Mark 10:46  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.
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.
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.
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.
50  And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.
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.
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.

Jesus was still making His way toward Jerusalem in our text. He had some time to get there and thus could make several stops along the way. His purpose was always the same. None of His travels were just sightseeing expeditions. His appointment was always with people.
At this particular time He had an appointment with a blind man named Bartimaeus. This man could not work and he had been brought to this place to beg for money or food. This was likely a busy route where he could expect to meet people. On this occasion he heard that Jesus was passing by. This man had been given some information on Jesus. He was unable to see physically, but he had his ears tuned to receive the truth. He was not distracted by other things. He knew enough about Jesus that he cried out for Jesus to have mercy on him. He identified Jesus as the Son of David. He knew the lineage of the Messiah. That was more than the religious elites accepted. They rejected all the facts regarding Jesus. They did not like Him and wanted to get rid of Him.
We read of the lack of compassion of others that were in that area. Many charged this man to be quiet. This did not stop this man from crying out. The more they wanted him to be quiet, the louder he became. His request was not complicated. He was not asking for anything fancy. He wanted to be able to see.
When a person realizes they have a real need, they will seek out help. This man was blind and he believed that Jesus was able to help him. In the spiritual realm, when a person finally realizes their spiritual darkness, they will seek out true help. God is gracious and He provides true help for those who heed the convicting work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
Jesus was not deterred by the persistence of those who wanted this man to be quiet. Jesus came to give sight to the spiritually blind and He would use times like this to remind the people that He alone could give them sight.
Jesus commanded them to bring this man to Him. They called the blind man and they comforted the man with the fact that Jesus was calling for him. His cries had been heard. Those who call upon the Lord will be heard. Those who resist Him will regret it. It is important to seek Him while He may be found.
This blind man cast away his garment and came to Jesus. He did not want anything to encumber his ability to get to Jesus. This is a picture of repentance. In repentance, a person does not try to gather up all their sins and bring them with them. They want to be set free from sin. They are coming to God, desiring to be set free.
Jesus asked the man what it was that he wanted of Him. Jesus certainly knew the need of this man. He knew he was blind. He also knew this man had a greater need than just his physical sight. This man needed to receive spiritual sight. He had some understanding of Who Jesus was.
Jesus responded without any fanfare. He simply told the man to go his way; his faith had made him whole. Jesus proved His deity once again by giving this man His sight simply by speaking. However, as we read, this man was made whole. Verse 52 tells us that he received his sight. The result of that was that He followed Jesus in the way.
This man was blessed with the physical sight to follow Jesus. He also had the spiritual sight needed to follow Jesus. He had a desire to be with Jesus. Those who are truly given spiritual sight by Jesus will follow Him. It is important to note that this man followed Jesus “in the way”.

John 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

There are many deceived people today who claim to know Jesus, but they do not follow Him. They flock to any number of religious places that teach heresy and they are quite content to be there. They prove they are blind. They are content to remain in that condition. How sad indeed. One day it will be too late for them. Hopefully some of them will repent and truly be saved while there is still opportunity.
Pastor Bartel