Matthew 20:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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!”

NIV: Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, 'Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!'

NASB: And two people who were blind, sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, 'Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!'

CSB: 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! "

NLT: Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, 'Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!'

KJV: And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.

NKJV: And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!”

As Jesus is walking, followed by a large crowd, two blind men are sitting by the roadside. They realize who is going by and call out. They call Jesus the "Son of David," showing that they understand Him to be the Messiah. They ask Jesus to have mercy on them.

Mark (Mark 10:46–52) and Luke (Luke 18:35–43) mention only one of the blind men. Mark gives that man's name as Bartimaeus. The fact that they do not include a second blind man in their accounts does not mean that another man was not healed along with Bartimaeus, only that they focused on his interaction with Jesus. Jesus had healed another two blind men earlier in His ministry (Matthew 9:27–31). Though they were blind, those two also recognized that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus praised their faith in Him and connected that faith with His healing of them. Now another two blind men have "seen" Jesus for who He is.

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.