The more one knows about the scriptures, the more insight can one derive from any particular passage and thus the more fruitful one's prayer may become. Thus any particular story about Jesus may be read from different perspectives.

The story of Bartimaeus is, first of all, a miracle story, an account of Jesus restoring sight to a blind man. Details in the story, however, draw our attention to other levels of meaning. The blind man is persistent and insistent in his prayer and refuses to be deterred by the crowd's opposition. Jesus tells the crowd to call him. The crowd's words to the man are now insightful and consoling: "Have courage, he is calling you." Besides the miracle, there is now a vocation. Besides the simple fact of Jesus calling the man over to heal him, there is the hint of a vocation: anytime Jesus calls us to himself in answer to our prayer, there is some connotation of vocation. It requires courage to be persistent in prayer and at the same time it requires courage to open our hearts to whatever answer God gives us in prayer.

Finally, because Bartimaeus responded to Jesus' call with great alacrity, he came closer to Jesus and was thus able to receive the grace of healing.