Matthew 20:29-34 Healing on the Road

As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, we want our eyes to be opened." Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him. [Matthew 20:29‭-‬34 NASB]

This marks the final recorded act of Jesus' traveling ministry in Matthew. Up to this point, He traveled throughout the cities in and around Galilee, while being primarily based in Capernaum. The rest of His teaching and acts will take place in and around Jerusalem, during the time leading up to His betrayal.

The road from Jericho to Jerusalem is about 18 miles long, and all uphill. You have to ascend from about 800 feet below sea level at Jericho to about 3,000 feet above sea level at the Mount of Olives. The going would be slow, making it a day's journey of about 8 to 10 hours on foot.

What stands out most to me in this story is the reaction of the crowd. The sight of blind beggars by the side of the road was a common enough sight, but these blind men had the audacity to make themselves heard.

These followers of Jesus were goal oriented; they were going to Jerusalem with the Master. Undoubtedly, most of the crowd still expected Jesus to march triumphantly into Jerusalem, overthrow the Roman government, and establish Himself as king. There was no room in their minds for distractions, and those loud, obnoxious blind men calling out for mercy made them uncomfortable. So they did what most followers of Jesus would do; told them to shut up.

God help the poor soul who goes against the tide of the established church. Martin Luther found this out when he was excommunicated and declared an outlaw by the Roman Catholic Church. Later in life, after establishing his own brand of religion, he in turn condemned the Anabaptists when they declared that Lutheranism didn't take freedom in Christ far enough. The Anabaptists eventually evolved into the Mennonite and Amish religions, which condemn everyone who doesn't think like they do.

Look around at the churches today. You will see that we are not much different than the crowds that followed Jesus that day, denying men the chance to receive Jesus' mercy because they make us uncomfortable.

When someone makes us uncomfortable, that should be the person we walk up to and offer the love of Jesus. Show the same compassion that Jesus showed.

Jesus had is eyes set on Jerusalem, but He stopped. He engaged the blind man, had compassion and healed him.

Sometimes you have to take your eyes off the prize, look away from your goal, and see the people who are around you.