Bartimaeus stopped counting the days he had been sitting in the streets of Jericho, begging for money. He was blind for so many years that he couldn’t remember what the world looked like.

Born into a poor family in Jericho, yet he was happy with all he had. Like other children, he enjoyed playing and running around. He was curious and inquisitive about almost everything. He loved to learn. As he grew up, he began noticing difficulty in his eyesight. At first, things seemed a bit blurry when he looked at something from a distance. Then, it became difficult to focus his eyes on objects that were closer. His parents could not afford to take him to a doctor and only prayed that God would heal him. Within a short period of time, as his eyes continued to deteriorate, and it became apparent to Bartimaeus and his family, as well as all who knew him and were close to him, that he was suffering from an illness that affected his eyesight from which there was no known cure. Eventually, Bartimaeus lost his ability to see and he became completely blind.

His parents were overcome with a sense of helplessness and then, with a feeing of hopelessness. Despite the deep love that they had for their son, they had to place him daily in the streets to beg for money, to help pay for the cost of caring for him at home. Bartimaeus resented them for it at first, but soon came to realise that the few coins he received throughout the day helped in providing food for him to eat. Every evening, his mother or father or one of his siblings, would come by, help him to get up and bring him home with the few coins he received. For several years, he sat alone in his little corner, begging, until one day another blind man was seated next to him. “This is the blindman’s corner”, he thought. At least they kept each other company and over time, they became friends.

“Did you hear about the leper who was healed?”, asked the other blind man one day. “A leper? Healed?” Bartimaeus queried. “Impossible, no leper has ever been healed in Israel. Where did you hear such a thing?” he asked. “Well,” began his blind friend, “as I was being led here this morning, I overheard a conversation in the street about this. I asked the person helping me to stop so I could listen, and I heard with my own ears that truly, a leper in Israel had been healed!”, he exclaimed with a sense of amazement. Bartimaeus’ curiosity was peaked. “Tell me more,” he asked. So, his friend began to share about this man, called Yeshua, who had come from Nazareth and was performing miracles of healing of various illnesses all across Israel. As he came to the story of the leper and heard of how Yeshua reached over and touched the man, Bartimaeus’ heart began to beat faster. “Do you think this Yeshua could heal two blind beggars?”, Bartimaeus asked his friend. “I know he can”, the friend answered. “But what business will he have in Jericho?”, he sighed hopelessly. Both men sighed and only prayed silently in their hearts that somehow, someway, Yeshua might pass their way.

This was the first time Bartimaeus had heard of Yeshua. He made an effort to keep his ears attuned to this name, that was mentioned by more and more people every day. He heard of lepers being healed, of the dead being raised up to life, of demons being cast out of people, of lame men walking. Both men were now spending much of their time together talking about Yeshua. And, as they spoke of him, their seeds of faith began to increase in them and they both knew in their hearts this One, Yeshua, was the promised hope of Israel.

One day, there was a commotion taking place not far from Bartimaeus and his friend. They were used to noise from the market in Jericho, but this sound was definitely different. It was the sound of excitement, of anticipation. They heard many footsteps pass them by and knew something was going on. Bartimaeus asked the people who quickly answered as they continued to walk past him, “Yeshua of Nazareth is passing though”. Bartimaeus and his blind friend got excited. “This is our chance, Bartimaeus, we must call for him”. Both men began shouting as loud as they could, “Yeshua Son of David, have mercy on us!”. The passersby tried to silence them. After all, Bartimaeus and his friend were blind beggars. They had no standing in society. But the more people tried to silence them, the louder they shouted. “Yeshua Son of David, have mercy on us! Yeshua Son of David, have mercy on us!”. The urgency of the cry reached the ears of Yeshua. He stopped and turned towards the two men, asking that they be brought to him. Suddenly, it was as if the whole world changed. People reached down and surrounded the men, who were both now standing. They held on to the people who were helping them to walk towards Yeshua, while telling them, “Be encouraged, He is calling for you!”. The men quickly walked, not seeing but trusting as they were being upheld and led by others, their hearts beating faster than ever before. Their daily prayer had been answered – Yeshua came to Jericho and now, He wants to see them!

The men escorting the blind men stopped, and so did the blind men. Although they could not see, they knew that Yeshua was standing right in front of them. “What do you want me to do for you?”, Yeshua asked, His voice filled with gentleness and compassion. Bartimaeus did not hesitate. “Lord, give us eyes to see!”. Unable to see Yeshua’s face, Bartimaeus and the other blind man kept praying and hoping that as part of their prayer had been fulfilled, so the remaining part would also be fulfilled. Yeshua said to them, “Go, regain your sight, your faith has made you well”. Immediately, both men were able to see. Bartimaeus and his friend looked at their hands, then at each other and then looked at Yeshua, who only smiled, nodded his head and kept on walking. Suddenly both men leaped together with joy and cried out, “I can see! I can see!”. All those around praised God as they saw a miracle taking place before their very eyes.

Bartimaeus and his friend sat down with their families together that evening. They all recalled the amazing events of the day. Both men understood the profound words of Yeshua, “Your faith has made you well.” Indeed, they believed in Him long before they ever met Him, long before they knew He had arrived in Jericho, long before their eyes would behold the sight that would be etched forever in their memories. Everyone openly expressed thanks to God and Bartimeus and his friend continued to share with all they knew, of the miracle of that allowed their sight to be restored to them.

Not long after that, more news of Yeshua arrived in Jericho. This time, the news was not of healing nor miracles performed by him, but rather of his arrest by the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. “Why would they arrest Him? He did nothing wrong!”, Bartimaeus exclaimed. “I agree”, his friend answered. “We know that we have seen Him and know what He is like. But I heard they are accusing Him of stirring up a revolt and that He claims to be God himself”. “Maybe He really is?”, Bartimaeus found himself stating out loud. “We both know He is the Son of David; we both believe He is the promised Hope of Israel. I even heard that He opened the eyes of a man born blind! Only God can do what He does”. Bartimaeus’ friend nodded in agreement. “True, yet the Pharisees and Sadducees see Him as a threat and have decided that He needs to die”, he responded with sadness in his voice. Bartimaeus and his friend decided to go up to Jerusalem, not knowing what to expect, only praying and hoping.

Jerusalem was all in commotion. The number of people in the city was greater than ever because of the Passover holiday and more and more filtered in because of news of the trial of Yeshua. Bartimaeus and his friend asked around as they walked through the city, trying to gather information about Yeshua. As they neared the house of Pilate, they heard multitudes shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him! Crucify him!”. The men looked at each other with horror. They hoped the shouts were not directed at Yeshua. Minutes later, they saw Yeshua being led outside. The sight of Him who gave them their sight, was more than they could bear to watch. He was beaten, scourged, almost unrecognizable, and was being led to the hill of Golgotha while forced to carry His own cross beam. The crowds increased the closer they came to the place where the crucifixion would take place. They had heard of this place when they were still blind, but this was the first time that they actually came to it and were able to see it. At some point the two men saw Yeshua collapse on the ground from the weight of the cross and the physical beatings. The Roman soldiers quickly pulled a man from the crowd and forced him to carry Yeshua’s cross instead.

Both men drew nearer and watched as their healer was nailed to a cross and suffered. Yet, even in his suffering, they noticed his eyes were filled with compassion, almost as if He was looking down at them with understanding. “Yes”, they thought, “He knew their pain in seeing Him now”. The men cried as they stood near the cross, looking at their Lord, the Hope of Israel, who opened their eyes that they might see. They heard Yeshua ask His Heavenly Father to forgive those who brought about His pain and suffering and listened intently to the conversation with the other two men who were being crucified along with Yeshua. They saw the heavens darken, they heard Yeshua say “It is finished” and were close enough to hear the Centurion state loudly, “truly, this man was the Son of God!”. And they understood! They knew the truth even when they were blind and were able to see with spiritual eyesight what those with full physical eyesight could not.

Three days later, the Hope of Israel was restored. Yeshua rose from the dead. His many appearances became known around Jerusalem and throughout all of Galilee. Bartimaeus and his friend heard of this and, for the first time since they witnessed the crucifixion, they smiled. They knew that Yeshua had truly given them eyes to see, not only physically, but to see that He is the One Who Was, Who Is and Who Is To Come!