Bartimaeus

Today's reading, following the lectionary year, is about Bartimaeus. This unsung hero's story is found in Mark 10:46-52. In our guest priest's sermon today I had another aha moment.
When the priest told us just "why" Bartimaeus was the hero in this reading, he used last week's reading (Mark 10:35-37) in which John and James asked Christ to let them sit on his right and left side, as comparison. Christ asked John and James, just as He asked Bartimaeus, "What do you want Me to do for you?"
In the case of John and James they wanted favor. In the case of Bartimaeus, he wanted sight.
But the aha came when I understood, when God spoke to my heart via this young priest, that the sight, is the insight to our own salvation. The sight that Christ is the Salvation of the world. The sight to understand that just knowing this isn't quite enough--but seeing it is everything.
It sounds simplistic when I say it this way, because we all, all God-fearing Christians, understand that Christ is our Salvation. But to SEE this is a bit different I think.
When God showed himself to Moses, Moses hid in a narrow crevice (Exodus 33:22-23) and God kept Himself from Moses direct sight. So too, sometimes we are out of direct sight. Sometimes we are even too far away. But when we, like Bartimaeus, can SEE that the way to all life is through Christ, our advocate, then something is lifted from the eyes of our soul, which are far too often turned inward. It is a seeing, not just knowing, but seeing, that what we want must come through Christ. And what we need is the understanding that only through Christ can the peace come. If we don't really GET IT, then we will ask for something like a lottery win, or health for ourselves, or even others. But when we do GET IT, it is by faith, and turning over to Christ, our lives which He gave His own for. This is the seeing that Bartimaeus got. Sure, his eyes were healed, but the seeing was really knowing the Lord as his Savior. And following Christ forever.