They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
Mark 10:46-52
Continuing journey through Mark's Gospel, this Sunday we get to the healing of a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. I’m fascinated by the way everyone named in this story is named in terms of their ancestors. Jesus is “Son of David” – that’s part of his whakapapa. (And the blind beggar knows who Jesus is more than the disciples do – which is typical of Mark.) Bartimaeus is described as “son of Timaeus” – which actually is all that “Bartimaeus” means. We are who we are by our relationships.
Interesting too that when Bartimaeus shouts out, many of the people around him tell him to be quiet. People back then weren’t all that different from how we are today – there’s still a tendency to want to silence disruptive voices. Are there people we try to silence? And why?
The key question is the one Jesus asks Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus doesn’t make assumptions about what Bartimaeus wants – or perhaps he wants him to ask, to be explicit about the one thing he wants to happen. How would you reply to that question? What do you want Jesus to do for you?

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