Next Stop: Jerusalem
Matthew 20:29-34
29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, ‘Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!’ 31 The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, ‘Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!’ 32 Jesus stood still and called them, saying, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ 33 They said to him, ‘Lord, let our eyes be opened.’ 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.
This is the final stage of the journey to Jerusalem, the next stop after Jericho is Jerusalem – there is nowhere else to go now. And Jerusalem is where Jesus is headed. The next story in Matthew is the account of the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem – so today’s text is the last scene before the final act. The cues in the text are worth looking at.
The distance from Jericho to Jerusalem is short – but it is stiff uphill climb from Jericho to Jerusalem. Jesus is almost there.
The blind men see who Jesus is – that he is the Son of David. This is a title that only the Messiah was given. They are saying Jesus is the Messiah.
Interestingly the crowd try to silence the blind men, but Jesus does not. No longer is there a secret to be kept, there is no reason for Jesus to hide who he is – the showdown is inevitable, the cross now is the only possible conclusion. It is as though Jesus is saying, “Go ahead, tell everyone.” Is the crowd embarrassed by the faith, the passion, the commitment of the blind men? Yet in our deepest despair, do we not join in the cry, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David”? We have no one else to turn to – “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David.”
In our reading through Matthew, we have met people who came to Jesus and wanted to follow him, but Jesus challenged them or made difficult demands and they decided not to follow. These two blind men are healed and immediately follow Jesus. No way were they going to be stopped. They know who he is and seem to understand the gravity of the moment. They will follow even though there is a crisis coming.
PRAYER:
O Lord, we cry out with the blind men: Have mercy on us, Lord, Messiah. Have mercy on us. For only in you and your Son, Jesus Christ, is the answer to our deepest needs and most profound anxieties. And so we follow you and your Son, in whose name we pray. Amen.