Day 39: Jesus heals another blind man
Most people have five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. When someone loses one sense, they often get really good at using the others. For example, many deaf people can tell what other people are saying by lip reading, while many blind people use touch to read. Today, we’ll meet a blind man who can see who Jesus is, when many seeing people could not.
What city did Jesus and His disciples arrive at in verse 46?
Who was sitting by the road as Jesus, His disciples, and the crowd were leaving (v. 46)?
Bartimaeus is the only healed person in Mark’s gospel whose name we know! Often, when the Gospels tell us someone’s name, it’s because they are one of the eyewitnesses whose story the author is writing down for us or because they were known to the early Christians. Here, it’s possible that both Bartimaeus and his father, Timaeus, were known to the church.
What was Bartimaeus doing (v. 46)?
What did he do when he heard that Jesus was coming by (v. 47)?
David had been Israel’s greatest king. God had promised that David’s throne would last forever, and when Old Testament prophets talked about the Messiah, they often talked about Him sitting on David’s throne (e.g., Isaiah 9:7). So, “son of David” was a way of talking about God’s Messiah.
How did people respond when they heard Bartimaeus shouting this (v. 48)?
What did Bartimaeus do when people told him to be quiet (v. 48)?
What did Jesus do when He heard Bartimaeus calling out to Him (v. 49)?
What did Bartimaeus do when he heard that Jesus had called for him (v. 50)?
What did Jesus ask Bartimaeus (v. 51)?
How did Bartimaeus answer (v. 51)?
What does Jesus tell Bartimaeus (v. 52)?
What happened to Bartimaeus and what did he do in response (v. 52)?
Right before Peter recognized that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus healed a blind man (Mark 8:22–26). In this passage, it’s the blind man himself who recognizes Jesus as the Messiah, then calls Him “Son of David.” The man can see who Jesus is, even though he’s blind, while the Pharisees and chief priests and teachers of the law could not see who Jesus was at all.
How does Bartimaeus’ response to Jesus throughout this story teach us about how we should respond to Jesus?
How does this story show us Jesus serving others like He said He’d come to do?
See if you can still remember yesterday’s memory verse! Look back at Mark 10:45 if you need a reminder.
Praise God that He sent Jesus to be the great King, who brings healing to the sick and hope to the poor. Pray that He would help you feel like Bartimaeus: eager to see Jesus as the King, to bring your needs to Him, and to follow Him.
Well done! You’ve made it to the end of Act 4!