They came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me." Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage; get up, he is calling you." He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see." Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way. (Mk 10:46-52)
Before meeting Jesus, Bartimeus was a blind man. He was sitting by the roadside. He was begging. This is the description of the man. All these go to say that he was dependent on people, he was alone and he had nowhere to go. His image was so negative that he was not considered as one of the people. He was told to keep silence and not even permitted to appeal.
After encountering Jesus, he got back his sight. He was able to see. He was following Jesus (he was not seated on the roadside). He was one among the people who followed Jesus. He had a goal in life. Because he was on his way. He was not begging anymore. He threw away his cloak.
The reasons for this transformation are two. They are: he had faith and there was Jesus whom he encountered. If there has to be a change in life or there has to be a transformation then these two things have to be present. One is faith in God. Most of the people have this, at least in a small percentage. But the second one that is to encounter Jesus in one’s life is what is lacking.
