Faith and Salvation (3)

"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road (Mark 10:52)

Jesus says, “Your faith has healed you”, and immediately Bartimaeus received his sight. Such miracle had happened with a very simple word. It is a simple thing to believe it. Now the author of Mark’s gospel does not have much concern on the healing process of Bartimaeus. If it was a magical incident, such performance of magician or a sorcerer would have been evidently recorded in detail. However, the gospel does not have any interest in such evidence.

The gospels only try to highlight Jesus’ kingly and divine authority. Whether Jesus touched the other’s body or not it was not much important point in the gospels. The importance lies in the fact that a Messianic manifestation has happened through Jesus. The gospels were written according to the viewpoints of the ancient people.

Messiah is the Savior. If Jesus is the Messiah, showing his salvation power is natural. Yes. Jesus was able to say, “You are saved” or “Today salvation has come to this house.” In the case of Bartimaeus the salvation for him was to receive his sight.

What relationship does salvation and recovery of sight have? Salvation means deliverance of Israelites from the jaw of the enemies. Israelites were delivered from the Red Sea through the leading hands of God. Indeed Bartimaeus was saved for he was delivered from the world of total darkness. Human should be delivered from poverty, isolation and diseases. Ultimately human should be delivered sin and death which is the result of sin. Jesus is the Messiah for he saved human from sin and death. It was the understanding of the early Christians that Jesus is the savior.