Matthew 20:29-34--Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

Matthew 20:29-34 English Standard Version (ESV)
LISTEN:  https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Matt.20.29-Matt.20.34
Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.
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Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem and as He passes through the city of Jericho saw what so many others missed--Jesus' true identity.  They cried out loudly "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David."  Oh, how much they said in just this one simple sentence.  First they recognized that Him as Lord (this was a word used for the master and those that were subordinate to Him...not necessarily a title of either divinity or kingship, but simply that He was in charge and they were not.  Then they begged for mercy (for Him to not give them what they deserved).  Lastly they acknowledge Him as the Son of David....the heir to the eternal throne, meaning that He was the Messiah.  They could see this even though they were blind.  In fact, the crowd told them to be quiet, but this made them cry out all the more.  Finally Jesus stopped and asked the question He asked so many times before performing a miracle, "What do you want me to do for you?"

You'd think the answer to that question would be obvious, but usually Jesus only did as much as the person believed He could do.  Like the widow that Elijah stayed with who was told to gather every vessel that she had in the house and she not only gathered every vessel in her house but all the vessels from her neighbors and the oil didn't run out until the last vessel was filled, and the blessing was in accordance with the faith that was supplied--but wouldn't you imagine that widow and her son wished they had more faith and had collected more vessels?  The men requested that they receive their physical (for their eyes to be opened) and that is exactly what Jesus did for them.  Nothing more, nothing less and nothing else.

Giving sight to the blind was one of the prophecies that the Messiah would fulfill so maybe now it is understandable why everyone in the crowd after hearing the words of the blind men, the fact that Jesus did not correct them, and this sign that He was in fact the Messiah are ready to crown Him King when He fulfills yet another Messianic prophecy of riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.  We'll talk about this one more next time--"Seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear (or understand)."  The blind saw more clearly than the seeing people, but still even these blind men might have missed their biggest need which was not to receive their physical sight but to have their sins forgiven and receive eternal life that only Jesus could give them.  I hope that these two men did come to see everything that Jesus was, not only the coming King, but the Savior of the world and the Son of God--the Word made flesh who made His dwelling among us.