Mark said that Bartimaeus “began to cry out,” meaning he said it repeatedly. There are times when we have to knock and keep knocking, ask and keep asking, seek and keep seeking, because when we persist in faith, doors open, and prayers are answered. Sometimes we are embarrassed to keep asking, but this beggar wasn’t ashamed. He kept calling, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
In verses 22 through 26, Mark recorded the story of a blind man in Bethsaida, which was in a largely Gentile region, but excavations have found a significant, if not predominately Jewish population in the town. As such, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether the blind man was Jewish or Gentile, but for purposes of illustrating a powerful point in the Gospel, it doesn’t really matter what his race was.
