I was once at an airport checking in at the gate when the woman at the counter asked, "Has anyone put anything into your baggage without your knowledge?
To which I replied, "If it was without my knowledge, how would I know? She smiled and nodded, "That's why we ask."
And so, I ask: did you know we just listened to Jesus’ last miracle—at least according to St. Mark? Why did Mark choose the healing of a blind man as our Lord’s final miracle? Here are some details that might give us an answer.
First, besides Jarius, whose daughter Jesus cured, and the names of the 12 Apostles, Bartimaeus is the only other person in the first 10 chapters of Mark’s Gospel to be identified by name.
Second, throughout Mark’s Gospel, Jesus constantly tells everyone to “keep quiet” and not tell anyone who He is. We refer to this as the “messianic secret,” yet Bartimaeus is permitted to shout not once but twice for all to hear: “Jesus, Son of David! Jesus, Son of David!”
It is not Jesus who tells him to be quiet; instead, it is his disciples. Jesus no longer has any purpose in hiding his identity—for even the blind have come to know that he is the Messiah.
Thirdly, the next chapter following this last of Jesus’ miracles is the Gospel we read before Mass on Palm Sunday. This is the last miracle Jesus performs before his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
And unlike previous healings that involved the smearing of mud, sticking fingers in ears, even placing saliva on tongues—Jesus in this miracle DOES NOTHING—except to proclaim that Bartimaeus’ faith is the reason for his healing.
Some may wonder, "What does this have to do with me?" I can see. Maybe I need a little help with glasses, contact lenses, or even LASIK surgery, but I am not blind. Read another miracle. This one has nothing to do with me.
And I say: really? How could we forget the first words of the blind Bartimaeus, “Jesus, have mercy on me.”
“Jesus, have mercy on me.” What does that mean? To me it says: I’m a wreck. I’ve messed up. I’ve let people down.
And it takes a lot of faith to say, “Jesus, have mercy on me.” Because even though I believe in Jesus with every fiber of my being, I so often stumble on making Jesus’ way—my way.
Bartimaeus is not the first person seeking a miracle who approaches Jesus in faith, but he is the only one who follows Jesus into Jerusalem and, perhaps, even as far as Calvary.
It’s taken me a long time to grasp the notion that “faith is not certainty.”
Bartimaeus had no clue what Jesus's way would require of him because faith is a process of understanding; faith is a journey to places and situations we do not know. He was only confident that God was with him, always offering him mercy.
Bartimaeus was able to get up and follow Jesus on the way because there was nothing worthwhile in his life.
Bartimaeus today gives us stirring testimony. Like him, we must overcome interior hesitation, ignore the voices that would hold us back, and break free from what deters us from making the necessary changes so that we can follow more closely in the footsteps of the Lord.
Jesus was only passing by. He would never return to Jericho again. If Bartimaeus had not called out to him in faith, he would have remained blind for the rest of his life.
I have learned one enduring lesson from Bartimaeus: The first words out of my mouth when I see the Lord will be: “Jesus, have mercy on me.”