BARTIMAEUS

They came to Jericho, and as he was leaving the town with his disciples and a great crowd of people, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the side of the road. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out, " Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!" And many of them turned on him, telling him to be

quiet, but he shouted all the more, " Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Jesus stopped and said, "Call him!" So they called the blind man and told him, "Cheer up, get to your feet, he is calling you." At that he threw off his coat, jumped up and came to Jesus.

And Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said to him, "Master, let me have my sight." And Jesus said to him, "Go your way. Your trust in me has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

The town of Jericho is in the Jordan valley, and was the last stopping-place for pilgrims before they reached Jerusalem. Jesus and his disciples were among a large crowd setting out on the fifteen mile walk through the hills to the holy city. Bartimaeus the blind beggar had chosen a good position by the side of the road where he might call out for alms, another word for charity. Pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem for the festival were likely to be charitable. They travelled in large crowds as a safety measure agains bandits.

Since Bartimaeus could not see who was passing, he must have relied on his quick hearing. He heard the crowd mention Jesus of Nazareth. He had already heard stories of how Jesus healed people. He called out at the top of his voice, but he did not shout ' Jesus of Nazareth'. Instead he shouted 'Son of David.' David was the greatest of the Jewish kings, so the title ' Son of David ' was the most honoured and important name that the blind man knew.

The people told Bartimaeus to be quiet. They were used to the constant cries of the beggars, but Jesus heard the words 'Son of David' and stopped and told them to call the beggar. Blind though he was, Bartimaeus ran eagerly towards the voice. Jesus told him that his trust had given him his sight. So Bartimaeus, now able to see, followed Jesus on the way to Jerusalem.

This is the last healing story that Mark tells us about.

Complete the following sentences about Bartimaeus in your book:

He was a .......................................................................
He lived in.....................................................................
He called Jesus..............................................................
He asked Jesus for........................................................
He followed...................................................................

Write out the sentences below, putting in the missing words:

People who go on a religious journey are called.................................
Money given to beggars is called.......................................................

Write as much as you can to answer the following questions:

Why did pilgrims travel in large crowds?
Why would Bartimaeus expect pilgrims to be generous?
Why did Bartimaeus call Jesus 'Son of David'?

In your book:

Imagine you were a blind person like Bartimaeus who had to beg for a living. Describe how you would guess who passers-by were.

Write about what is being done to help blind people today.