04_Biblica_1_A_Ossandon_Layout 1 05/11/12 12:18 Pagina 402 402 JUAN CARLOS OSSANDÓN could be healed, then Bartimaeus’ behavior shows how they should act, if they were not blind. Mark 10:46-52 does not include any dialogue between Jesus and the disciples. The lesson is so clear that it requires no explanation, and there is no time left to them: the way to Jerusalem is coming to its end. In the decisive hour, the disciples will have to show if they have finally learnt Jesus’ teaching or if, on the contrary, they still think like human beings. Pontificia Università della Santa Croce Juan Carlos OSSANDÓN Via dei Farnesi 83 I-00186 Roma SUMMARY This analysis of the plot and the narrative point of view in Mark 10,46- 52 sheds some light on the function of this episode in relation to the char- acterization of Jesus and of the disciples in Mark. Bartimaeus appears as a model of both confessing Jesus as Messiah and following him on the way to the cross. The narrator describes in detail Bartimaeus’ behavior, but it is Jesus who approves of it and implicitly accepts the blind man’s actions and words as a correct manifestation of faith in him.