04_Biblica_1_A_Ossandon_Layout 1 05/11/12 12:18 Pagina 400 400 JUAN CARLOS OSSANDÓN veal his approval of Jesus’ words, although, as said above, from the beginning of the Gospel he puts himself in Jesus’ position. The petition of the blind man reveals his ideological point of view. Although he asks for a miracle, he addresses Jesus not as a thau- maturge, but as someone with authority to teach 62. Bartimaeus ac- cepts Jesus’ dignity, shown by the fact of calling him instead of going towards him. In the light of 10,52c, he considers himself as a disciple. Concerning the narrator, his ideological point of view remains unseen. He shows neither approval nor refusal; he just reproduces Bartimaeus’ words. g) 10,52 The words of Jesus in 10,52a constitute the peak of the dramatic action. He accepts Bartimaeus’ petition, interprets his behavior, and ensures his salvation. At the same time, Jesus implicitly accepts the characterization made by Bartimaeus, that is, he recognizes as his own the attributes of a merciful, Davidic Messiah, equipped with the authority of a master, and able to restore sight. Defining Barti- maeus, Jesus indirectly defines himself. The fact that Jesus performs a crucial role in the episode reflects well the normative role of his point of view in Mark. Before 10,52, some gestures had conveyed the singular authority of Jesus, such as stopping and making others call the blind man, an order that is immediately obeyed. What does the narrator think with respect to the point of view of Jesus? The answer comes in the next two sentences. But now we can note how the narrator has described skillfully every gesture and word of Bartimaeus not employing the semantic field of faith, be- cause he wanted Jesus to pronounce this word. He has also avoided evaluating Bartimaeus and the other characters, because he was waiting for Jesus’ judgment. Once the dialogue is over, the narrator’s voice reappears. He hurries to state that Bartimaeus’ desire has been accomplished, a fact that curiously was absent from Jesus’ words, though implicit in the idea of salvation. The narrator employs the same term used by the blind man in his petition, in order to emphasize that it has been exactly satisfied. The meaning of Bartimaeus’ following Jesus 62 DELORME, “Guérison”, 12.