Matthew 20: Calvary in Sight (6)
Pray Psalm 142.5, 6.
I cried out to You, O LORD:
I said, “You are my refuge,
My portion in the land of the living.
Attend to my cry,
For I am brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are stronger than I.
Sing Psalm 142.5, 6.
(Dix: For the Beauty of the Earth)
Hear my cry, LORD, I am low! They are strong who seek my soul.
Jesus frees from every foe; He will keep and make me whole!
Refrain
LORD, You are my Refuge strong! O receive my plaintive song.
Read Matthew 20.1-34; meditate on verses 29-34.
How would you answer Jesus’ question in verse 32?
Prepare.
1. Where was Jesus at this time?
2. What did the two men want Him to do for them?
Meditate.
Only Matthew mentions that two blind men appealed to Jesus as He was leaving Jericho (cf. Mk. 10.46-52; Lk. 18.35-43). Mark tells us that one of them was the son of Timaeus; we don’t know anything about the other, except that he was there with Bartimaeus and was healed as well. This is not a contradiction, just a difference of perspective in reporting.
The mention of Jericho strikes me as significant. The last-mentioned place in Matthew’s account is “the region of Judea beyond the Jordan” (Matt. 19.1), that is, on the east side of the Jordan. Jericho was on the west side of the Jordan, a city that had been rebuilt at the cost of the builder’s firstborn son (1 Kgs. 16.34; cf. Josh. 6.26). It was thus a symbol of conquest, death, and rebirth. Jesus, like Israel before Him, would have crossed the Jordan to pass through Jericho. As He left that city, He gave sight to two blind men who besought Him earnestly for mercy (vv. 30, 31). The walls of blindness came tumbling down at the touch of this Joshua.
With His focus squarely on Jerusalem, Calvary, and His rising from the dead, we might have thought Jesus was too otherwise occupied to be bothered with two blind men. A “great multitude followed Him” out of Jericho; doubtless, many of them were crying for something from Him. But, filled with compassion for two men who acknowledged Him as “Lord” and “Son of David”, Jesus opened their eyes, just as He would open the tomb and give Light to the world in just a few days. He had conquered the devil (Matt. 4.1-11). God the Father, Who had led Him to go through Jericho, would now offer His firstborn Son for the salvation of the world. And as Jesus gave sight to blind eyes, so He would give life to all who call upon Him as Lord and King, all who earnestly beseech Him for mercy. And we note that, when the mercy they sought was received, “they followed Him.” As should we all.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
What a privilege it is for us to watch Jesus in action.
To learn from Him, to see His compassion and His tender loving care.
So much of Jesus’ ministry was done as He was going: talking, teaching, and healing on the way (Matt. 20.17).
But for these two blind men, His sensitivity to their particular weakness and need, brought a different response. “So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’” (Matt. 20.32). He stood still, so they could come to Him—and find Him.
“I will bring the blind by a way they did not know;
I will lead them in paths they have not known.
I will make darkness light before them,
and crooked places straight.
These things I will do for them,
and not forsake them” (Is. 42.16).
The men cried out for mercy, and that is exactly what they received from Jesus.
However, the people (oh yes, the people) told them to “Be quiet!” (Matt. 20.31)
But Jesus stood still and showed them kindness and love. And healed them.
They gained physical sight and spiritual sight, as well;
for we read that they “followed Him” (Matt. 20.34).
Hopefully having learned to be merciful.
Jesus was the antithesis of the multitude.
May we behave thusly—as Jesus did.
Paul imitated Christ, and he encourages us, to imitate him (1 Cor. 11.1).
And so, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will.
“The things which you learned
and received and heard
and saw in me,
these do,
and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil. 4.9).
Lord Jesus, teach us to be merciful. As You were merciful.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Ps. 23.6).
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matt. 5.7).
“…and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly,
to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic. 6.8).
Watch Jesus. And follow Him. Do His work. Obey His word.
Even on the way to Calvary He was still loving and serving others—
always observing, then doing, exactly what each situation required.
What do I want You to do for me? (Matt. 20.32)
“Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day” (Ps. 25.4, 5).
Reflect.
1. How would you explain mercy to a non-Christian friend?
2. How does the mercy of Jesus come to you?
3. What can we do to be more ready to show mercy throughout the day?
In touching their eyes, the Lord Jesus also touched the eyes of the mind of the nations. He was giving to them the grace of the Holy Spirit. For Christ’s touch gives the grace of the Holy Spirit. Those nations, when they were enlightened, followed Him with good works, never abandoning Him afterward. Anonymous, Incomplete Work on Matthew, Homily 36
Pray Psalm 142.1-7.
Pray that God will guard you against all temptation, and free you from everything that keeps you from seeing and serving Him.
Sing Psalm 142.1-7.
Dix: For the Beauty of the Earth
With my voice, O LORD, I cry—hear my plea for mercy, LORD!
My complaint mounts up on high, bringing You my troubled word:
Refrain vv. 5, 6
LORD, You are my Refuge strong! O receive my plaintive song!
When my spirit faints away, You my falt’ring pathway know;
where I take my journey they traps have hidden to my woe.
Refrain
LORD, look to my right and see: None takes notice of my plight.
Is there refuge left for me? Is my soul out of Your sight?
Refrain
Out of prison lead me, LORD; thanks and praise to You shall be.
Righteous men armed with Your Word will Your grace bestow on me.
Refrain
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: Our Read Moore podcast continues readings from the book, The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart. Our Crosfigell teaching letter is pursuing a series on the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column is working through a study of the role of reason in the life of faith. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
