42 Jesus' Triumphal Entry

Jesus entered the city with his disciples and a very large number of followers. These were the people who had followed Him from His Galilean ministry (Mark 10:1, 32). They were not bystanders but those who were genuinely interested in His ministry, miracles, and teaching. They would be called pilgrims. They passed through the city and as they were on the way out at the city gate when they came upon a blind beggar named Bartimaeus who was the son of a man named Timaeus. Bartimaeus is an Aramaic name-meaning son of Timaeus. Mark’s account is the only Gospel account to identify him by name. He was sitting by the roadside begging. Luke’s account places the site right at the entrance of the city (Luke 18:35). This was an opportune location for beggars to come in contact with a maximum number of people enhancing their chance for donations. There is no record of the duration of the Lord’s stay in Jericho. It could not have been very long due to the hast travelling to Jerusalem so as to be there for passover week and its three festivals.