In Mark 10:46-52 we witness Jesus healing Bartimaeus along the road from Jericho to Jerusalem. Jesus' ability to heal this blind man not only physically but also spiritually is a fulfillment of Isaiah 35 which promised that the dawning of the messianic age would include the healing of the blind, lame, and the deaf. This pericope also demonstrates a tragic irony: The blind man ends up "seeing" Jesus true identity while the leadership of Israel who claimed to "see" remained blind to Jesus' messianic credentials. We can conclude from this that remaining blind in light of great evidence that Jesus is the Messiah, the very Son of God, brings further hardening and future condemnation.

Handout | Powerpoint