And Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said to him, "Rabbi, let me recover my sight." And Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. (Mark 10:51-52, ESV)

The beggar's story

The beggar sitting in the roadside dust was blind, but he heard the noise of a crowd approaching. When he asked what was happening, someone nearby told him, "It's Jesus of Nazareth," That was a name Bartimaeus recognized and he desperately began calling out for mercy.

Perhaps more than others in the crowd, Bartimaeus possessed a spiritual insight of who Jesus was. Addressing Him as the "Son of David" shows he recognized Jesus was more than just a traveling preacher. He understood that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

When Jesus heard Bartimaeus calling out, the Lord asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied, "Let me recover my sight." He didn't want pity. He didn't ask for money. He was desperate for his sight to be restored, and that is what Jesus did. He healed his vision. Verse 52 tells us, "And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way."

impaired vision

Today, millions of people suffer with eye conditions from impaired vision to complete blindness. Others, like me, wear glasses to correct their eyesight. My driver's license notes that I must wear corrective lens to drive. It's a safety issue.

There is another type of blindness that will seriously impair us. This condition is spiritual blindness. With this type of blindness, the person does not understand God's Word. Jesus recognized this condition in many who followed Him as He taught.

"This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." (Matthew 13:13, ESV)

the cause of spiritual blindness

What causes spiritual blindness? Sin, a hard heart, rebellion, unbelief. It doesn't just happen to the sinner. If we allow our carnal nature to reemerge, the light we once had will grow dim. Our vision will blur. But just as the Lord can heal physical blindness, He will also heal our spiritual blindness.

"In their case the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (II Corinthians 4:4, ESV)

"The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." (I Corinthians 2:14, ESV)

When the Lord healed Bartimaeus's sight, the once blind beggar began to follow the Lord. He could now clearly see the way to go. He cried out for mercy and Jesus healed him. If our spiritual vision has grown dim because of apathy, unbelief, or sin, it's time to call out to the Lord, "I want to see." The light will come, and we will see Jesus clearly.

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (II Corinthians 4:6, ESV)

Devotion by Mary Loudermilk