“Have Mercy on Me”

46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

This wonderful story is about spiritual sight as well as physical sight. Bartimaeus, who is blind, can already see (by faith) who Jesus is, and he wants to see with his eyes too.

Bartimaeus understands that Jesus is “the Son of David”—that is, the promised Savior. And his plea, “Have mercy on me,” has become the cry of all who look to God for help. Though he is blind, Bartimaeus sees the truth about Jesus.

When Jesus asks him, “What do you want me to do for you?” Bartimaeus asks for physical sight. So Jesus, in his mercy, adds physical vision to Bartimaeus’s spiritual sight.

The disciples and the large crowd following Jesus do not yet clearly see who Jesus is. But Bartimaeus, the blind man at the roadside, can see this! By faith he understands that Jesus is the promised Savior. And in this story we see that the mission of Jesus is to meet our needs with his mercy.

“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Like Bartimaeus, we can call on Jesus in faith, knowing that he can provide the grace and mercy we need.

“Open my eyes, Lord; I want to see Jesus.” I want to know the wonders of his grace for me and to follow him in faith. Amen.