A “Blind” beggar

In this week’s Gospel reading we find Bartimaeus, a blind beggar who sits on the outskirts of the city of Jericho—an oasis on the edge of a desert but also at the beginning of a mountain pass that leads up to Jerusalem. It’s here that Bartimaeus declares that Jesus is the Son of David.

The fact that he’s sitting on the outskirts of Jericho also has rich biblical significance. Jericho is the city of song and story. It's the place where Joshua “fit" the battle and the walls came a tumblin’ down. But Jericho was also the great impediment to Israel’s entry into the Promised Land. So when God brought victory at Jericho, this former limitation became the gateway to the victory of God.

And it’s here that Jesus performs his final miracle before his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on what would come to be called Palm Sunday.

Apparently Bartimaeus doesn’t understand this fully, but he will become the herald of the great victory of God simply because he “sees” better than most who Jesus really is.