Bartimaeus’ Cloak

Hampden United Methodist Church

March 15, 2026 homily on Mark 10:46-52 by Pastor Galen for the Fourth Sunday in Lent.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.” – Proverbs 3:5

Valuable Possessions

One of my favorite things that I own is a board game that was given to our family when I was a child, called The Stock Market Game. The game was not new when we acquired it, so it’s quite vintage now. It’s not really worth a lot of money, but it’s valuable to me. Partly because they’re no longer making new versions of the game, so it would be difficult to acquire another copy. But also because it brings back fond memories of my brother and me playing the game for hours and hours when we were younger.

And I probably liked the game because it was one of the few games that I actually had a chance of winning against my brother, who is almost five years older than me and won pretty much every other game that we ever played against each other.

All of us have things that are valuable to us, even if they’re not worth a lot of money. Maybe it’s a memorable keepsake such as a game, or a doll or teddy bear from when we were a child, or a baseball that we caught at an Orioles game. Maybe it’s something we find useful, such as a tool or appliance that is no longer in production and would be difficult to replace.

And then there are, of course, those non-material things that may not have monetary value but are still valuable to us. Things like memories and relationships.

In our Gospel lesson today we encounter someone who had an extremely valuable possession—valuable at least to him—that he was willing to cast aside when he was called by Jesus. As we dig into this story, we’re going to see why it was so valuable to him, and why it was such an extreme act of faith for him to cast it aside when he ran to Jesus.

Receiving the Kingdom as a Child

The story begins with Jesus and his disciples passing through Jericho on their way to Jerusalem, with a large crowd accompanying them. Earlier in this chapter, some people were bringing their children to Jesus to be blessed. When some of the disciples spoke sternly to the parents, presumably not wanting them to interrupt Jesus, Jesus rebuked them. He told those who had rebuked the children that “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it” (Mark 10:15).

From the context, we can assume that at least part of what Jesus is referring to here is how children are completely dependent on their caregivers. Very young children are vulnerable. They need care. And those who receive the Kingdom of God are those who recognize their need and their dependence on the Lord.

The story that follows confirms this. A young man comes to Jesus wanting to follow him. But when Jesus tells him that in order to do so he would need to sell all that he had and give the money away, he turns away sad, “for he had many possessions” (Mark 10:22).

And then here, at the end of chapter 10, we encounter someone who does give up all that he has to follow Jesus. In truth, he didn’t have nearly as much as the young man who encountered Jesus earlier. But even the little that he did have, he cast aside in order to follow Jesus.

The man’s name was Bartimaeus.

Bartimaeus

Bartimaeus was a beggar by profession. I realize it might seem odd to refer to begging as a profession, but in those days beggars actually served a certain function in society.

You see, one of the central practices of Judaism was almsgiving—giving to those in need. In order to be a faithful, religious person, there needed to be people in need for you to give your alms to. And Bartimaeus was certainly in need.

Bartimaeus, we learn in the text, was blind. And without the technological advances and disability rights that we have today, it would have been very difficult for Bartimaeus to find other means of employment. So begging was, in a sense, his profession.

When Jesus and his disciples and the crowd passed by Bartimaeus, he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47). No doubt Bartimaeus had heard stories about Jesus healing people, and he gathered from the excitement of the crowd that Jesus was about to pass by.

Although some in the crowd sternly ordered him to be quiet, Bartimaeus was persistent. He continued to cry out to Jesus for mercy. And then Jesus stood still and told those around him to call Bartimaeus to come to him.

And then Bartimaeus did something rather astounding. Mark tells us that “throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus” (Mark 10:50).

Why was it so astounding that Bartimaeus threw off his cloak?

Well, for most people in those days, someone’s cloak was their most valuable possession. Cloaks were not just outer garments like coats that we wear in cold weather. They also functioned as blankets at night. They were heavy garments that were expensive to produce, and unless someone was wealthy they usually only owned one.

And certainly for someone such as Bartimaeus, who made his living by begging, he would not have owned a second one.

In addition, for beggars a cloak also functioned as a kind of tool of the trade. Bartimaeus most likely had his cloak spread over his legs to collect the coins that people tossed into his lap as they passed by.

So when Bartimaeus threw off his cloak and ran to Jesus, he was casting aside not only his most valuable possession, but also his tool of the trade, with little hope of finding it again in the crowd, unless his sight was restored.

By casting aside his cloak and running to Jesus, Bartimaeus did exactly what the rich young ruler earlier in the chapter was not willing to do: give up all that he had to follow Jesus.

And in doing so, Bartimaeus demonstrated exactly the kind of trust and dependence that little children show toward their caregivers. Exactly the kind of trust Jesus said we must have if we want to enter the Kingdom.

Let Me See Again

When Bartimaeus reached Jesus, Jesus asked him a question that might seem a little strange to us. He asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51).

At first this might seem like an obvious question. We might think, Well of course Bartimaeus wants his eyesight restored.

But it’s actually a very good and important question. And it sets a helpful example for how we should interact with people who have disabilities today. We should never assume that we know what someone wants or needs.

Just because someone is in a wheelchair doesn’t mean they want us to push them up a steep incline. Just because someone is walking with a cane doesn’t mean they need us to hold the door open for them. It’s always better to ask. None of us like it when others make assumptions about us.

So Jesus asks Bartimaeus what he wants.

And Bartimaeus replies that he wants to see again.

Again this might seem like the obvious choice. But we should recognize that by choosing this option, Bartimaeus was making it very difficult to ever return to begging again. Once his sight was restored, people would no longer see him as someone in need of charity.

Most likely he would need to learn a new skill or a new trade in order to make a living. 

So although asking Jesus to restore his sight may seem like the obvious request, he could just as easily have asked Jesus for a large amount of money so that he wouldn’t have to beg for a long time.

But he asked for his sight. And Jesus restored it.

And then Bartimaeus does something else that is remarkable: he follows Jesus. Literally.

The text doesn’t say that he even went back to look for his cloak. He doesn’t run home to tell his family and neighbors that he can see. He doesn’t go off and live a self-centered life now that he has regained his sight.

Instead, he does the very thing that the rich young man earlier refused to do: he gives up everything and follows Jesus.

Giving What We Cannot Keep

Jim Elliot, a missionary to South America who gave his life for the sake of the Gospel, once said: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”

Bartimaeus certainly was no fool. Even when he was blind, Bartimaeus was able to see something that many sighted people cannot see. He understood that everything we have here on earth is temporary. But eternal life with Christ—knowing Jesus and being in Christ’s presence—is what lasts forever. Gaining eternal life with Christ is worth more than everything in this life.

The Jesus Prayer

One of the ways we can be with Jesus is through prayer. Prayer is simply communicating with God. In prayer we express our dependence on God and our devotion to God. And when we pray, God expresses God’s love for us.

The words that Bartimaeus cried out when Jesus was passing by have often been referred to as “The Jesus Prayer.” “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’” (Mark 10:47). “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

This is a prayer that we can pray daily, even throughout the day. It is a prayer that expresses our need for Jesus and our dependence on God.

It is a prayer we can whisper in times of trial and testing like Job, when we feel desperate like Bartimaeus. It is a prayer we can pray while riding the bus or driving in our car, while walking down the street, or while lying in bed at night. It is a prayer we can pray when we don’t know what else to pray.

It’s a prayer that reminds us that we are all like children—dependent on God’s mercy and provision.  “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

I would encourage us to pray this prayer often, and to remember that it is not foolish to give up the things we cannot keep anyway, in order to gain what we cannot lose.

Amen!

Questions for Personal Reflection in Response to today’s message:

1. Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak when Jesus called him. What might be the “cloak” in my life that I am hesitant to release?
2. Jesus asks Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” How would I honestly answer that question today?
3. In what ways am I being invited to trust God with childlike dependence rather than relying only on my own understanding?
4. Bartimaeus followed Jesus immediately after being healed. What might faithful obedience look like in my life right now?
5. How might praying the simple prayer, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me,” shape my daily walk with Christ?