Hi, everyone. Welcome back to the Daily gospel, exegesis podcast, produced biological Bible study. I hope you're enjoying this approach to scripture where we go through, verse by verse for the daily Gospel reading from today's mass and we're trying to do a proper exegesis, really diving into the text. What did it mean in its original? Text. So we're looking at the literal sense of scripture from a Catholic perspective, from a perspective. That's faithful to the teaching of the church.
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It does take a lot of time and effort to produce a new episode of this podcast every single day. Let's now go to today's Gospel reading, which is Mark chapter 10 verses 46 to 52 as Jesus left Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd Bartimaeus. That is the son of Timaeus. A blind beggar, we're sitting at the side of the road when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and to say son of David, Jesus have pity on me.
And many of them, scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder, son of David have pity on me. Jesus, stopped and said, call him here. So, they called the blind, man, courage. They said get up, he is calling you. So, throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and went to Jesus, then Jesus spoke. What do you want me to do for you Robin? I the blind man said to him Master. Let me see you again.
Jesus said to him, go your faith has saved you and immediately his sight returned and he followed him along the road. So what's the context of today's passage? So Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem for the last week of his life on the road to Jerusalem. He's been teaching his disciples about his own upcoming death, and also about the importance of suffering in the Christian Life, which was in the previous passage.
So we get to verse 46 today. Now, the lectionary actually takes out an important phrase here because it may not be necessary to Proclaim it as part of today's reading. But there is actually a phrase here at the start of verse 46, which is as They came to Jericho.
So the coming into Jericho and this is a town that was quite close to Jerusalem. It's 17 miles Northeast of Jerusalem and it was the first city captured in the Holy Land in the Book of Joshua. So, it's quite a famous city from an Old Testament perspective. It's a major city at the time and it's still there today. In fact, it appears to be the oldest continuously inhabited
city in the world. Jesus does spend some time in Jericho and And we know that in particular, he stays with Zacchaeus in Jericho, but that's not narrated in Mark's gospel. So we starting it verse 46 today, and it says, as Jesus left Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd.
So, Jesus is finished in Jericho with Zacchaeus, and now, he's on his way out and there's a large crowd following him, or a multitude, as some translations, put it, this would probably include Jesus, disciples and followers, but possibly also
some Passover pilgrims as well. There's a whole heap of people with Jesus and we're introduced to this person called Bartimaeus and more literally, what that means, there is the son of Timaeus, whenever you see bar in the New Testament, be a are it means son of so Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus. Who is a blind beggar? Now if you were blind in that culture, particularly if you're a man, you're almost certain to be poor because you can't get work.
And your family might have been in you to, which appears to have happened. To Bartimaeus. Oh, he's very much an out, an outsider in society, and he's sitting at the side of the road. So, he's sitting at this quite important, major highway from Jericho to Jerusalem in the hopes that people walking by would give him money. So he's a blind beggar. He needs money verse 47. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth.
So here's that there's some sort of commotion going past and he learns that it's Jesus of Nazareth and based on what he's heard, he believes that this This Jesus is the Messiah, so he began to shout. Why is he shouting well? Because remember, there's a large crowd Around Jesus and so he's hoping that Jesus will hear him over the crowd. He probably can't find Jesus himself. So, he's just yelling in the hopes that Jesus might hear him over the crowd, and this is what he says, son of David.
Jesus have pity on me. So bottom is has heard of Jesus and his power, and he's probably already heard that Jesus can heal blind people. So he's hoping he's hoping so much that Jesus might have pity on him and heal him as well, think about the desperation that Bartimaeus would have here, notice, he calls, Jesus, Son of David. So that was a Messianic title, which acknowledged basically the Jesus is the long-awaited kingly Messiah. Interestingly some Jewish Traditions at this time.
Leave the Messiah would be able to heal the sick and exorcise demons. That's in Isaiah chapter 29, Verse 18. It hints that the Messiah might be able to do that. So the blind man believes Jesus is the Messiah. Interestingly he sees Jesus identity more clearly than the rest of the crowd does because it seems the rest of the crowd just tells him to quiet down and they're not really understanding who Jesus is.
In fact, he sees Jesus identity more clearly than most people in the gospel of Mark 2. Now, later on, as Jesus is about to enter Jerusalem, when he's on the Mount of Olives, the multitude does call him son of David. So certainly some people recognize it, we see that in Luke chapter, 19, So here he says, son of David have pity on me or more. Literally have mercy on me.
He believes that Jesus is the Messiah can heal him but maybe he feels Unworthy of it. He feels that Jesus would need to take pity on him in order to heal him. This is the same as what the ten lepers call out to Jesus in. Luke 17, have pity on us. Verse 48, many of them, scolded him and told him to keep quiet. Why do they tell blind
Bartimaeus to keep quiet? Well, they're probably just looking at this blind beggar and they know that this blind beggar is at the bottom of the social ladder, and they probably don't feel that he's worthy of interrupting, the great Jesus, and clearly his not liked in the town, it would seem It could also be though that it's not just the crowd in general, telling him to be quiet. Maybe it's Jesus own Apostles, telling him to be quiet, which would not be good.
But we know that they do have a habit of doing this. They have a habit of sending people away from Jesus when they really shouldn't. Previously. They've already told people to keep the children away from Jesus. And of course, Jesus says, bring the children to me. So some people are telling Bartimaeus to stop calling out, but he only shouted, all the
louder, son of David have pity. Tommy, as we'll see here, his persistence is what gains him a hearing with, Jesus verse 49, Jesus stopped and said, call him here. Now, why doesn't Jesus go to the man himself? Which he could do, there's a possible, a few possible explanations here. Maybe Jesus wants the crowds who previously don't want Bartimaeus to contact. Jesus, maybe he wants to change the hearts of the crowd.
By getting the crowd involved. He's telling the crowd to go and get Bartimaeus, maybe he's trying to get the crowd to realize his own identity here. So, the crowd called the blind, man, courage, they said get up. He is calling you. It's quite a beautiful line, isn't it? You can also translate this take heart rise, he is calling you. And, in a sense, this is the call to all people to come to. Jesus, Take heart. He is calling you.
Verse 50. So, throwing off his cloak or he can translate this his mantle and this could represent leaving behind the former life which is what people do when they become Christian, they leave behind their former life. He throws off his cloak and he jumped up and went to Jesus. So, clearly this man Bartimaeus is a model of enthusiastic and decisive faith. He comes to Jesus, and then Jesus says to him, what do you want me to do for you?
This is the same question. He asked James and John earlier in the chapter when they came to him, it's an interesting phrase, isn't it? What do you want me to do for you? Because you would think it would be obvious, maybe Jesus already knows, but he wants Bartimaeus to actively ask and to participate in his own healing. That's possible. And the blind man says to him for abunai and that means, great teacher. Let me see you again. Or more literally, let me
receive my sight. So he calls him a Brunei or Master. Let me receive my sight. It's he's been quite reverent to Jesus and he's asking, can you give him my sight, back verse 52. Jesus said to him, go, your faith has saved you, or you can translate this, your faith has made you well. So the word here for saved can also be translated healed, apparently, Jesus doesn't touch him here. He just says the word go. Your faith has saved you.
You. So this in a sense is a very real fulfillment of Jesus own mission. Mandate. Remember what he said in the synagogue at Nazareth, I have come to bring recovery of sight to the blind. That's in Luke chapter 4 here. That's very much fulfilled. And he says, to them in your faith has saved you and I remember the Greek word Sozo can mean he'll or save. So let's assume that it means
your faith has healed you. Because the blind man acknowledged who Jesus was and he believed that Jesus had the power to heal him in that sense, Bartimaeus is faith has sat has saved him because he believed that Jesus could heal him. But it could also mean that Jesus has saved him spiritually, that's the same thing. He said to the woman with the Hemorrhage, remember some Maybe both things that in view here, physical healing and spiritual healing at the same time and
immediately his sight returned. So this is an image of what happens to every Christian. A baptism. The eyes of their heart are enlightened. So this encounter between Bartimaeus and Jesus is in many ways, a good model of a new purse, a nun, a non-Christian coming to Jesus and becoming a new Christian. Not only do you see be healed though? He followed Jesus. Along the road. So Bartimaeus is healed on the spot and immediately he follows Jesus, unlike the ten lepers actually.
Interestingly he's the only person healed by Jesus. Who is given a name in The Gospel of Mark and that suggests he might have been quite well known in the early church. Now Luke's version of this tells us that the all the on look is, praise God as a result. So there's a very good outcome
here. The people see what happens and they praised God. Interestingly let's think about what Mark has done throughout his entire Narrative of the Gospel, at the beginning of the journey to Jerusalem in the gospel of Mark. It was preceded by the healing of a blind man of bethsaida that was in chapter 8, but it was only a gradual healing that took a few stages to heal him one.
Now at the end of The Journey as he is just about to enter Jerusalem, there's a complete healing of another blind, man. So it's possible that Mark has bracketed. The Jesus Journey here with the healing of two different Blind Men. Maybe to symbolize the Journey of the disciples in terms of them, gradually, understanding Jesus mission more, that's a possible interpretation. So that's the end of Mark chapter 10.
The very next thing that happens at the start of Mark, chapter 11 is the triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. So you can hear that at Mass on Palm Sunday in year be, but you won't hear it as a weekday reading. Let's turn to the catechism and there's two paragraphs, which make reference to blind Bartimaeus.
Paragraph 2616, this is in the section about prayer and it's a really interesting paragraph teaches us about a famous Catholic prayer, which actually comes straight out of here. Mark, chapter 10 prayer to Jesus is answered by him. Already during his ministry through signs, that anticipate the power of his death and Resurrection, Jesus, he is the prayer of faith expressed in words, by the Gyrus the Canaanite woman and the good thief or in Silence.
The bearers of the paralytic, the woman with the Hemorrhage who touches his clothes, the tears and ointment of the sinful woman. The Urgent request of the blind, man, have mercy on us. Son of David, or Jesus Son of David. Have mercy on me has been renewed in the traditional prayer to Jesus known as the Jesus prayer. Lord! Jesus Christ, Son of God. Have mercy on me a sinner healing. Irma, teas or forgiving sins. Jesus always responds to a prayer.
Offered in faith. Your faith has made you well go in peace. So that famous Jesus prayer. Basically comes from this passage in Mark and other similar ones where weather, but Emmaus is son of David have mercy on me, we can pray the same prayer as Catholics paragraph. 548 is about the kingdom of God. The signs worked by Jesus a test that the father has sent him. They Right. Belief in him to those who turn to him in faith, he grants what they ask.
So Miracle strengthen faith in the one who does his father's works by Bayer, they bear witness that he is the son of God. Thanks for listening today. I hope you learned something new will continue in Mark in the coming days.