And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
And immediately he received his sight, and (now as a grateful disciple), followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
Remark: This gracious cure, it will be observed, was quite casual. Blind Bartimeus sat that day, as usual, by the way-side begging; not dreaming that before its shadows fell he should see the light of heaven. But, like other blind people, his ears had doubtless been all the quicker to hear whatever was flying about. And there can be no doubt that the tidings sent to the imprisoned Baptist - "The blind receive their sight" - had flown to him, with, very possibly, the details of some of the cures. And just, as in the case of the Syrophoenician woman, and in that of the woman with the issue of blood, these tidings had worked in his heart the conviction that He was the promised Messiah, and such a confidence in His power and grace, that he would say within himself, 'O if He would but pass this way, how should I cry to Him, as "He that cometh in the name of the Lord;" and, poor beggar though I be, the Son of David would not shut His ear against me-for they tell me He never yet did that to any suppliant.
And who knows but He will come? They say he is even now in this region, and if He goes up to Jerusalem to keep the approaching Passover, He likely will come this way. But He may not come when I am here; and yet there is hope: but what is that stir I hear? What is it? "Jesus of Nazareth passeth by!" O transport! He comes, He comes! Now is my time.' So, before He comes up, the loud cry is heard, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" In a moving crowd, accompanying some great person on a progress, there are always some who keep ahead of the main body. These, catching the sound first, officiously try to silence him, that there may be no commotion, no interruption: 'Stop that dense crowd in order that the case of a beggar may be attended to? Why, at that rate He would never get on at all.' But the earnest suppliant is not to be moved by that. His opportunity has come, for which he had longed but scarce dared to hope; and he shall not be silenced.
Nay, "so much the more" did he cry, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" At length the glorious Healer comes up to the spot, and the whole crowd must halt, while He cures this believing beggar. And first, He commands him to be called. They hasten through the crowd to the road-side, and bid the poor man be of good cheer, because the Lord has sent for him. This gives his faith time to ripen. 'I thought it would come to that: Long looked for-come at last: my hopes refused to be damped: they could not silence me; my soul went forth to Him in yet louder cries, and not in vain: I'm to succeed; I shall, I shall!' Thus he comes into the presence of Jesus. "What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?" Since he could not see Him, the Lord takes this way of awakening, through his ears, the expectation of relief, and gives him an opportunity of presenting in explicit terms the desire of his heart. "Lord," is his ready answer, "that I may receive my sight." It is enough. The Redeemer's heart yearns with compassion; He touches his eyes, and immediately He sees as other men. Like the man out of whom went the legion of devils, he clings to his wondrous Benefactor, pouring out his grateful feelings, in which the wondering people also join.
Thus did this man catch his favourable moment, seize his opportunity, and obtain a rich reward. At other times he had cried in vain. And are there no opportunities-no favourable moments still-analogous to this, for getting the higher sight, for being healed in the higher sense? Are there not some seasons, rather than others, of which it may be said that "Jesus of Nazareth passeth by"? Seasons of affliction are such; but pre-eminently, seasons of religious awakening, of revival, and the effusion of the Spirit. And just as when, after a long, dull calm at sea, the wind gets up, all hands are astir to hoist the sails and catch the breeze, so then, if ever, as Jesus of Nazareth passeth by, should all that feel their need of healing stir up their expectations, and lift up their cries; and though there may be here also officious people who rebuke them, that they should hold their peace, their wisdom will be only to "cry so much the more." Nor can they more readily draw down His compassion and ensure relief, than by refusing to be silenced by such pretended friends.