Matthew 20:30-34
Verse 34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed Him.
Jesus healed many people while He was ministering on earth and one of the ways He healed them was from blindness. We talked about one of those times yesterday but as we see today, He didn’t heal them all the same method, nor were they all healed with the same form of request. In our reading yesterday we talked about a man that was healed by Jesus spitting in the dirt and making mud that he was to go wash off. But it wasn’t at the request of the blind man. It was because of the disciples question that Jesus healed the man. He was initially healed to show the disciples that the ailment wasn’t because of sin but so that God could get the glory. Of course God would get the glory for all of His miracles but as we see in our reading today some of the healings came about at the request of the afflicted themselves.
The men in our story today are not the only example of Jesus healing two unsighted men at the same time. Matthew records two such cases –today’s story and one in Matthew 9:27-31. We are looking at this particular incident because it speaks to the heart response and action that followed the healing but also Jesus’ reason for healing, His loving compassion.
Both stories have men calling Him, “Lord, Son of David” and this is important because whether they were truly understanding who He was or not, they were associating Jesus as part of the promised kingly line. That means that they at least partially understood who He was. These men call out asking for mercy. They don’t come right out and ask for healing but for His mercy on them. They understood that He was in a position to be able to offer them mercy. But before Jesus can answer, the crowd shows that as far as the masses are concerned they don’t deserve His mercy. But they are not deterred and shout their request even louder. When Jesus stops to listen to them He shows that the crowds don’t speak for Him.
Upon hearing their request for sight it says that He had compassion on them. He knew that they weren’t merely wanting to be healed to live a better life, they saw it as a better opportunity to follow Him. This is the very thing that having our spiritual eyes opened should inspire us to as well.
Making It Personal
Have you ever asked Jesus to have mercy on you? Do your desires stop with what He can do for you? What could you do for Him out of gratitude for all that He has done for you?
Making It Personal Kids
What do you think mercy means? Have you ever asked Jesus to have mercy on you? What is something you could do for Jesus to thank Him for what He has done for you?
Closing Prayer
Father, Your mercy is never ending and we can’t thank You enough for that. Please help us live lives that are full of gratitude and therefore service to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.