As Jesus left Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, blind Bartimaeus sat begging by the side of the road. The Gospel of Mark says, “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. 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” (see 10:46–52).
Jesus stopped and asked for Bartimaeus to be called to him. Bartimaeus received the message, and the account continues, “And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.” Jesus asked what he wanted him to do for him, and Bartimaeus replied, “Lord, that I might receive my sight.” Then the account concludes, “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.”
This healing portrays the way a persistent challenge is resolved through the ever-operative healing power of Christ, Truth. Long-standing problems may seem to convince us that we have somehow become separated from divine Love, but the inevitable healing of them reveals our intact unity with Spirit, God.
