of being members of a small and often persecuted Christian community struggling to preserve its identity and integrity amidst the cultural and religious pluralism and upheaval of the Greco-Roman World. 

For further information, see the Teacher Background, Who Wrote the Gospels and When? 

The cure of the blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10: 46-52 also reflects religious and cultural understandings and treatment of blindness and blind people in the ancient Near East. For further information see Blindness in the Ancient Near East.

Mark 10: 46-52 is to be read in the context of ‘seeing’ and ‘being blind’ in the sections and passages that precede and follow it. The faith and persistence of the blind Bartimaeus is a sort of lens bringing into sharp focus the faithlessness and spiritual blindness of many who encounter Jesus in Section 1 and Section 2 of Mark’s Gospel.

Mark 10:46-52 is a reference point as Jesus moves to Jerusalem, the centre of power and authority in Judaism. In Jerusalem, faithlessness and spiritual blindness are portrayed in all their malevolence, vindictiveness and deadliness. The blind Jewish leaders seem to be victorious as Mark narrates Jesus’ passion and death. But in Mark 16:1-30, first the hint, then the reality, of Resurrection begins to restore the sight of Jesus’ followers, blinded and broken as they are by grief and despair. Like Bartimaeus, Jesus’ followers begin to ‘see’ once more (Mark 16:1-30). Mark wants the persecuted and suffering Christians of his own time to ‘see once more’ as well. For further information see Healing the Blind Near Jericho.

The story of Bartimaeus reminds us that being blind can be understood in both a literal and a metaphorical way. Physical blindness may be a disability but it is not a condition that is morally blameworthy. In fact, we have many examples of blind people who are entirely admirable from a moral standpoint. They work with their blindness and accomplish much that is good and worthy in their own lives and the lives of others. Blind people also bring out unselfish behaviour in others.

Many maintain that narcissism, an excessive pre-occupation with oneself, is a growing sin of our times. Narcissism makes us blind to other people, to human need and to action for a better world. Narcissism is a form of spiritual blindness and a denial of reality. We can all engage in narcissistic behaviours to a greater or lesser extent. The Bartimaeus story, understood in its context, challenges our narcissistic tendencies and offers instead the example of Jesus, the Man for Others. For further reflection see Narcissism and the Scriptures.