Blind Bartimaeus sits begging by the road outside Jericho when he hears that Jesus is passing by. He shouts out "Son of David, have mercy on me!" and when the crowd tries to silence him, he shouts even louder. Jesus stops, calls him over, and asks what he wants. While James and John had recently asked for thrones and power, Bartimaeus simply asks to see. Jesus heals him instantly, telling him his faith has made him well. Bartimaeus immediately throws off his cloak — everything he owned — and follows Jesus down the road toward Jerusalem, going from a beggar beside the road to a follower on it.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit start2finish.substack.com