Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

§15.3 Who Did They Think Jesus Was?
'What
do vou want me to do for vou?'
33 They said to him,
'Lord, let our eyes be opened'.
34 Moved with compassion,
Jesus touched their eyes.
Immediately thev regained their
sight and followed him.
throwing off his cloak, he
sprang up and came to Jesus. 51
Then Jesus said to him, 'What
do vou want me to do for you?'
The blind man said to him,
'Rabbouni. let me see again'.
52 Jesus said to him, 'Go;
vour faith has saved you.'
Immediately he regained his
sight and followed him on the
way.
and when he came
near, he asked him, 41 'What
do vou want me to do for vou?'
He said,
'Lord, let me see again'. 42
Jesus said to him, 'Receive your
sight; vour faith has saved you.'
43 At once he regained his
sight and followed him.
glorifying God.
As to the historical value of the detail we should note the following. (1) Here
again the episode is located: on the outskirts of Jericho. 137 (2) It is more likely
that the name 'Bartimaeus' (Aramaic bar timai) 13& was omitted in the retellings
of the story than that Mark gratuitously added it. (3) The term 'Son of David' is
hardly characteristic of the miracle stories in the Jesus tradition (though Matthew
adds in a number). 139 (4) The Aramaic 'Rabbouni' (rabboni or rabbuni), uo appearing
only here (10.51) and John 20.16 in the NT, is surely a sign of primitive
formulation. (5) The variation in the silence motif (10.48) is unique in Mark, and
the absence of a final command to silence is somewhat at odds with Mark's 'secrecy'
motif. 141 (6) The concluding note ('he followed him') indicates that
Bartimaeus became a disciple, and suggests that within the disciple circles it may
well have been Bartimaeus's own testimony which provided the initial and enduring
form of the tradition. 142
The point then, is that the very early Jesus tradition recalled an occasion
when Jesus was addressed as 'son of David'. This certainly suggests that Jesus'
reputation had given rise to popular speculation about his messiahship. That a
beggar's boldness should give voice to and attempt to trade on the speculation
would be hardly surprising.
137. Meier, Marginal Jew 2.688. See also H.-J. Eckstein, 'Markus 10,46-52 als
Schlüsseltext des Markusevangeliums', ZNW 87 (1996) 33-50.
138. Str-B 2.25; Meier, Marginal Jew 2.687-88; Kollmann, Jesus 238-39.
139. Meier, Marginal Jew 2.688-89 and 738 n. 50. In the historical situation, its use presupposes
(a) that Jesus' Davidic descent was well enough known, and (b) that his reputation as
a healer was sufficient to evoke the popular(?) expectation of a Davidide with healing power
(see below, 15.7a) (similarly Funk, Acts of Jesus 118).
140. Str-B 2.25.
141. Only 'somewhat', since there are several other stories in Mark which do not fit
within that motif (1.29-31; 2.1-12; 3.1-6; 5.25-34; 7.24-30; 9.14-27).
142. P. J. Achtemeier, '"And He Followed Him": Miracles and Discipleship in Mark
10:46-52', in R. W. Funk, ed., Early Christian Miracle Stories, Semeia 11 (Missoula: Scholars,
1978) 115-45.
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