Bible Notes. Healing of Blind Bartimaeus. for February 28, 2010

Transcription

1 Bible Notes Biblos Foundation for February 28, 2010 Healing of Blind Bartimaeus Notice in this passage the striking contrast: on the one hand, a great multitude; on the other, one lowly individual, as low in the social scale as a person could get, as near to a social cipher as possible, a blind beggar. It is tremendously impressive to see Jesus turn his attention from the many to the one. No crowd was ever big enough to blind him or render him deaf. His was not only an amazingly sensitive ear and eye; there is evidence of something deeper. His was not only an amazingly sensitive ear and eye; there is evidence of something deeper: the priority he gave to persons, to any person, at the point of need (IB 7.819). The healing of Bartimaeus is particularly interesting because of the place it occupies in Jesus ministry. It is the last healing recorded in Mark. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem; at Jericho he was only fifteen miles from his goal. His face was now set to the Cross (IB 7.822). Mark 10: And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. Jericho had been rebuilt by Herod the Great as the location of his winter palace, and by the time of this incident it was a place of great beauty. It was five miles west of the Jordan and a little more than fifteen miles northeast of Jerusalem. The sight of a blind beggar just outside the city gates would be a common experience (AB Mark 421). Matthew says there were two. Mark mentions but one, though he does not deny that there was another. He mentions this man because he was well known Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus (Barnes 168). 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. With this name for Jesus, the blind man meant Messiah, or Christ (Barnes 94). They learned who he was by inquiring. They heard a noise, and asked who it was. They had doubtless heard much of his fame, but had never before been where he was, and probably would not be again. They were therefore more earnest in calling upon him (Barnes 94). Copyright 2010 Biblos Foundation Bible Notes are prepared exclusively for paid members of Biblos Foundation. Duplication prohibited except with permission. To join, please visit

2 Healing of Blind Bartimaeus for February 28, 2010 page 2 In the insistent cries of Bartimaeus we can hear a man saying over and over to himself, here s my chance. Of course nothing could stop him. He was jumping at the chance of a lifetime. Probably it was the venture of desperation, more of a wild hope than of any considered faith. But it was hope acted upon. Jesus is here (IB 7.820). 48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. The crowd (they were pilgrims going up to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover) did not appreciate Bartimaeus loud shouting and tried to silence him, but he shouted all the more. Why they wanted him to keep quiet is not clear. Perhaps the title he gave Jesus offended them, or they did not want anyone to delay their journey to the feast (EBC 8.722). It was a callous thing to do; but, as we know, crowds, with their swift intolerance, their undisciplined emotions, can do heartless and cruel things. The interruption annoyed them. They were interested in Jesus. That was the big excitement, the focus of attention. This beggar was unimportant; his eager thrusting of his insignificant self into the center of the stage was a nuisance. They met it with stony indifference, and the command to be quiet (IB 7.821). 49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. The narrative here has all the signs of an eyewitness account: Both Matthew and Luke simply provide a matter-of-fact account in indirect speech (AB Mark 422). The loud cry stopped Jesus. Had the messianic title caught his attention? So he asked them to call the beggar to him. The crowd s complete change of attitude toward the beggar is remarkable. Instead of trying to silence him, they encouraged him. The word translated cheer up! is tharsei (EBC 8.722). Here Jesus pays the ultimate tribute to a person in need. He stopped and gave the whole of his attention, his mind and heart, to a blind beggar. His stopping said clearly, You count (IB 7.821). Take heart; Rise, He is calling you. Here the expression is used by people in the crowd. It was a conventional word of encouragement. It meant you re in luck. The Teacher is going to stop and help you after all (IB 7.821). 50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. Copyright 2010 Biblos Foundation Biblos Foundation Bible Notes are prepared exclusively for paid members of Biblos Foundation. Duplication prohibited except with permission. To join, please visit

3 Healing of Blind Bartimaeus for February 28, 2010 page 3 Casting away his garment. That is his outer garment; the one that was thrown loosely over him. He threw it off, full of joy at the prospect of being healed, and that he might run without impediment to Jesus (Barnes 68). As the blind Bartimeus threw off his garments, so sinners should throw away everything that hinders their going to him everything that obstructs their progress and cast themselves at his feet. No man will be saved while sitting still. The command is, Strive to enter in; and the promise is made to those only who ask, and seek, and knock (Barnes 95). 51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. Jesus did not immediately heal the blind beggar. Jesus first asked him a question to stimulate faith (EBC 8.722). What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? As he could not see him, the Lord takes this way of awakening through his ears, the expectation of relief, and gives him an opportunity of presenting in explicit terms the desire of his heart. Lord, is his ready answer, that I may receive my sight (Jamieson 3.310). 52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way. The word faith in Greek is pistis and means the conviction of the truth of anything; the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things; a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation (Thayer 512). Whole uses the Greek word sozo which means to keep safe and sound from danger or destruction; to save one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health (Thayer 610).... From the Christian Science Sentinel, July 9, 1921 Article made available by The Ark: Christian Science Collection. Casting away his garment by Sarah Woodall Copyright 2010 Biblos Foundation Biblos Foundation Bible Notes are prepared exclusively for paid members of Biblos Foundation. Duplication prohibited except with permission. To join, please visit

4 JULY 9, 1921] Christian Science Sentinel Need W. D. BOND spirituality, by seeing belief more for what it is, error or WHILE it is true that there is direction in the Bible whichnothing. But some one may ask, How is this to supply a home if used or applied will solve every human problem, yet we have no record in modern times where any individual was able to apply the Bible teachings to his problems with sufficient thoroughness to enable him to formulate a method whereby any one might demonstrate the truth, until Mrs. Eddy wrote the textbook of Christian Science, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." This book may therefore be considered as the response to the great need of mankind for that which would open the treasures of the Bible and permit us to use the instruction contained therein, that our needs may be supplied. The word "need" is frequently used in the Bible and also in Science and Health. On page 16 of the textbook, speaking of the Lord's Prayer Mrs. Eddy says, "Our Master said, 'After this manner therefore pray ye,' and then he gave that prayer which covers all human needs." This prayer begins, "Our Father;" therefore the need is that we may address God with our petition. All the way this prayer defines God as the self containing allness of good, and our daily need is to know this. Mrs. Eddy gives further light on this on page 490 of Science and Health, where she says: "Human theories are helpless to make man harmonious or immortal, since he is so already, according to Christian Science. Our only need is to know this and reduce to practice the real man's divine Principle, Love." We are thus shown that a man needs to know God. The natural inquiry then is, How is this to be done? Mortal mind argues insistently that we need to know matter, that we need more of it, and should keep all we can get. But this so called mortal mind has in reality no argument and cannot keep telling us this if we stop and realize that the divine Mind is all that can have real intelligence. If we refuse to listen to the error, it will soon quit trying to argue with us. Here again our need is so to watch our own thinking that we allow only spiritual good to find lodgment there. Thus we are shown that, as Mrs. Eddy says on page 4 of Science and Health, "What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds." The story of the good Samaritan well illustrates this. The need was met when the ministration of divine Love took place not only for one but for both individuals connected with the transaction. The Samaritan had need to apply his love and the other the need to receive. As we open the thought to give, we unlock the closed door and are thereby able to receive, because the more love we give out the more we are enabled to receive, and vice versa. Then we must use what we receive; we must reflect Truth in every thought and deed. We must live our prayer; in other words, in order to receive the answer to our prayer we must continually know that all good has already been bestowed on man. Jesus made it clear when he said, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." At another time he said to his disciples, "I have meat to eat that ye know not of." At this time the disciples were pressing him to eat materially, as they had not yet realized the great feast of good the Master was refreshing himself with by going about and bringing love and gratitude to those he healed. As we gain spirituality we must proportionately lose materiality; so material loss is real gain. Our need is met the instant we recognize it as spiritual, and we are filled with right desire. [ 833] Because matter is a belief of mortal mind only, by gaining the substance of Spirit we replace the belief of matter with and shelter, clothing and food? This is the problem of many when first they take up the study of Christian Science, and this is the one that probably the senses, trying to put up an argument against such a demonstration, make us linger over. Clothing, food, and shelter to the senses seem material, whereas the reality is spiritual and must be so understood. The material sense corrected by spiritual sense, or destroyed by it, reflects in human belief a better sense of supply. The human belief or sense of supply being mental, or matter being merely a belief itself, we can see how our human surroundings can be bettered by our steadfast adherence in thought to the real spiritual man, forever clothed, housed, and fed by divine Love, thus seeing our surroundings in their true light, as spiritual and not material. The externalized condition which seems to be matter is really mental, and this mental belief is subject to correction in thought by the spiritual truth of the allness of good. The whole solution of the problem lies in our gaining the truth that all is spiritual, including the true environment, and that only one Mind exists, and that is good, God. Then as we know that man reflects the one Mind or true intelligence which knows only abundance in every direction, our present belief of living will manifest abundance. "Casting away his garment" SARAH WOODALL THE story of the healing of blind Bartimæus recorded in the gospel of Mark cannot fail to interest the student of Christian Science to day, for it illustrates the mental qualities that helped Bartimæus to overcome the difficulties that beset him when he appealed to Jesus for healing. The restoration of sight to this man who sat by the wayside begging is an object lesson to all those who are seeking to gain a clearer understanding of the truth that heals the sick. In the narrative in the New Testament, it will be noted that first of all Bartimæus began to cry out to Jesus to have mercy on him, and he refused at the bidding of others to cease his supplications. The fact that Bartimæus appealed to Jesus shows that his attitude of mind was not only humble, but that he was looking for good, and therefore ready to make use of all the good that came to him. When Jesus stopped and commanded him to be called, those who would have stilled his cries now sought to cheer and encourage him. Bartimæus, however, needed no encouragement, and, "casting away his garment," he hastened to obey the Master's command. The result of his prompt and eager obedience is well known, for we are told that "immediately he received his sight." In that brief space of time after Jesus called him, it is evident that Bartimæus willingly and joyfully surrendered and cast from him his old beliefs and fears, and so prepared himself for the instantaneous healing which took place. Those who are seeking healing from Christian Science are not always awake to the necessity of casting away their garments to enable them to gain the blessings they are seeking, and they may perhaps be hugging these garments closer to them, fearing they will lose something of value if called upon to part with them. When the light of Christian Science is turned upon them, however, these garments are seen to be nothing but rags and tatters, of no value at all, Christian Science Sentinel, Vol. 23, No. 45, July 9, 1921 Public domain Collection contents made available by The Ark:

5 but only a hindrance to the student's progress. For these garments that must be cast off, that have been trammeling the limbs of the seeker for Truth, are nothing more than false beliefs and fears, erroneous thoughts and materiality, which every one of us will need to cast aside in order to gain our real sight, or spiritual perception. It may be that some one has found the process of removing the effects of some particular false belief slow, and it has perhaps been overlooked that in addition to casting away the garments of fear or wrong thinking it is also necessary to put on the garments of righteousness or right thinking, and that the affirmation of the truth should follow the denial of error. When Peter, having been imprisoned by Herod, was freed by the angel, he was ready to obey instantly the injunction, "Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me." In this case the garment was not one of false belief or materiality, but the beautiful garment of righteousness which he was able to put on because the chains of error had been lifted from him. The individual who turns to Christian Science for healing is often ready to cast off the erroneous beliefs of hate, anger, resentment, and the like, because these are easily seen to be discordant elements which can only bring mental and physical disturbance in their train. Sometimes, however, self pity, self righteousness, and self justification are found to be garments that are clung to long after others have been cast away, and they are none the less clogging the wheels of progress and claiming to hinder the full manifestation of harmony, which is the birthright of man made in the image and likeness of God. The question that is naturally asked is: How are these garments of wrong thinking, which are simply the counterfeit of the true garments, to be cast off? On page 233 of "Miscellaneous Writings" Mrs. Eddy says: "The standard of metaphysical healing is traduced by thinking to put into the old garment of drugging the new cloth of metaphysics; or by trying to twist the fatal magnetic force of mortal mind, termed hypnotism, into a more fashionable cut and naming that 'mind cure,' or which is still worse in the eyes of Truth terming it metaphysics!" It is therefore essential to make a clean sweep of all material remedies before the new garments of spiritual healing can be put on. The only way is to do as Bartimæus did, and cast these old beliefs away turn right away from the false suggestions of material sense and seek the understanding of the real man that Jesus so wonderfully demonstrated in restoring his sight. In so doing we are following Mrs. Eddy's instructions on page 142 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," where she says, "We must seek the undivided garment, the whole Christ, as our first proof of Christianity, for Christ, Truth, alone can furnish us with absolute evidence." This absolute evidence is certainly furnished in the case of the man who regained his sight, for the fact that whereas he was blind now he could see was sufficient evidence to him to prove that he had found a far better garment to replace the old one he had cast away, and that Jesus had given him something beyond and above anything that the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees had accomplished. The putting off of the old garments of materiality may not be accomplished in our experience so speedily as Bartimæus was able to cast his garment from him, but it would seem that in some cases little effort is made to get rid of the beliefs that are hindering progress. Every one of these false beliefs, beliefs in the effectiveness of drugs or in any power apart from God, will have to be destroyed, Christian Science Sentinel [VOL. XXIII, No. 45 and it is no use trying to hide them by putting new garments over them. If we seek the undivided garment of Christ, Truth, we shall not find ourselves depending on our own righteousnesses, which Isaiah tells us are "filthy rags," but in relying upon Truth we shall bring into our experience the proofs of our right thinking or true righteousness, in healing sickness and sin. Only when we get down to the truth that mortal man is a counterfeit of the real man, can we begin to put on the real garments of health and holiness. Then we can say with Isaiah, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." The Prophylactics of Christian Science ROSE TITZE IN medical schools one often hears the saying: "Prevention is better than cure," and many preventive material remedies are being invented and used against certain disease germs. The student of Christian Science, even if he has gained but a glimmer of this wonderful spiritual religion knows that he has not to fear germs. On page 392 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy says, "Stand porter at the door of thought." This is a prophylactic activity which if practiced will benefit mankind. At any time of an epidemic a Christian Scientist does not use the preventives invented by material medicine against the disease. He knows that it is fear which produces the disease. If we are able to overcome it we shall be master over any kind of error that presents itself. But how can we gain dominion over fear? "Study thoroughly the letter and imbibe the spirit" (Science and Health, p. 495). If we carefully study and practice Christian Science we have at hand a preventive and a remedy for all diseases. If one has what he calls a good memory, however, and it is easy for him to memorize much of the letter, he must be on guard lest he become a mere paraphraser, and his religion become a religion of the intellect. "It is the spirit that quickeneth," and without the spirit fluent words are valueless. All preventive and healing effect of the truth in the Bible rests before all on a clear recognition of what Principle is, and an understanding of true being. All the misery of mankind, disease, sorrow, misfortune, hatred, jealousy, injustice, dissipation, are but expressions of ignorance of God and true being. As we gain an understanding of the true nature of God as infinite Mind, those obstacles and limitations which may have seemed to aggregate and to have separated us from hope will be seen for what they are [834] nothingness. Real freedom from these errors, in other words, knowledge of Principle, signifies happiness. Thus we see that it is in our power to prevent error of every sort. Does this sound presumptuous? It is not. God is divine, infinite Principle, Love, and man, as His likeness, must reflect His love. Can divine Love be afraid? Does Love boast to be itself? Can Love ever mean anything else than Love? The mortal mind limits itself through its so called laws to which it bows down. True understanding of Principle makes man free and enables him to prove his dominion over the manifold beliefs of mortal mind, such as faith in material medicine, health theories, or belief in physical culture. Instead of all this he learns to trust in God, who is Love, infi Christian Science Sentinel, Vol. 23, No. 45, July 9, 1921 Public domain Collection contents made available by The Ark:

6 Healing of Blind Bartimaeus for February 28, 2010 page 6 Sources: The Anchor Bible: John. Introduction, translation and notes by Johannes Munck. Revised by William F. Albright and C. S. Mann. New York: Doubleday, The Expositor s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke. Ed. Frank E. Gaebelein et al. Vol. 8. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, The Interpreter s Bible. Ed. George Arthur Buttrick et al. 12 vols. New York: Abingdon, Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown. A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments. Vol. 3. Peabody: Hendrickson, Thayer, Joseph Henry, trans. The New Thayer s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Peabody: Hendrickson, Woodall, Sarah. Casting away his garment. Christian Science Sentinel 23, no. 45 (July 9, 1921): Abbreviation Key: AB = The Anchor Bible Commentary EBC = The Expositor s Bible Commentary IB = The Interpreter s Bible Biblos Foundation Copyright 2010 Biblos Foundation Bible Notes are prepared exclusively for paid members of Biblos Foundation. Duplication prohibited except with permission. To join, please visit