Mk.10:52 – And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.
You would have to agree that Bartimaeus got more than he had even hoped for that day; you might be thinking what could be better than a blind man being able to see. That’s what Bartimaeus would have said earlier in the day but everything changed the moment he met Jesus. All this blind man could think of before he was healed was all the things that he would do after he received his miracle. That’s the funny thing about miracles, at least the kind of miracles that Jesus gives. Bartimaeus got the double cure that day. How do I know that? Look again at this last part of the last verse, he began following Jesus down the road. That wasn’t even on the radar for Bartimaeus earlier that day, apparently things change when you meet Jesus for yourself. Here is how the new American Commentary describes this.
“Mark emphasized the importance—even the necessity—of faith. This is highlighted by the absence of a description of the healing. The word translated “healed” (sōzō) can also mean saved, and Mark probably intended a double meaning. The man was healed physically and saved spiritually. The latter is implied by the fact that he began to follow Jesus. The statement certainly means that Bartimaeus joined with the other pilgrims in accompanying Jesus on the road to Jerusalem—as the NIV indicates—but again it is likely that Mark intended a double reference. “Following Jesus on the way” is a technical term for discipleship. That Bartimaeus’s name was remembered and recorded probably means that he did become a disciple. The contrast between his sitting beside the road and his following Jesus on the road serves as a graphic picture of conversion.”
So what actually happened to Bartimaeus? Well obviously he regained his vision but he got way more than that; he met Jesus for himself and that changes everything. Not only was his body made whole but he was made completely whole. He had a new life and he really had no where else to go so he followed Jesus. This was the very end of the life of Jesus on earth, He would be dead in a few days. It was just the beginning for Bartimaeus, he would tell this story for the rest of his life.
