Just who is Blind Bartimaeus and what does he have to teach us? The story of this blind man shines through the pages of the New Testament to impact our lives today and open our eyes to some important truths. We’re going to dive into this encounter with Jesus and mine the hidden gems of wisdom buried within.
The Story Of Blind Bartimaeus
The Bible doesn’t tell us the history of Blind Bartimaeus, only that when he encountered the God who sees he lacked his own sight. That when he met Jesus on the side of that ancient road he was a beggar, begging for his daily needs, and through this encounter, his life was forever changed.
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. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. Mark 10:46-52 NIV
Where Did Jesus Heal Blind Bartimaeus?
The Bible tells us that Jesus healed Blind Bartimaeus outside of Jericho when He and a large crowd were leaving the city.
Pin For Later!
This post may contain affiliate links, read our privacy policy for more information.
Was Bartimaeus Born Blind?
Scripture doesn’t tell us how Blind Bartimaeus lost his sight, whether it was through injury or by birth.
The Significance of Blind Bartimaeus
Blind Bartimaeus is an interesting story in the Bible, however, I think we often miss the significance of his story and encounter with Jesus. Bartimaeus’s story opens our eyes to our need for Christ and the dangers of being spiritually blind. During this period in history, Jewish people believed that illness and disability were a punishment from God because the person or a parent had committed sins. Because of this Bartimaeus, a blind beggar was hushed by the crowd.
And yet Jesus stops for this man, a lowly sinner not worthy of notice by the times they lived in. Jesus saw blind Bartimaeus, He saw past the exterior, past other’s preconceptions, and saw His child. He saw his worth, He knew this man’s needs. And like we see over and over again through stories like the woman with the issue of bleeding, the man possessed by demons, and even Hagar in the Old Testament God stopped for them. He sought them out, instead of just waiting for them to come to Him. He found them in the middle of their messy circumstances.
This story in the Bible helps us to check our own vision. While we may never experience physical blindness, many of us have or will encounter spiritual blindness. When our spiritual lenses are out of position it can leave us reeling, trying to find God’s hand at work, and blind to His call.
Why Did Blind Bartimaeus Throw Off His Garment
Every day blind Bartimaeus would pick up his coat, and go out to beg. This coat was unique; it was given out to signify that he was indeed a beggar, that he couldn’t work, that he had nothing to offer, that he had no purpose. It declared to all who and what he was.
What Does The Story Of Blind Bartimaeus Teach Us
The Lord is in this place, so often we forget this, the pain of our circumstances blind us. Our regrets, our disappointments steal our focus. We beg for validation, for hope, for someone to see our hurt and care enough to do something, to fix it- but we are looking for the answer in all the wrong places.
We’re begging for our friends, our family, our culture, our social media channels to fill us, to validate us but they can’t. These things can’t meet that need; they can’t love us like we want because they often times don’t even like themselves. They can’t fix us because that was never their purpose, they were never meant to meet that need. Blind Bartimaeus spent his days begging from the world to meet his needs, but it wasn’t until He encountered Jesus that his biggest needs were met.
7 Lessons To Learn From Blind Bartimaeus
There are so many lessons we can take away from the story of Blind Bartimaeus in the Bible. Let’s take a look at seven lessons we can find in this story and how they can impact our lives today:
Blind Bartimaeus Shows Us We Need Jesus
The story of Blind Bartimaeus reminds us that Jesus truly is the answer to our needs. He is the only one that can save us from our circumstances, from our choices, and set us on a new path. Every time he picked up this coat he was reminded of the fact that he was useless, nothing could change that. Nothing could fill that gap, and so he does the only thing he can, he begs. But one day Jesus showed up in his town, the Bible says that when this man heard that Jesus was there, he began to shout. He started to cry out begging for Jesus but the people around him shushed. The same people that had been giving him a handout were the ones trying to keep him from The One that could fill that gap.
This Story Reminds Us Of The Importance Of Godly Friends
The story of Blind Bartimaeus shows us that sometimes we have good friends, but they aren’t good for us, and they keep us shackled to broken places. They help us on with our coats, but they prevent us from running to the one that can restore our vision. Sometimes the very people we thought would fill you up, are the ones that are telling you to be quiet when you reach the point where you cry out for Him.
Don’t let them hold you back, your worth isn’t tied to their opinion. Your purpose isn’t fulfilled through them. They can not sit on the throne of your heart, that spots taken. The one who can restore your sight is here, don’t let them silence you. Their opinions don’t matter because you’re not serving them, you don’t need them to fill that gap because that is His place.
Blind Bartimaeus Reminds Us Of Our Worth
Our phone, our social media was never meant to validate us, the number of likes we get was never meant to be the place where we find our worth. Our creator God declares our worth and nothing can change that. When we have His approval we don’t need theirs; we don’t need them to prop us up. But sometimes we let something else become the center of our lives, we allow it to take God’s place, and suddenly there is this empty place, and our vision gets a little blurry.
Much like in this story of Blind Bartimaeus the things we try to use to meet our needs can’t fill that space. So we have to try more and more to fill it, we keep begging for affirmation, for our needs to be met. And then Before we know it, we’re stuck in a never-ending cycle of chasing after things that were never meant to fill that gap. We start seeking fulfillment and validation in the wrong places. The number of likes we get defines us, others’ opinions declare who we are and the truth is lost beneath the weight of trying to make ourselves feel like we matter.
Blind Bartimaeus Shows Us Only God Can Fill Us
Every day we pick up our “coats” like Blind Bartimaeus, our need for the world to tell us we’re enough, that we’re worth something, to make us feel important, to meet our needs. We carry around the emptiness of seeking validation from the world and looking for hope in the wrong places. The truth is the world can never make you feel enough; it can never make you feel like you have worth. It can never fill that chasm that you keep asking it to feed.
As long as God is out of focus, nothing can fill that place. Nothing can take away that pain but Him. We can’t keep wearing our coats and hold our hands out to the world, begging it to fill us and expect anything to change. This man stopped begging from the people around him and started begging for Jesus, and when the people told him to be quiet, he cried all the louder. How many of us need to do some crying? How many of us need to dethrone some things, some people, and put God back on the throne?
Blind Bartimaeus Reminds Us God Fills The Empty Places
We keep trying to shove things into the yawning chasm, to feed the hungry monster but it’s never satisfied. No matter how much we feed it, it’s always hungry, and so we constantly need people to tell us we’re good enough, that we matter, that we have a purpose, that they like us. For a moment we think it will be enough, but it never is. No diet can quench it; no relationship can fill it, no praise can stop it because we are trying to fill it with the wrong thing and so the cycle rages on, and we beg for more and more. We become beggars like Blind Bartimaeus on the wayside, crying please fill me up. Tell me I’m enough. Tell me I look nice. Tell me I am worth something. Tell me I did a good job…
The devil doesn’t mind if you beg, as long as you’re begging for the wrong thing because he knows as long as you are looking for what you can only find in God from the world around you will never be filled. Anytime that Jesus becomes out of focus in our life, anytime that He is shifted out of his rightful place, we become blind, begging like the Blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52 for someone to give us a handout, to fill that chasm in our lives.
Like The Blind Beggar, We Need To Throw Off Our Coats
What He wants to do in your life is so much bigger than that coat, that chasm you are trying to fill is nothing compared to Him. I’m struck by verse 51, Jesus asks the blind Bartimaeus what he wants Jesus to do for him. See Jesus already knew the answer, it wasn’t an accident that Jesus just happened to be on that road on that day. But sometimes we need to recognize our needs so He can fix our vision.
Blind Bartimaeus Reminds Us God Has Always Been There
Sometimes we have to beg for Jesus, so we will realize that he’s always been in this place, that He is the answer. He is the one that sits on the throne of our lives, not people, not our number of likes, just Him. He is the one that makes us enough; He is the one that fulfills us, He is the one that validates us. The Lord is in this place that we couldn’t fill on our own. Sometimes, we have to recognize our needs so that we like Blind Bartimaeus in scripture will say Lord I want to see.
What stands out the most to you in this story of Blind Bartimaeus?
Before you go, check these out!
I enjoyed this reading and this beautiful lesson from Bartimaeus.
Thank you so much Mary! That blesses our hearts!
Reading through this, I could see and understand myself who I am really is. I am blessed. Remain blessed. Thanks.
This is indeed an eye opener
Thank you my friend.
Thank you so much.i really appreciate your afford to do God’s work, I Believe that so many people are thirsty and hungry for the Word of God , always stop here for refreshments. May God Bless you Always and your daughters.
Thank you so much Viki. You have blessed our hearts!
Very Blessed l love the content in the scripture about bartmeu
Thank you so much Masiga! We are so glad you came.
Thank you so much for the encouragement you fill my heart …God bless you
This really reached my deep heart. Esp as a Believer in mourning after losing my 33.5 yr old daughter to liver disease in June of 2021. Her Birthday was 12.1.1987. She has left behind 2 wonderful children; A Girl about to be 12 and a Boy who just turned 11.
I have very restricted access to her daughter who is with the dad ( he has had primary custody) about an hour from me. No resources to go to court at this time. This may be the 1st Christmas I may not get to have her here for some time.
Thank you so much for addressing the feeling of uselessness. My physical position in my grand’s lives has changed.. but they are Born Again and we share This and our love for each other.
There is more!!! In and for my health… wealth… and my Witness… despite much pain and loss in my immediately family life… of a marriage of 32 yrs and living alone though in an appt complex for seniors and disabled.
STILL learning to LET Go of ” The Ashes “.
Bless u and your twin
daughters lives and ministry!!!
Oh my dear friend. Our hearts break for you and the loss of your child and not having your granddaughter with you. Father, we lift up this precious lady to you and we ask you to wrap your arms around her and comfort her. We ask that you give her favor and allow her to spend time with her sweet grand and watch her grow into a fine woman. We ask you to bless her, heal her, provide for her. We ask you to fill her with your peace that is beyond all human understanding as she leans on, trusts in and relies on you. Thank you for bringing her to us so that we can love on her and pray for her. In Jesus name, amen.
Thank you for breaking the scriptures down and expanding.
You’re welcome.
This is amazing and can easily relate to today’s world and the social standards. I’m encouraged not to allow anyone silence me at the point where my needs will be met fully. I thank God for this. Thank you
As a Sunday teacher and Bible study teacher I received many gems here to aid me in my works. I have always loved this Scripture when Jesus asks “what would you have me to do for you. Do you believe I can do this” Our Savior is so sweet!
Thanks you so much for your teachings.
I’m so glad Cynthia!
Look forward to following
This is a ripe and edible message with enough insight as the ingredients. Wow it is so wonderful, I am so blessed with the message it contained. May the good Lord keep and protect you and more so filled you and your crew with divine illumination. Thanks and God bless.
Thank you!!!
The Lord bless you. This thought provoking
Thank you!!
Thanks a lot from explaining the scripture I have a clearer understanding what is is all about To God be the glory great things he has done.
You’re very welcome Tanisha. We are so glad that you found us! God is so good!
Thanks for this encouragment
You’re welcome
You’re very welcome
Even today as i was reading through these story it has been a blessing to me and i have learn a lot also been encouraged. Thanks the holy Spirit to lead you to share with us
Lord, we lift up Jeremiah to you and we ask you to touch his life and bless him. In Jesus name, amen.
I’ve learnt so muxh from this story that I did this with my youth and they learnt so much. Would really love if you can share more such stories.
Ps Jonathan
Hello to you Jonathan and your entire class too! It is so good to hear from you. Were are you from? Where do you teach the youth. We are so excited to hear that you are studying God’s word about blind Bartimaeus and are hungry for more. The devotionals that we have are located here https://rosevinecottagegirls.com/category/devotionals/ and there are more character studies there of people from the bible. Let us know if you have any questions Jonathan.
I would like to add ..
His number 1 need was to be healed.
But then when the ppl told him to keep quiet
His need became secondary and a new need arose.
Which was he had to get Jesus’ attention – his need for only Jesus! He was willing to throw his cloak down.
He was made to feel shame of his needs. God was showing us that we don’t have to be ashamed of our needs but we have to put our needs in second place and need for him in first place. That what the holy spirit told me is the reason for the story.
I’m richly blessed by this message.i covet your prayers.
God bless you ma s
Oh, we are so glad that you were blessed by it. Lord, we lift him up to you. We ask you to draw him ever closer to you and help him to live for you completely. Help him to see you at work all around him and follow your leading. In Jesus name, amen.
That the good God will bless my two daughters with partners. Without issues, l will mot inherit this beautiful
My joy is so incomplete!
Lord, we lift up Carol’s daughters and ask that you strengthen them in their walk and prepare godly husbands for them that love you with all of their hearts, souls and minds as they also love you with all. In Jesus name, amen.
I’m so ,so grateful for the break down of this story….it has shed so much light on my path of the God that we serve….He is always on time …never late ,and is never too early,just the right time……God bless you richly,as you continue to labour for the Lord…
Hello Leanorah! Thank you so much for writing to us! You’re welcome. He sure is! Thank you so much!
Bartimaeus story is about our lives. We must desire to have a change. We cannot remain just the way we have been. We must be passionate to out smart others. There were other beggars but Bartimaeus took a firm stand. ..I will go to Jesus and because no one is ready to take me there then I will shout the loudest. This day is mine! Jesus attention is what I need today!