The story of the blind beggar cured by Jesus is related in all the synoptic gospels, but only Mark gives us his name. This would suggest that Bartimaeus was a well-known figure on the road. Probably he was ragged and unpleasant to look at, with his unseeing eyes, and it is likely most people shunned him. Then everything was changed. Bartimaeus - despised and rejected - came alive. His pitiful world was suddenly filled with hope. The blind man knew who Jesus was. He addressed him unusually as “Son of David,” and he asked for help. This seemed to disconcert the crowd. The man they had ignored was suddenly empowered. He was making a lot of noise and disturbing them. He had forgotten that his place was at the side of the road. Moreover, he was acknowledging Jesus’ descent from David, which would have probably alarmed Jesus’ opponents. When Jesus asked him what he wanted, he replied without hesitation: “Master, let me see again.”
Bartimaeus had faith in the Lord. He asked for what he wanted and he got it. He gave an example of how to pray. If we tell God what we want, we enter into a dialogue with him. It gives him a chance to give us direction, possibly the opposite to what we had in mind. Bartimaeus’ prayer was answered and knew where he was going next: he would follow Jesus to Jerusalem.