Matthew 20:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him.

NIV: As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.

NASB: As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.

CSB: As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.

NLT: As Jesus and the disciples left the town of Jericho, a large crowd followed behind.

KJV: And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.

NKJV: Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

Matthew describes one last miraculous display of God's power in Jesus before He arrives in Jerusalem. Jesus and His disciples have been on the way to Jerusalem for some time, taking a longer route to get there. Now they are getting closer. Jericho is just northwest of the top of the Dead Sea, about 15 miles from Jerusalem.

The Jericho mentioned here is not the same city destroyed by Joshua and the Israelites as they entered the Promised Land (Joshua 5–6). It is the "new" Jericho, located about a mile to the south.

Matthew and Mark set this scene as Jesus and the disciples are leaving Jericho. Luke, though, describes Jesus as having entered Jericho and passing through it (Luke 19:1). This slight difference can be explained in at least two ways. The most obvious would be that Luke is describing Jesus as entering, "passing through," and then coming out the other side when this interaction happens. The other option is that Luke reported Jesus entering and passing through the new Jericho, while Matthew and Mark describe the company as leaving the old one.

In any case, a large crowd was following Jesus. Large crowds often followed Him in hopes of witnessing miraculous healing or hearing Him teach. This crowd was likely even larger, since many Israelites would have been travelling to Jerusalem for Passover.

Matthew 20:29–34 finds Jesus and a large crowd passing by two blind roadside beggars. Realizing it is Jesus, the blind men call out asking for His mercy. They call Him the Son of David, showing they know Him to be the Messiah. Refusing to be quieted by the crowd, they finally get a response from Jesus. He asks what they want, and they ask for their eyes to be opened. Jesus, having pity for them, heals the men. They begin to follow Him.

Jesus illustrates His earlier comments about how some of the "first will be last, and the last first" (Matthew 19:30) with a parable about hired workers. He then clearly tells His disciples about His impending death and resurrection. The mother of James and John asks Jesus to make her sons number two and three in His kingdom. Jesus tells the disciples that true greatness won't come by flaunting authority as the Gentile leaders do. Instead, they will become great by serving each other, even as a slave does, as Jesus Himself has done. He then heals two blind men immediately before entering Jerusalem.

Matthew 20 begins with a parable that illustrates Jesus' statement at the end of Matthew 19: In His kingdom, some of the first will be last and the last first. Still on their way to Jerusalem, Jesus tells the disciples for the third time that He will be killed and then raised on the third day. When asked, Jesus explains that it is not up to Him to grant the seats on His right and left hand in the kingdom and that His disciples will not become great in the way of Gentiles. Instead, they will find greatness by serving each other. A healing of two blind men leads into the triumphal entry, the first event in the last earthly week of Jesus' ministry.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.