Matthew 20:29-34 - Longing for Light

Let's take our Bibles and go to Matthew's Gospel, the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 20, chapter 20.

Matthew 20 · chapter mention

We're going to look at a short little episode here in Matthew chapter 20, right at the very end, beginning in verse 29.

Matthew 20 · chapter mention

Let me read this passage.

As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him, and there were two blind men sitting by the road.

When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, Lord, have mercy on us, son of David.

The crowd demanded that they keep quiet, but they cried out all the more, Lord, have mercy on us, son of David.

Jesus stopped, called them, and said, What do you want me to do for you?

Lord, they said to him, open our eyes.

Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, and immediately they could see, and they followed him.

Jesus and his disciples have just finished the trek from Galilee into Perea and Judea, and now they're about to make that final ascent into Jerusalem, and their route takes them through Jericho, which is about 20 miles from Jerusalem, where a large crowd here, as we've read, follows, and where he encounters two blind men.

This miracle that we just read is also found in Mark's Gospel and also in Luke's Gospel, which is a significant thing to say, because they don't always mention the same accounts.

And in Mark's Gospel, we have one of the men's names mentioned.

His name is Bartimaeus.

We're actually given his name.

And once again, we see Matthew returning to a familiar arrangement of his gospel.

He's just concluded this big section of conversations that Jesus has had.

We call it the fourth discourse of the five that are in Matthew's gospel.

And as Matthew does, he will take one of these sections of discussion and surround it with demonstrations of Christ's power and also calls to discipleship.

This one here is significant because this is the last episode in Matthew's gospel that is a clear discipleship call and a clear demonstration encounter of Jesus' power.

There's a passing reference to Jesus' healing powers a little bit later, but none of them have this kind of conversational feel to it.

This is the very end of Matthew's gospel when it comes to his relating to people and healing people and calling them to discipleship.

And what is notable besides that is that these men are blind and they don't have the ability to see physically.

But as we'll look at this passage of scripture, what a wonder that their hearts are open to see Jesus Christ as he actually is.

And their request of him speaks of their earnest desire to follow him and to know him.

So let's look into this last episode, this last demonstration, this last expression of discipleship until we get to the other side of the cross.

And the first thing I want us to notice here is the condition of these men, the condition of these men.

And very simply and very briefly, we'll look at this.

They're blind.

We don't know if they're blind from birth or became blind for some reason, but tragically, in those days, because of the many illnesses that were there, blindness was much more common than it is in our society today.

But not only were they blind, they were poor.

The other gospel accounts say that these men were begging when they were outside Jericho, probably because of their physical condition.

They were prevented from finding regular work and earning a living.

So the only way that they could find sustenance for the day was to call out on the generosity of others to take care of them in their need.

There was no real social security like we have it, no government programs like we know it.

They were totally dependent upon the generosity of those that passed by them as they called out to them in their condition.

These men were also insignificant.

They were not regular followers of Jesus.

They weren't part of the crowd that was following Jesus.

They were stationed at Jericho, sitting at Jericho, and when the crowd comes by, they asked the question, What's going on?

Luke 18, hearing the crowd passing by, they inquired what was happening.

They didn't know what was happening.

They were simply stationed there, begging as blind men.

And they were probably irreligious men, too.

This was a time of feast.

This was a time when the men of Israel were called to attend a festival and to make their way to Jerusalem for that festival.

These men weren't doing that.

They were sitting by the wayside, begging as they normally did, blind as they were, insignificant and unknowing of the movements of Jesus, and perhaps not even concerned, at least until this moment, with their spiritual life.

You might be here this morning in a similar spot, perhaps not physically blind, but maybe feeling like these men are: poor, insignificant, and perhaps not even very religious yourself.

There's some words of encouragement for all of us, no matter what condition we're in, here in this passage of Scripture.

Because as we look at this passage of scripture, we see Jesus stopping the crowds, interacting with these men as blind, poor, insignificant, and perhaps irreligious as they were, they were still objects of his concern and people that he spent time with.

That's not an insignificant statement.

It wasn't insignificant then, and it's not insignificant now.

As we in our society, and I have to say, a lot of us in our own personal self, would be quick to pass by these folks without thinking much about them.

And if we did, we would see them perhaps as an imposition rather than the objects of our mercy and care.

We might think that our day was too full of stuff that was much more important than these individuals were.

But that's not how Jesus responds to these men.

It's a wonder to behold his compassion and care, as we'll get into in just a moment.

And I have to say, the heart of Christ is still the same for as he was then.

He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

He is the same Jesus who doesn't hurry past people in need.

He doesn't push them aside because the crowd is the bigger audience.

He goes to the individual, to where we are, in the places of our need, in our insignificance.

So, seeing the condition of these men, let's look a little deeper at the conversation that's going on here.

And it starts out as a one-sided conversation.

It starts out with these men initiating it once they heard that Jesus was passing by.

They hear that Jesus has come close, and immediately their voices join together in chorus, and they cry out, Lord, have mercy upon us, son of David.

As they sat by the highway begging, hearing travelers go by them, asking what's going on, one word perks up their ears.

Jesus.

They had heard that word before.

Perhaps they'd even talked to people that had talked to Jesus.

But something arrested them when they heard that word.

They had heard perhaps about his miracles.

They'd heard about his teaching.

Perhaps they'd even talked to someone who had been healed by Christ Himself.

And now the opportunity in the lowly place of Jericho, on the side of a road, were these two men who realized this was a remarkable moment to call out to Jesus if perhaps he would hear them.

And their conversation with him is very, very insightful.

It's full of messianic significance.

The first thing that they say here is they call out the name Lord.

Now, it's possible that that term is simply a statement of respect, and it's oftentimes mentioned that way in Scripture, but it also carries a deeper connotation, a greater significance.

And coupled with the rest of the things that they're going to be saying to Jesus, I think it carries much more of that idea that they're speaking of him not just with respectful terms, but reverential terms, in the sense that he is the Lord, as they call out to him.

And though they're blind, they give an eyewitness account to who Jesus is in his identity.

Because the next phrase is significant.

Twice they express this.

Twice they call Jesus by this title, son of David.

That term comes from 2 Samuel.

When David had in his heart an idea.

When David had an idea to establish not just a tabernacle, but a temple, a house, a building where the worship of God could happen.

His idea seemed good to him.

He called his prophet friend Nathan.

Nathan thought it was a great idea.

They conspired together, talked about it a little bit.

It got late into the night, and Nathan decides to go home finally.

And in the middle of the night, God arrests Nathan and says, You need to go back to the king and tell him something.

Tell him I don't want him to build me a house.

Tell him this instead.

Tell him that I'm going to build him a house.

And I'm going to give him a son.

And on that son is going to build a house, and that son is going to have a kingdom, and that kingdom is not going to end.

Tell him that.

And so in 2 Samuel chapter 7, Nathan gives David that speech.

2 Samuel 7 · chapter mention

And that's why we read Isaiah chapter 9 today.

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

Because that promise is expanded on in the prophet's writings.

A child will be born for us.

Who is this child?

A son will be given to us.

What will he do?

The government will rest upon his shoulders.

His name, wonderful counselor, mighty God, eternal father, Prince of Peace.

Will it be a temporary rule?

The dominion will be vast and its prosperity will never end.

Is this the fulfillment?

He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever.

Isaiah prophesies.

Jeremiah picks it up in chapter 30.

They will serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I'll raise up for them.

Hosea picks it up.

Afterwards the people of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king.

They will come with awe to the Lord and to his goodness in the last days.

And again, Ezekiel, I will establish over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will shepherd them.

He will tend them himself and will be their shepherd.

I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince among them.

I, the Lord, have spoken.

And so these two blind men, they hear Jesus is coming by, and they immediately connect Jesus with this prophecy promise that the Son of David is coming.

A son of David who himself will shepherd the people.

And they, in their blindness and their poverty, and their insignificance, and perhaps even their irreligion, recognize that they need a shepherd.

They need someone to guide them.

They need someone to help them.

And this is the one.

And they cry out, Lord, Son of David.

They cry for his help.

They're blind, but they get it.

They see who Jesus is.

And they call out this request.

Have mercy upon us.

And this is even more important.

Because when you read Exodus 33 and the Lord speaks to Moses about his character, one of the things that he says about his character is that he is merciful.

And so the Israelite people would rather not say the name Yahweh.

They would replace it with phrases.

And one of the things that they would put in placement of the name of the Lord is this statement: Him who is merciful and gracious.

Or they would put it this way: Him who is long-suffering and abundant in mercy.

They would replace the mercy for the very name of God itself.

He who is merciful.

He who is abundant in mercy.

And now they cry out, Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us.

They're calling out from Jesus the very thing that God Himself gives.

Mercy.

Mercy.

They might have even considered the echo in Psalm 86.

Be gracious to me, Lord, for I call to you.

Bring joy to your servant's life because I appeal to you, Lord.

For you, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive, abounding in faithful love to all who call upon you.

Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cries for mercy.

I call on you in the day of my distress.

And so these men are blind but insightful.

In three different ways they speak of the messianic office and role of Jesus.

Lord, have mercy, son of David.

And they ask Jesus to do what only God Himself does.

They ask him to be what God's word promises.

They call out to him not just with respect, but with reverence and awe.

And then they ask for something else.

Lord, open our eyes.

I'll talk about that more in just a second.

But there's something insightful even in that question.

Ponder for a moment the many times that blind people were able to have their sight restored in the Old Testament.

There aren't any.

Remember how many times the apostles in their apostolic ministry restored the sight of blind people.

There aren't any.

Think about the times anyone other than Jesus gives sight to the blind.

There aren't any.

Only Jesus in all of Scripture gives sight to the blind.

They're asking Jesus to do something that only God does.

Only God does.

And so the first step to coming to Jesus here is to recognize who He is.

He's not just a man.

He's not just a compassionate man.

He's not just a uniquely situated person of mercy.

He is the very one who's fulfilling the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament in order to state to the world that God Himself has come not to judge us, but to save us.

And to get it into our own hearts, they stand as an example to each of us of what faith is.

Not just believe, believe, believe, believe on the Son, Jesus Christ.

Believe on him.

The second thing we see about this conversation is not just the insight to these men, but the insistence of these men.

The crowd tries to tamp down their cry.

And it just makes them scream out again, Lord, have mercy on us, son of David.

They cry out all the more.

They're very aware that Jesus, the one they've heard about, is now in their presence and they're going to insist an audience with him.

It dawns on them that if there's going to be any help from them, they need to cry out now.

Now is the moment they need to call.

An urgency lays upon their hearts.

They cannot rest, though pushed against.

Talking to one of our dear brothers here at church, neighbors, their whole life, and saved.

Up and pushed aside all the things that they could enjoy through their working years, banking on a retirement that would come where they could do the things they wanted to do and enjoy the things that they thought they could enjoy and spend the money that they'd been saving.

And they had both died before they were tired.

Opportunities are moments to be seized, not to be neglected.

And here Jesus is speaking to these men because they insist on being hurt.

They call out.

Feel the urgency of the Apostle Paul when he says here, We plead with you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.

And he says to them, an acceptable time is here, and in the day of salvation I helped you.

And he says, Now is the acceptable time.

Today is the day of salvation.

He's pressing the urgency.

I can't make you feel it.

Only you know in your heart whether that's an insistence of your soul to call out to God this morning.

And I pray that you might have the awakening of insight that these men had, because that's what fueled their insistence.

May you see him as he is, and may you speak to him with the insistence that you need to be heard.

But notice their interest here in their request.

Not just their insightful words, their insistence, but also their interest.

When Jesus hears their cry, he stops, he calls the men to himself, and he asks them what they want.

What do you want me to do for you?

Do you want some money?

Do you want something more?

What do you want me to do for you?

And the way David puts it here is very interesting.

Lord, let our eyes be opened.

Why does he put it that way?

Why doesn't Matthew put it, Lord, we we want to see.

Lord, let our eyes be opened.

Isaiah chapter thirty-five and verse five says, Then the eyes of the blind will be opened.

There's an echo of Old Testament prophecy here.

It's a statement that God and God alone will do something.

They will see the glory of the Lord and the splendor of our God.

God will save you.

Then the eyes of the blind will be opened.

The messianic period is here.

And they're asking Jesus the very right thing.

They don't need money.

Yeah, they do, of course.

They need to eat.

But that's not what they really need.

And they don't even just want to see.

They need something bigger than that.

They need more than just physical wholeness.

They want their eyes to be opened.

And there's a double meaning there.

There's the eyes of their heart as well as their eyes of their head that need to be opened.

And they're coming to Jesus and saying, We want that.

If Jesus were to ask you the question, what do you want me to do for you?

How would you answer that question?

It's an open-ended question.

What do you want me to do for you?

Do you think, well, I finally got my own little genie right here with three wishes, and I'm going to rub the lamp.

And poof.

Three wishes.

What do you want me to do for you?

What would you ask for?

Would you ask for a comfortable life?

Would you ask for a peaceable relationship in your family?

Would you ask for significance?

Would you ask for what would you ask for?

Would you ask for your eyes to be opened?

Would you ask for your ability to see?

You see, our greatest need is our greatest danger.

And the greatest danger is to fall into the hands of a living God, to enter into the presence of God unprepared for that meeting.

To enter in thinking that we could get there established by our own righteousness or our own innate goodness or whatever we might think it to be.

And then to recognize in an instant that we stand before a holy God naked and in great distress.

That is our greatest danger and our greatest need for us to be in a place of reconciliation with the Almighty God.

And there would be no more important question than to cry out what these men have cried out for.

They got to see Jesus.

And there's something remarkable about Mark's account.

Very rarely do any of the people who are healed by Jesus have a name attached to the healing.

It's significant when the name pops up, and one of these men is named Bartimaeus.

I think his name is mentioned because when the Gospels were written, some years after this occurrence of this time when they met, that that man Barmaeus was probably known by Peter and Mark still.

And they were entering in the record of his conversion in this moment.

This one who they probably sat next to and worshipped with, this one who got up to follow Jesus and was still following Jesus these many years later.

Bartimaeus.

You know Bartimaeus.

Of course I know Bartimaeus.

Let me tell you the story of Bartimaeus.

So this episode manifests for us traits of faith.

They recognize who Jesus is, they seize the opportunity, they call out for Jesus in the midst of opposition, they cry out for their deepest need, and they get up and they follow Christ.

What better definition of faith could there be than that?

Wrapped up in an episode, wrapped up in this.

And one of the things we see it is not just a demonstration of faith, but the contrast.

The contrast with the crowds.

The crowds that are actually following Jesus.

The crowds that are trying to tell these blind men that Jesus is too important for them.

He wants us to be his followers, not you guys.

Be quiet.

This crowd who comes with Jesus to Jerusalem and will lay branches before him and say, Hosanna, Hosanna, but then we'll cry out, crucify him, crucify him, and just a short time after.

These crowds, these crowds don't even realize who they're walking behind.

They don't know who they're following.

They don't understand.

They're not crying out for their deepest need.

They're just simply a troop that's following.

But there's Bartimaeus who believes.

And then there's the contrast with the disciples all around this passage of scripture.

The disciples are saying, Who's going to be the greatest in the kingdom?

Can my son sit at your right and left's hand?

Shall I forgive my brother seven times?

Who then could be saved?

Oh, if it's that way with a man and a woman, it's better to be unmarried.

All of this foolishness of the disciples themselves, and it's cut through with two blind men who see what these men never did.

That Jesus is the Messiah, and that he'll take care of their deepest need, and that he's worthy of their worship and their life to follow.

One thing I want us to see before we close is the compassion of Christ.

Because it's stated here in verse 33 and 34.

They cry out, Lord, open our eyes.

And moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, and immediately they could see.

Here Jesus is moving as Lord, commanding sight by his touch, not his words.

He makes no magical incantation.

He has no mediating staff or rod.

He offers no prayer to heaven.

He doesn't ask God to do the miraculous and give sight to these men.

He touches them and they see.

And when he asks them the question, he doesn't say, What do you want me to bring to God on your behalf?

He says, What do you want me to do for you?

He speaks and acts with all the authority of God himself.

And he acts as a merciful God who is full of compassion, who feels the need of these men and touches them.

This word compassion means to feel deep down the sense of heartache of someone else, to enter in to what they're going through.

And he does.

One person put it this way: The blind man's cry, have a heart for us, O Lord, Son of David, kind of changing the have mercy on us.

Have a heart for us.

And then he translates the reply: Jesus' heart went out to them.

And so he heals them, not by a word, but by a touch.

What's interesting here is that he had no problem healing with a word.

Even by distance, he could speak and people would be healed, not even in the proximity of Jesus.

But here, Jesus doesn't say anything, he simply touches.

And of all the diseases that shouldn't be touched, Jesus touches.

He touches a leper.

He touches an unclean woman.

He touches a blind man.

He touches the things no one else would dare touch.

Because he's moved with compassion.

And he brings healing to where there's shame.

He brings healing where there's isolation.

He brings healing where there's darkness.

He brings healing in all of the recesses of our hearts and not just our bodies.

What a deep-hearted mercy our Lord has.

Sometimes we can let this thought have clouds pass thickly and darkly in front of it, and we think that the heavens are brass, but they're not.

They're not.

Coming out of this, Jesus is going to go to Jerusalem.

He's just finished telling his disciples, I'm going to go there, I'm going to be arrested, I'm going to be tried, I'm going to be mocked, I'm going to be beaten, I'm going to be crucified.

You think Jesus had some big things on his mind?

Absolutely, he did.

Too big for two blind men?

Too big for two poor blind men?

Too big for two insignificant poor blind men?

No.

That's exactly why he came.

It's exactly why he's going to go to Jerusalem.

It's exactly why he's going to go to the trial that he doesn't deserve.

It's exactly why he's going to go to be beaten and mocked and scourged and crucified.

Because his purpose and design is to save the blind and the poor and the insignificant who call for mercy.

Because he wants his mercy to be there in handfuls to all who call upon him.

That's what it is.

And so these men at the bottom of the social scale, these no accounts in Israel, these perhaps even religious outcasts, cry out and they receive the compassion and the mercy and the touch of a Savior.

Where are you at today?

Have you come to the Savior?

Have you come to this one, Jesus?

Have you come insistent, crying out, in need, with nothing to offer but that?

Have you cried out understanding who He is?

Have you cried out begging for His heart to be moved toward you?

Have you come to Christ?

Have you come to see?

Have you come to receive?

Have you come to acknowledge your inability?

To acknowledge that only He can help you?

Have you come to realize that He alone is the one to have faith in?

His power and His person alone is what you need to touch you and to make you whole?

Are you willing to stand in the face of the crowd when it says, shut up?

And you say, I can't.

I have to go to Jesus.

It's the only place I can go.

Are you willing to stand against your personal inhibitions and your social pressure to conform, to call out in the face of it all and say, That's my Lord.

He's the only one I have.

I trust him.

I'll believe on him.

Crowds be quiet.

I need to speak.

I need him to hear me in my cry.

And are you willing as they were to throw their coats aside and just pick up their feet and with sightful eyes now follow him.

Follow him wherever he goes, even if it's to the cross, I'll follow him.

This is faith.

This is the last demonstration of Christ's miraculous power until we get to the other side of the cross.

This is the last episode where an exchange toward discipleship occurs.

Matthew's gospel is speaking to us today, saying, Don't miss it.

Don't miss it.

Don't be like the crowds.

Don't be like the disciples.

Enter into the heart of the story of two blind men who recognize who Jesus is, who recognize their need, who stand against all the pressures to silence and call out for mercy, and then receive the glorious sight they begged for, and follow Christ.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, the scriptures say.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, a simple, straightforward, but oh so significant moment in the life of Jesus, when it would have been easy for him to have just kept on walking, when it would have been understandable with all the weight that was lying upon him in his imminent death and crucifixion, for him to leave these men and never give them a thought.

But we're so grateful that he didn't do that, that he personalized with these men what he was about to do on the cross, deliver us, deliver us from our deepest need, our spiritual blindness.

Lord, we thank you that you're compassionate and loving, and that we don't have to be the whole, the rich, the significant, or even the religious to command an audience with you.

We just need to be needy.

And Father, that's exactly what we are.

And we thank you that you meet us in that need and you help us.

For you are the merciful Savior.

Father, we give you praise.

Amen.

Amen.