Text

29 As they were passing Jericho, a great crowd followed them. 30 Two blind men sat by the road, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 31 The people of the crowd rebuked them and told them to be silent, but they only cried out all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32 Jesus stopped, called them over, and said, “What do you want me to do for you.” 33 They said to him, “Lord, open our eyes.” 34 Jesus, moved with compassion, touched their eyes. Immediately, they were able to see, and they followed him.

Comments

Chapters 19-23 comprise the fourth action block, the so-called “Ministry in Judea.” In chapters 19-20, Jesus and his disciples are on the road from Galilee to Jerusalem. They follow the typical path taken by Galilean pilgrims: They swing to the east and journey south on the other side of the Jordan to avoid the hostile territory of the Samaritans (19.1), and then head west again toward Jerusalem, passing through Jericho (20.29).

Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Messiah in ch. 16 is the turning point of Mt, not only narratively, but also geographically. Caesarea Philippi is as far north as Jesus will go in his ministry. As soon as he is revealed as the Messiah, he starts working his way south toward his ultimate destination: Jerusalem. To be the Messiah is to be the ultimate priest, prophet, and king. Jerusalem is the city where kings reigned, priests ministered, and prophets were martyred. Jesus cannot fulfill his vocation as the Christ without journeying to the city of his ancestor, David.

The theme of ch. 20 has been perception, or rather, the disciples’ inability to perceive things the way Jesus is inviting them to. Mt ends this section with Jesus healing two blind men on the road to Jericho. These men are foils to the disciples. Whereas the disciples are metaphorically blind but do not realize it, these two men are very aware of the literal blindness and call on Jesus to heal them. Jesus gives them sight, and they follow him on his journey. He has been trying repeatedly to give his own disciples and a different kind of sight, and so far it has not been going as well.