More than just saying yes to Jesus one time in life, discipleship means giving up everything and following Jesus on the road to the cross as a daily way of life. The accounts in Mark 10 of the unnamed wealthy man and the blind beggar, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, illustrate discipleship in a very real way.
The two accounts parallel one another, comparing and contrasting true discipleship. Bringing out the contrast even more, these two passages are separated by Jesus describing the difficult road of what it means to follow him, and the disciples again demonstrating their lack of understanding.
Let’s take a look:
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. -Mark 10:17-22, NRSV
They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. -Mark 10:46-52, NRSV
The wealthy man runs towards Jesus, kneels before him, and calls him good. Ben-Hur comes to mind; this wealthy man could even have been the inspiration for the story. But clearly, whoever this man is, he loves Jesus! A rich man who runs and kneels, humbling himself before his teacher whom he recognizes as divine – that’s not something that’s common for wealthy, respectable people. Jesus clearly loves this man as well. He doesn’t mock his question, but takes him seriously. Moreover, people believed that wealth was a sign of God’s blessing and favor; so by everyone’s opinion and by the looks of things, here was a man who was on his way to the kingdom of God. But things aren’t always what they seem.
Jesus challenges him, though, cutting to the core of the issue. His wealth is actually holding him back. It is the one thing he is not yet ready to give up in order to follow Jesus.
I’m not saying this is the case for anyone who owns anything; Peter owned a home where Jesus and the disciples stayed in Capernaum, and several of the disciples had successful businesses as fishermen, and continued in that trade to support themselves. But regardless of one’s wealth or poverty, one must be ready and willing to give up whatever one does have for the sake of Jesus.
In Mark 8, Jesus said, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?”
In a recent Bible study I lead, a participant pointed out that we don’t actually know what happened to the wealthy man. It’s an important point. Perhaps he decided not to give up his wealth in order to follow the teacher he loved, or perhaps, after a period of time, he did decide to give it all up for the sake of Jesus. Jesus gave him a surprising message; sometimes those types of messages take a while to sink in. It can be a process for our minds to grasp God’s truth and for our hearts to experience transformation. If the man was anything like the story of Judah Ben-Hur, then perhaps he did change after all. But here, in this passage, Mark focuses on what is holding him back from the kingdom.
Meanwhile, Bartimaeus, a poor blind beggar on the side of the road, calls out to Jesus despite the voices of the crowd trying to pressure him into silence. And even when Jesus calls him, asking him what he wants, this poor man with hardly any possessions casts off his cloak! Even before his vision is healed, Bartimaeus throws off his one important material possession. Jesus heals him and he sees clearly, following Jesus on his final journey to Jerusalem where he will ultimately be killed. Whereas the wealthy man, and even James and John and the other disciples, do not see clearly, Bartimaeus does. Bartimaeus is someone who demonstrates what it means to follow Jesus.
Bartimaeus, a name meaning son of Timaeus, and also meaning son of honor, shows true discipleship. Mark redundantly writes, “Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus,” doubly emphasizing this poor beggar’s honor before Jesus Christ. Bartimaeus also calls out to Jesus in recognition, “Jesus, son of David!” The name Jesus comes from the name Joshua, meaning deliverer and savior, and son of David reflects the idea of Messiah. Bartimaeus essentially calls out, “Savior, savior!”, throws off his cloak, and jumps up to go to Jesus. The poor blind beggar, who shows what discipleship means, is recognized with great honor.
The wealthy man runs to Jesus and is not pushed away by the crowd. The blind beggar calls to Jesus but the crowd tells him to be quiet, but he persists even more. Both the wealthy man and the blind beggar recognize who Jesus is, but Bartimaeus calls out in desperation and insists on encountering him. The wealthy man has all the possessions he could want, but does not want to sell them and give to the poor – that we know of – and we can hope that the wealthy man ultimately did what Jesus asks. The blind beggar barely has anything, and the cloak that he has, he casts off when he jumps up to Jesus. Finally, the wealthy man goes away grieving, but the blind beggar is healed and given the place of honor, sees clearly, and follows Jesus to Jerusalem, where Jesus will be killed.
Jesus deeply loves all people and desires everyone, regardless of wealth or poverty, to seek after him. But it is much more than simply saying yes to Jesus, recognizing Jesus, or even liking Jesus. Being a disciple of Jesus means Bartimaeus’ example, calling out to him desperately and consistently, being willing to give up everything even when we barely have anything, and following Jesus on the road to the cross. In that, a disciple will become a son or daughter of honor, and his or her eyes will open even more, seeing clearly what following Jesus truly means.
The Kayaking Church 