Jesus Heals the Two Blind Men

This lesson is based on Matthew 20:29-34, an event that transpired before Jesus' final journey to the cross. Two blind men boldly called on Him by faith as He was passing by, screaming "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"

How are we like the two blind men? Do we allow His Words to open our eyes from spiritual blindness and see the magnitude of our sin? Allow Jesus to experience His healing touch today. Come and see what He can do!

Gospel in the Air is a podcast ministry of Cornerstone Christian Church. We are located in Maui, Hawaii, USA. Our number is (808) 463-8859. You can also visit our website at www.cornerstonemaui.org or you can send your email to danibanggo@gmail.com.

Transcript

Episode 15
Jesus Heals the Two Blind Men
Text: Mat. 20: 29-34
© Dani Banggo 03/09/2024

From the beautiful island of Maui, I want to greet you with a warm Aloha! I welcome you to “Gospel in the Air,” a short devotional lesson that will inspire and encourage your daily walk with Jesus.  May you be enlightened with new insights for living as the Spirit of God reveals His passion for humankind to be saved, that is, that no one should perish but that all will come to repentance. But before we begin our devotion let’s have a word of prayer. Let us pray:

Most gracious God Heavenly Father, bless be your holy name. May your words open our eyes from spiritual blindness and see the magnitude of our sins. May you convict our callous hearts to humbly surrender our lives to Jesus Christ by faith. I cling to your Spirit’s guidance for all the truth about your grace and salvation. In Jesus name, Amen. 

Our devotional lesson is based on Matthew 20:29-34. I’ll read to you the following verses:

29 As Jesus and the disciples left the town of Jericho, a large crowd followed behind. 30 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!”

31 “Be quiet!” the crowd yelled at them. But they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

32 When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?”

33 “Lord,” they said, “we want to see!” 34 Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him.

Our devotional lesson is entitled “Jesus Healed the Two Blind Men.”
This story of Jesus talks about an event that transpired before his final journey to the cross.  He was on his way to Jerusalem from Jericho and was accompanied by multitudes of people.  Accordingly, he was mobbed due to his greatness incomparable to any man ever lived on earth not only during his time but including the past, the present and the future dispensations.  Jesus was known because of his authoritative teachings; and many have witnessed the signs he did and received and experienced the miracles he performed in such a short period of time.  Thus, his popularity spread like wildfire and anywhere he went he was always followed by a great throng of people, especially among those whose lives have been changed by Him.  

In this instant case, there are two blind men who happened to be along the road where Jesus was passing by. This place, accordingly, is probably not far from the western entrance to the city (i.e., road from Jerusalem).  Thus, there are many people who would be meeting here, and it is a good place to beg alms.  I presume they have heard already about Jesus and His miracles and how they wished they would have a chance to meet Him.  And when they heard the news that Jesus is passing by, they thought this is now their greatest opportunity to be healed.  Probably they have been hearing all the news about Jesus and His miracles and this is how their faith developed.  

They believed that Jesus is the Christ, the one being promised from the descent of King David.  And that faith caused them to boldly call on Him and addressed Him: “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”  That inward faith is unstoppable by the outward expression of their belief that the Messiah can heal them.  No amount of human resistance could silence and stop them from calling Jesus for their deliverance.  

I like how Matthew describes this occasion beautifully in verse thirty-one (31) that when they were told by the multitude, perhaps by the disciples themselves since their mind is focused on Jerusalem, “Be quiet...!  they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”In fact, in some other Bible translations they were indeed rebuked and scolded.  O, what a determination that they were not threatened and disappointed to keep on calling the name of Jesus until finally they got His attention on them.  Jesus asks them: “What do you want me to do for you? (I like that statement!  It relates to a childlike attitude of asking anything one wants even without understanding them.) What an authority this Son of David has!  It suggests something beyond human comprehension of what He can do for anything we wish for ourselves. Then a resounding response was spoken of: “We want to see!”  In other translations, “Lord, let us have our sight!”  “We want our eyes to be opened!” Then Jesus was moved with pity and compassion for them, and He healed them. 

Block of Thoughts

I. The two blind men

Under the OT blindness is sometimes threatened as a punishment for disobedience (Deut. 28:28; Lev. 26:16; Zeph. 1:17). Furthermore, under the Mosaic Law every man coming from the family of Aaron who was blind, or lame was not allowed to the priesthood.  He is excluded, including animals having the same were not to be used for sacrifice (Lev. 21:18-21; Mal. 1:13, 14). However, it is taught that people having this predicament are to be treated with humanity (Lev. 19:14; Deut. 27:18).

Figuratively, the Bible represents blindness in the following manner: (1) It is likened to those who are ignorant, meaning lacking consistency in their reasoning or understanding whether this pertains to the unbelievers or not (Matt. 15:14; Rom. 2:19).

(2) It pertains also to those who lack spiritual knowledge (Rev. 3: 17).

(3) It pertains to anyone who does not apply his profession particularly judges of the court that twist justice because of bribes (Exo. 23:8).

(4) It pertains to the religious teachers who are supposed to be the defenders of spiritual truth but hindered by grievous sins and some other mundane interests (Isa. 42:19; 59:10; Matt. 23:16). 

5. It pertains to those who do not love their fellow believers or hindered by discerning spiritual things because of sin (I Jn. 2: 11).

The two blind men represent the condition of the world today.  We are poor blind beggars, naked, and despicable creatures because of sin.  Unless we cry out to Jesus for mercy then we are in our hopeless situation. The bombings of the twin towers in New York City on September 11, 2001, have changed the face of our world forever. The escalating threat of terrorism all over the world puts us in a situation of panic and insecurity. And never in the history of our world has come close to such a worst situation as this one. The world is now polarized into two camps, and it is now shifted into a principle of whether the means of fighting terrorism is justifiable or not. The world is no longer a safe world to live in. There is always the shadow of terror lurking around and we do not know when it appears suddenly and strikes us unaware. We do not know what they have in mind, but they love to see the world in panic. They want to see chaos and disorder. They love to see misery and degradation of human lives. 

Furthermore, we are forewarned of other blindness due to lack of discernment such as the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does. In I Jn. 2: 16 it says, “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world.”

As Christians called by God to be separated from this world it is expected of us to be the salt and the light to this murky and dark world.  There is a warning to be vigilant of the wiles of the devil otherwise we too are trapped in his snare. Unless Jesus Christ is preached, then people who are in the dark will forever be in their state of blindness. Man will never recover from their hopeless situation.  We need to fulfill the great commission in Matthew 28: 19 declaring the gospel message of salvation to the blinded world.  The church of the Lord Jesus Christ is at arm with the Holy Spirit today to wrestle against the enemy to heal and deliver the world for Christ.  The Church is commissioned to send her preachers, her missionaries, her evangelists throughout the world for the Gospel message (Romans 10: 14 – 15). Only then that people may see God’s salvation.

II. They cried out to Jesus.

Nobody attended to the two blind men because everybody is rushing to see and meet the miracle worker. There is commotion and a large crowd is following Jesus. Perhaps Jesus is at the center walking along with his disciples who are all around trying to protect Him. His mind is fixed to Jerusalem, his final stop and that means his death on the cross.  And while the blind men heard the rumbling crowd coming closer to them,  their hearts were pounding harder and faster. At that instance, they did not lose any minute but acted immediately by shouting calling on the name of Jesus, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” But no one listened to their cry and offered a helping hand to bring them to the Lord. Instead, they were scolded to be quiet. I want you to pause for a moment and meditate on this situation. These poor blind beggars are helpless. Supposedly these are the kinds of people that needed help, but they were treated harshly and without pity. Instead, they were marginalized and discriminated against by those who had the capability to help them. They yelled at them and scolded them! No one dared to offer a helping hand to them. They were all spiritually blind! The following verses point out their omission to obey the mandate of God to help these blind beggars: 

A.   Proverbs 3:27 says, “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it
     when it’s in your power to help them.”

B.   Proverbs 19:17, “If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—
     and he will repay you!”

C.   Proverbs 22:9, “Blessed are those who are generous,
     because they feed the poor.”

D.   Matthew 25:44-45, 44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ 45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’”

E.   Galatians 6:9-10, 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessings if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
 
But they were not discouraged and gave up their hope due to the pressure around them but continued to call on the Lord. We can see here how they risk their faith to be healed and delivered. They never ceased calling on the name of Jesus and no one could ever stop them. No amount of pressure from the crowd could hold them from calling the attention of Jesus. They persisted and did not give up until Jesus, the Great Healer, heard their resounding cry. 

Prayer is suggested here. We need to be persistent in the way we deal with our faith in God. We expect disappointments, discouragements, and sometimes failures in our journey of faith. But those things should not cause us to give up. Instead, we must be bold enough to hold on and continue with our journey. We should never stop trusting God but with persistence we surrender our life to God by abiding upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 3:16). We need to cry out to Jesus for our healing either physically, or spiritually, or emotionally. We must cry for our deliverance from the blindness of sin. David Brainerd is a good example of this kind.  He never gave up praying to God until he was sent to reach out for the Indians. Although he cannot speak their language, he trusted God that he will take care for him. He absolutely depended on the power of God. Brainerd was able to tame these savages and won them for Christ.  Their eyes were opened to the gospel message, and they were healed and delivered.[1]   

III. Jesus heard their cry.

The mind of Jesus and His apostles are fixed to Jerusalem. This is Christ’s final stop for his mission. This is the plan of God the Father. In His redemptive plan of salvation, he made a covenant with Abraham that through him, humankind will be blessed (Gen. 12:3). And that was fulfilled through His Son, Jesus (Acts 3:24-26; cf. Jn.3:16). Despite being absorbed with his final mission, this did not cause him to ignore the cries of the blind beggars but to stop and attend to their needs. He looked at them and asked what they wanted from him. Jesus asked them specific question and he wanted specific answer. 

In the same manner Jesus wants to know our needs. He is interested in our lives.  He is interested in our families, in our businesses, in our education, in our personal life, everything under the sun! Jesus wants to intervene in our lives. And then they answered Him, “We want to see!” O, what faith!  Their blindness did not stop them from reaching out to Jesus.  

They never complained regarding their present situation but instead they earnestly cried out to let Jesus know their needs. They agreed about their requests to the Lord and what happened? Jesus stopped in the middle of a roaring crowd. He still heard their small voice despite the chaos surrounding Him. Jesus understood and knew their needs even before they cried out to him. However, genuine faith in Him must be expressed most especially in the midst of suffering. “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”  How many times have we uttered those same words of desperation – Lord, Jesus have mercy on me! Immediately Jesus touched them, and they were completely healed. Their eyes were opened and now they can see at last!

Many have good jobs, beautiful families, financially stable, etc. But what a loss because they do not have Jesus in their life. Their money, jobs, families, health, and worldly successes will not save them. Only Jesus is our hope today. He is our salvation (Acts 4:12). He is our life. There is hope of eternal life in Jesus (Jn. 11:25).  Indeed, life on earth is not a guarantee after all. When someone experiences healing and deliverance that person cannot help but to testify how the Lord is real. Notice their response when they were healed and delivered. They immediately became his disciples by following Him. They came up boldly to declare the majesty of Jesus. I believe they went to the other blind men all over the country and testified the good news about how Jesus healed them. What a lesson we can learn from this miracle. The touch of Jesus meant everything to us. His touch will make us free from our wretched condition. His touch will make us see heaven with the host of the universe.  Allow Jesus to touch you today.  Allow Him to intervene in your life and you will see how He will change you completely.  You will experience His healing and deliverance. 

We, too, were once blind but now we can see clearly because of His healing touch. As the healed blind men, we too became his disciples and thus we have a mission to share the good news of Christ. We must consecrate our lives and commit it to Him for others to be healed from their blindness to sin.  Jesus is counting on us to deliver His message so that they too may be healed and be delivered. 

And how about you have you surrendered your life to Jesus by faith to be your Lord and Savior? Time is the essence and you do not know what will come tomorrow. Ask God to open your eyes from the blindness of sin so that you “may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then you will receive forgiveness for your sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in Jesus Christ” (Acts 26:18). 

It is my prayer that you have been blessed today. Listen to this podcast, Gospel in the Air, and be encouraged in your daily walk with Jesus. Gospel in the Air is a podcast ministry of Cornerstone Christian Church. We are located in Maui, Hawaii, USA. Our number is (808) 463-8859. You can also visit our website at www.cornerstonemaui.org or you can send your email to danibanggo@gmail.com. This is your host, Brother Dani Marantan Banggo saying, keep punching the good fight of faith. Mahalo.

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[1] Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations (Assurance Publishers: Rockville, MD, 1979), 1036-1037. Quoting “Brainerd Prays Through to Indians” (4526).