The story of Bartimaeus is one of the most instructive healing miracles of Jesus in the Scriptures. There is just so much to reflect on it. Every single detail that we find in this story is worth pondering and reflecting. I have mentioned this before that when a Gospel writer, in this case Mark, mentions the name of a person in a story, the writer is asking the audience to pay close attention to it. The name Bartimaues literally means, son of Timaeus. The word “bar” in Aramaic is the cognate of the Hebrew word “ben”, which means son. So, Bartimaeus means “son of Timaeus.” The word Timaeus in Hebrew means “honored or respected one.” In short, the name Bartimaues means “the son of whom is respected or honored.”
But, looking at the situation of Bartimaeus in the context of the Jewish culture of his time, there was nothing “honorable or respectable” about him. In fact, because of his condition as blind from birth, he was ostracized and shunned by his very own culture. And, because everyone had turned their backs on him, including his own family, he found himself begging in order to survive. He was in desperate need. In the societal or communal level, he was nobody. But, something deeper and interior must have been disturbing him as well. He was described as blind from birth, meaning, he didn’t know what it was like to see; he didn’t even know his face; he didn’t even know his family – what they looked like; he didn’t know the difference between day and night. He only knew one thing, and that was total darkness. On a personal level, he was suffering immensely. And then he heard that Jesus was passing by through Jericho. He probably heard from people around him what Jesus did in surrounding cities — that he was able to cure many people, and that he performed miracles. He probably heard that he was a prophet. Bartimaeus thought, “this guy is passing by my city—this is my last chance.”
Bartimaeus is an image of a person who from the beginning the only reality that is known is darkness, sin, and abandonment. But, since his real identity is that he is “a son of whom is respected and honored” (Bartimaeus), he has to recover his real identity. But, he has to make the effort. We might not find ourselves in total darkness or we may not be wallowing/lurching in a life of sin, but there are still some things that continue to blind us in seeing our true identity and the true identity of others around us. Do I see myself as a temple of the Holy Spirit, thus called to live a life of purity and chastity according to my own state of life? How do I see my spouse? Do I see him or her as a co-journeyer or pilgrim to the life of holiness? How about my co-workers? Do I see them as my collaborators in bringing out the best that God has given me, or do I see them as a threat and competition? How about my parents? Now that they are losing their strength and their memory, do I see them purely as a burden, or do I see them as God’s gifts for me to appreciate the very life that I am enjoying? How about others who are different from me, socially, culturally, linguistically? How do I see them — with the eyes of contempt or of hospitality? There are so many things that could blind us to see clearly our real selves and the real identities of people around us.
It’s interesting that this happened in Jericho – a pagan city during the time of Jesus. It’s also quite dangerous. Remember in the story of the Good Samaritan, it was in Jericho where he was robbed and where he almost lost his life. Jericho in the scriptures embodies what we may say in modern times – secularism, paganism, and repugnance to anything religious. That’s why it’s highly symbolic that it was in Jericho where Bartimaues was rebuked by his own people when he started calling out to Jesus. Our secular society, the new Jericho, discourages us to call out to Jesus. How many times have we had to fight for own freedom of religion? How many times have we experienced being dismissed and ridiculed because of our faith, even among close friends and family circles or even at times in a church community, when one tries to water down faith and reduce worship into mushy, fluffy and feel good meetings and gatherings. We must muster the courage and confidence of Bartimaues! We might already be scarred, beaten, doomed, judged – whatever labels we might have put on ourselves or what others have labeled us and, as a consequence, put us in despair and hopelessness. Let’s call out to the Lord “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” The Lord will not disappoint us. When Bartimaeus went to Jesus, we were told that he threw aside his cloak – picture that in your mind. The cloak, a symbol of his slavery to his poverty and separation from others has been put aside – all gone. I don’t need this cloak anymore that has sheltered me from being different from the rest of the community. This guy Jesus who is calling me will give me a new identity. I find it quite powerful that Jesus only asked him one thing: What do you want me to do for you? Not a probing question. He didn’t ask for his ID; he didn’t embarrass him by asking him, are you a believer? Do you pray? Jesus saw Bartimaeus as a person who was created in the image and likeness of the Father and who needed new life, deliverance and a new opportunity. Whatever blindness of faith coming from sin that we have, God will not embarrass us when we come to him. His only question is, “My dear son, or my dear daughter, what do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, heal me — heal me of my pride, my unforgiveness, my alcoholism, my vice, my low self-esteem.” But, before we can do that, we also need to have the confidence to throw aside our cloak – those cloaks or “blankets” of sin that get us stuck in our own old way of life and thinking and, after we are cured, we have to follow Jesus just like Bartimaues did. Are you ready to throw your cloak aside? – Fr. Cary