Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 234, Matthew 20:29-34 — Jesus Heals Two Blind Men Matthew 20:29-34 (NASB1995) “As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. 30 And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32 And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 33 They *said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.” Review Yesterday, we read about the disciples’ anger toward James and John and learned about kingdom leadership. The other ten disciples became angry with James and John for asking Jesus to command them to be ahead in His coming kingdom. But instead of condemning them for their pride and misunderstanding, Jesus teaches about kingdom leadership. He uses Gentile rule influenced by power and greed as an example of poor leadership— likely referencing Rome, which tyrannically occupied Israeli land. He then gave an example of what good leadership looks like. Kingdom leadership does not pursue worldly power and authority, leading to fearful obedience. Instead, it seeks to self-sacrificially serve with humility. A servant, or diákonos, seeks to provide service for others in love. In nearly every New Testament reference, a diákonos is a servant minister, attendant, preacher, deacon, or other form of trusted person who helps the local church. They commit their works to God with a humble heart, seeking no personal gain from their works. Jesus corrects the disciples’ worldly thinking about leadership by showing them that true kingdom leadership is shown through humility and self-sacrifice for the benefit of others—not personal gain. Jesus then makes Himself an example of this type of kingdom leadership, showing that He came to serve humanity and provide them with a way to obtain eternal life and forgiveness of sin, not oppressively rule over them. Discussion Today, we read about Jesus’ last miracle before arriving at Jerusalem. We will reference Mark and Luke’s accounts for further context. Matthew writes, “As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.” Jesus has been traveling toward Jerusalem for some time now. He left Galilee to begin the journey toward His ascension in Matthew 19:1-2, but it took longer because the Samaritans refused to let Him cut through (Lk. 9:51:53). Thus, Jesus traveled around Samaria to avoid confrontation with the Samaritans and is now just fifteen miles outside of Jerusalem, going through a town called Jericho. This is not the same Jericho from Joshua 5-6, though. This Jericho Jesus is passing through is ‘New Jericho’, located a few miles south. As Jesus is passing through the town, He encounters two blind men along the road, as Matthew writes, “30 and two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, ‘Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!’” Notably, Mark and Luke reference just one blind man named Bartimaeus (Mk. 10:46; Lk. 18:35). This is also not the first time Matthew has recorded two healings instead of one like Mark and Luke do (Matt. 8:28-34). Perhaps Mark and Luke highlighted only one man here instead of both because they were not present for the other man or he did not provide his name. It is also likely that Jesus healed more than just these two men, but the gospels only include this healing. Regardless, the men cry out to Jesus and call Him the ‘Son of David,’ which we have learned is extremely significant because of its connection to the Jewish Messiah. Their cry confirms their acknowledgment that Jesus is the Messiah, leaving no doubt that their faith is genuine.[1] They knew it was Jesus because of all the commotion. The crowds were likely saying His name, which led the blind men to faithfully cry out for help. But their cry lands on hardened ears as the crowd following Jesus sternly tells them to be quiet. This is likely because these men were associated as ‘beggars’ and constantly cried out for help. “31 But they cried out all the more, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!’” This second cry got Jesus’ attention as He stopped and called back out to them, saying, “32 What do you want Me to do for you?” Amid the chaos of traveling through a town with thousands of people following, Jesus gives these men a chance to ask for whatever they desire. His response reveals His willingness to provide them with whatever they ask. “33 They said to Him, ‘Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.’” Jesus obviously knew these men were blind and were going to ask for healing. Yet, He instigated them to prove their faith by asking Him directly for it. Jesus has put the ball in the court of a person multiple times before, so one can prove their faith is genuine (Matt. 15:21-28; 17:14-21). In those passages, Jesus is moved to compassion by the great faith of the Canaanite woman and the man as He heals their children of demons. Likewise, Jesus is again moved to compassion here as the two blind men prove their great humility and faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus then “34 touched their eyes, and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.” Notably, this healing stands out among the rest because Jesus does not tell the men to keep quiet about it. In the past, Jesus told people to not tell anybody about their healings to avoid the threats of the religious leaders. But now, the time has come. He heals these men in front of thousands and does so just outside Jerusalem. Jesus knows His death is soon, so there is no more running from danger. This is the last recorded miracle of Jesus before entering Jerusalem, which will significantly expedite His journey to the cross. We will read about His triumphant entry into Jerusalem tomorrow. Application This passage had many parallels to some of Jesus’ other healings, including His healing of two other blind men (Matt. 9:27-31). But this is the first time where we find Jesus unbothered by the potential danger of the news getting out. He knows His time has come, but He still faithfully treks toward His inevitable death. Things happen quickly once Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, as we are only one week from His crucifixion. However, that does not derail Him from showing compassion to those in need and healing those who ask and put their faith in Him. The application of this passage outside of recognizing Jesus as the Jewish Messiah is the faith of the two blind men. In many of Jesus’ healings, the people do not follow Christ or put their faith in Him. In this one, we find these men faithful before, during, and after their healing. They had faith in Jesus as the Messiah before, faith in Him to heal them, and then showed their genuine faith after by following Him. How often do people pray to God for a blessing, receive it, and then forget about the God who gave it? How often do we forget about God in the good times because we become so comfortable in them? I believe these men would have continued to have faith in Jesus as the Messiah, even without their healing. But even after receiving it, they showed it even more by following Jesus. It is easy to call out to God when we are in need. But how often do we call out to God when we feel like we are doing well? I have found myself in both situations, which have led me to repent. In hard times, I have failed to cry out to God and then thanked Him when the going was good. Likewise, I have cried out to God for help in the grime and then forgot to thank Him when He answered. By God’s grace, He has helped me recognize I need Him every day. In the ‘good’ times and the ‘bad,’ I need to constantly die to myself and recognize my need for Jesus. I need to always thank Him for the ‘good’ and worship Him in the ‘bad.’ May we have faith like the two blind men and faithfully follow Jesus when times are tough and seemingly great. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 21:1-5. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.”
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