Contemplative Bible Reading

Mark 10:49-50 (New Living Translation)

When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.”

So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” 50 Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

Many translations of this passage use the word “cloak” instead of “coat.” What seems a side note to me today was a significant act at the time.

The coat or cloak was a valuable possession 2,000 years ago. For a poor person, such as Bartimaeus, the coat provided shelter from the climate, a desk for the work of begging, a basket to carry any food he was given, and so on.

The idea that Bartimaeus would toss aside his coat shows his exuberance at the thought of being called to Jesus. Would I abandon my car or my  house if someone called me to see Jesus? Yikes, I doubt it, and I guess that shows how much  more faith that Bartimaeus had than I have.

God help me with my unbelief.