And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.
A blind beggar has been shouting for mercy outside Jericho. The crowd told him to be quiet, but now the call has come for him. This one verse is his whole answer. Writers read it as a picture of how a needy person comes to Christ, and as a warning about what we hold on to.
A Detail Only Mark Preserves
Only one Gospel writer mentions the cloak, and it is not the one who was there. He also uses a rare word for the way the man got up.
William KellyMark, not Matthew, mentions the cloak thrown off in the eagerness that hurried to the invitation of Jesus. Yet it was Matthew, not Mark, who was an eyewitness. Some manuscripts read "sprang up" here, and the editors follow them; others read "rose up". The word behind it is used only here in the New Testament.
What Stood Between Him and Christ
Commentators differ on why the cloak went. One reading is practical. A long garment on a blind man pushing through a packed crowd is in the way.
W. T. P. WolstonThe thing that hindered him, he threw away. Picture that blind man, sitting by the roadside, with people all around him. When he hears the call he thinks: if I am going to reach Him through that crowd, I must throw off my garment. It will only get in my way. And so he threw away his garment. He got rid of the thing that hindered him. Every man has hindrances. You too, get rid of your hindrances, and come to Jesus.
Not Fit to Stand Before the King
A second reading looks at what the cloak said about him. It was a beggar's covering, and he was about to stand in front of the Messiah.
Leslie M. GrantBartimaeus threw away his garment, rose and came to Jesus. No doubt he felt it was wrong to come to the Lord in beggar's clothing. That reminds us that "all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment" (Isaiah 64:6).
Others turn the picture on the reader. In the discarded robe they see the goodness people try to wear into God's presence.
W. W. FeredayCrowds of people today are hugging a garment of self-righteousness, and it harms their souls. Oh, that they would throw it from them, and as sinners seek the Saviour's feet!
The Act of Letting Go
One writer will not settle the argument about the cloak's worth. He finds the lesson in the letting go itself.
William J HockingIt does not matter whether the garment he threw away was a torn rag or a costly robe. It does not matter whether Bartimaeus thought that a garment good enough for begging by the roadside would be out of place before the King. Giving it up is what conveys the lesson.
The same writer makes it ordinary. The comfort that keeps us from getting up is a garment to throw off.
William J HockingIt takes effort to get to the breaking of bread, to the gospel preaching, to the prayer meeting, to the reading meeting. Each one costs some sacrifice of selfish ease. To be regular in private prayer and Bible study calls for energy to throw off the pillows and cushions and rugs of comfort. "Rise up, He calls you." We must throw away the garment, and spring to attention for ready obedience to the Master's word.
A Picture of a Nation
One writer reads the blind man as a picture of Israel's future.
Numerical Bible NotesBartimaeus foreshadows the remnant of Israel in days to come, when God is preparing the way of His King to come to Zion. They will come to Him, "casting away the garment" of religious self-righteousness. That has always been the hindrance among the people they belong to. They will receive sight and follow Jesus.
Receiving Before Following
He is not yet healed when the cloak hits the ground. He comes with nothing, and the order matters.
Hamilton SmithThe Lord takes the place of the doer, and the blind man accepts the place of the receiver. The blind man received his sight and "followed him on the way", from then on to be His disciple. He did not try to follow Jesus to get his sight. He received the blessing first, and then became a follower. First we must receive the blessings of salvation and forgiveness through what Christ has done. Only then can we follow Him as the object of our soul's delight.
Summary
- Called. He does not move until Christ calls him. The call is what puts him on his feet.
- Cast. He drops the one thing he owns. Some read it as a hindrance to speed. Others read it as the beggar's covering he cannot wear before the King.
- Come. He arrives with nothing to offer. That is where he drops his self-righteousness too.
- Receive. Christ gives sight; the man does not earn it. He takes the place of the receiver, and the Lord is the doer.
- Follow. Only then does he follow on the road — blessing first, discipleship after, never the reverse.