Two Blind Men Are Healed Near Jericho

Passages: Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-42. One of them was Bartimaeus.

Jesus was moved with compassion and touched their eyes. We can learn a lot from his ministry.

The translations are mine. I encourage readers to look up many translations at biblegateway.com. I include the Greek text just so I can learn the nuances. Readers may scroll past it if they wish.

Let’s begin.

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
Matthew 20:29-34	Mark 10:46-52	Luke 18:35-42
²⁹ As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. ³⁰ Then look! Two blind men sitting by the road; hearing that Jesus was going by, they cried out, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, son of David!” ³¹ But the crowd rebuked them, to be quiet. But they cried out even louder, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us!” ³² And he stood still and called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” ³³ They said to him, “Lord, that our eyes might be opened!” ³⁴ Moved with compassion, he touched their eyes, and instantly they recovered their sight and followed him.	⁴⁶ They were going into Jericho. As he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, sat by the road. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David! Have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸ Many people rebuked him to be quiet. But he cried more loudly, “Son of David! Have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹ Jesus stood still and said, “Call for him!” So they called for the blind man, saying, “Take courage! Get up! He’s calling for you!” ⁵⁰ He threw off his cloak, jumped up, and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ In reply, Jesus said, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “Rabbi, that I may see again!” ⁵² Then Jesus said to him, “Go. Your faith has healed you.” And instantly he saw again and followed him on the road.	³⁵ And so it happened that while he was nearing Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting by the road, begging. ³⁶ When he heard the crowd passing through, he asked what this might be. ³⁷ They announced to him that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by. ³⁸ So he cried out, “Jesus, son of David! Have mercy on me!” ³⁹ But those leading the way scolded him so that he would be quiet. He shouted much louder: “Son of David! Have mercy on me!” ⁴⁰ Jesus stopped and ordered him to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, that I may see again!” ⁴² And Jesus said to him, “See again! Your faith has healed you.” ⁴³ And instantly he saw again and began to follow him, glorifying God. And all the people, seeing this, gave praise to God.
²⁹ Καὶ ἐκπορευομένων αὐτῶν ἀπὸ Ἰεριχὼ ἠκολούθησεν αὐτῷ ὄχλος πολύς. ³⁰ καὶ ἰδοὺ δύο τυφλοὶ καθήμενοι παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἀκούσαντες ὅτι Ἰησοῦς παράγει, ἔκραξαν λέγοντες· ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, [κύριε,] υἱὸς Δαυίδ. ³¹ ὁ δὲ ὄχλος ἐπετίμησεν αὐτοῖς ἵνα σιωπήσωσιν· οἱ δὲ μεῖζον ἔκραξαν λέγοντες· ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, κύριε, υἱὸς Δαυίδ. ³² καὶ στὰς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐφώνησεν αὐτοὺς καὶ εἶπεν· τί θέλετε ποιήσω ὑμῖν; ³³ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· κύριε, ἵνα ἀνοιγῶσιν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν. ³⁴ σπλαγχνισθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἥψατο τῶν ὀμμάτων αὐτῶν, καὶ εὐθέως ἀνέβλεψαν καὶ ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ.	⁴⁶ Καὶ ἔρχονται εἰς Ἰεριχώ. Καὶ ἐκπορευομένου αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ Ἰεριχὼ καὶ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ ὄχλου ἱκανοῦ ὁ υἱὸς Τιμαίου Βαρτιμαῖος, τυφλὸς προσαίτης, ἐκάθητο παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν. ⁴⁷ καὶ ἀκούσας ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζαρηνός ἐστιν ἤρξατο κράζειν καὶ λέγειν· υἱὲ Δαυὶδ Ἰησοῦ, ἐλέησόν με. ⁴⁸ καὶ ἐπετίμων αὐτῷ πολλοὶ ἵνα σιωπήσῃ· ὁ δὲ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἔκραζεν· υἱὲ Δαυίδ, ἐλέησόν με. ⁴⁹ καὶ στὰς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· φωνήσατε αὐτόν. καὶ φωνοῦσιν τὸν τυφλὸν λέγοντες αὐτῷ· θάρσει, ἔγειρε, φωνεῖ σε. ⁵⁰ ὁ δὲ ἀποβαλὼν τὸ ἱμάτιον αὐτοῦ ἀναπηδήσας ἦλθεν πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν. ⁵¹ καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· τί σοι θέλεις ποιήσω; ὁ δὲ τυφλὸς εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ραββουνι, ἵνα ἀναβλέψω. ⁵² καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ὕπαγε, ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν σε. καὶ εὐθὺς ἀνέβλεψεν καὶ ἠκολούθει αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ.	³⁵ Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ ἐγγίζειν αὐτὸν εἰς Ἰεριχὼ τυφλός τις ἐκάθητο παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἐπαιτῶν. ³⁶ ἀκούσας δὲ ὄχλου διαπορευομένου ἐπυνθάνετο τί εἴη τοῦτο. ³⁷ ἀπήγγειλαν δὲ αὐτῷ ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος παρέρχεται. ³⁸ καὶ ἐβόησεν λέγων· Ἰησοῦ υἱὲ Δαυίδ, ἐλέησόν με. ³⁹ καὶ οἱ προάγοντες ἐπετίμων αὐτῷ ἵνα σιγήσῃ, αὐτὸς δὲ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἔκραζεν· υἱὲ Δαυίδ, ἐλέησόν με. ⁴⁰ σταθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν ἀχθῆναι πρὸς αὐτόν. ἐγγίσαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτόν· ⁴¹ τί σοι θέλεις ποιήσω; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· κύριε, ἵνα ἀναβλέψω. ⁴² καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ἀνάβλεψον· ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν σε. ⁴³ καὶ παραχρῆμα ἀνέβλεψεν καὶ ἠκολούθει αὐτῷ δοξάζων τὸν θεόν. καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἰδὼν ἔδωκεν αἶνον τῷ θεῷ.

Comments:

Why did Matthew include two men and Mark names one of them? Bartimaeus was known to the community that Mark circulated in, and Matthew recalled two men. (In fact there was probably a small colony of beggars along the roadside on the way up to Jerusalem.)

For fuller commentary about this topic, go to Matthew’s version:

Matthew 20

Also click on the link to find out about two Jerichos and why one Gospel says Jesus was entering one (Matthew and Luke), while another Gospel says he was leaving the town (Mark).

For a fuller explanation as to why Mark names the man, click on the chapter in Mark:

Mark 10

Scroll down to the right verses.

Now let’s move on to Jesus’s ministry to them. For simplicity’s sake I will cover only one man, as Mark and Luke do, and let’s name him Bartimaeus, as Mark does.

In any case, the Greek implies that he cried out with a loud voice. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. The phrase “have mercy” is one verb in Greek. In English we can’t properly say, “Compassion me!” or “Mercy me!” Instead we have to say, “Show me mercy!” or “Have mercy on me!” But in Greek you could. Mercy is a verb. It takes action. However, we can say, “Pity me!” And some translations go for it.

You have to like Bartimaeus. He shouted out his need for mercy, and when the crowd told him to keep quiet, he shouted even more loudly (or literally “rather much” or “much more”). He would not be put off by the crowd. Is the crowd pulling you away from Jesus and his meeting your need? Or will you cry out to him even more loudly when the crowd tells you to keep quiet?

The crowd rebuked them. The verb is epitimaō (pronounced eh-pea-tee-mah-oh), and it could be translated as “scolded,” “warned,” “censure.” The crowd probably said something like: “Quiet, you! The Lord is in a big hurry! He doesn’t have time for the likes of you!” They were the self-appointed watchdogs of Jesus’s ministry, telling people to schedule an appointment.

But Jesus stood still and stopped the whole movement and crowd and twelve disciples because through the noisy crowd and irritating dust, Jesus heard a sound. A blind man named Bartimaeus cried out for mercy. Then the crowd changed their mind. They suddenly encouraged him and told him to get up. Crowds can support you if you’re persistent, but don’t depend on them in the final analysis or at the end of the day. Thankfully, Jesus ignored the self-appointed watchdogs of Jesus’s ministry schedule and stopped.

Bartimaeus’ response was perfect and wonderful and eager. He threw off his ratty, old cloak and leaped to his feet and made his way towards Jesus. Some members of the crowd must have cleared a path and stuck out their hands to guide him to the Messiah.

What about you? Is your need greater than social decorum? Are you willing to break down society’s walls to get to Jesus?

Then Jesus asks a seemingly needless question. What do you want me to do for you? Really? The question was so obvious that it seems absurd to us today and probably to the crowd back then. The question is open-ended. Jesus sometimes has to know that people mean business. Recall that in John 5:2-9, Jesus healed only one man by the pool of Bethesda, when it was crowed with people. Jesus asked a similar question: “Do you want to be healed?” He made an excuse and did not answer him instantly. Believe it or not, people sometimes like their illness. They get attention. But not Bartimaeus. He answered Jesus instantly.

France: “There seems no difference in effect between [Rabbi] and the ‘heightened form’ (BAGD) [Rabbouni].” My comment: if one form is heightened, then how can they be equal or not different? There may be a difference.

1. Titles of Jesus: Rabbi and Teacher

Mark’s and Luke’s Gospels has this verb for healing: sōzō (pronounced soh-zoh) means “save, rescue, heal” in a variety of contexts, but mostly it is used of saving the soul. All of it is a package called salvation and saved.

“moved with compassion”: The verb is splanchnizomai (pronounced splankh-nee-zoh-my) and is used 12 times, exclusively in the Gospels. “It describes the compassion Jesus had for those he saw in difficulty” (Mounce, New Expository Dictionary, p. 128). BDAG defines the verb simply: “have pity, feel sympathy.”

BDAG further says the noun splanchnon (pronounced splankh-non) is related to the inward part of the body, especially the viscera, inward parts, entrails. But some update their translation with the noun as “heart.” So the verb is also related to the inward parts of a person. It could be translated as “He felt compassion in the depths of his heart.”

“see again”: it comes from the verb anablepō (pronounced ah-nah-bleh-poh), and blepō is the very frequent verb “I see.” Attach the prefix ana– in front, and it means “up” (as in “look up”) or “re-“ (as in literally “re-see”). Therefore, the verb could be translated, depending on the context, as follows: “Look up” (the main meaning), “regain one’s sight,” “receive sight,” or “become able to see.” I like “see again,” and I was happy to see that one grammar-translation book has the same translation (Culy, Parsons, Stigall, p. 582).

Application for Miniatry

Let’s learn from Jesus. In this section, I number my points for clarity and order.

1.. Jesus ignored the self-appointed watchdogs of Jesus’s ministry schedule and stopped. He ordered people to bring Bartimaeus to him. Then Jesus asked a question that was so obvious that it seems absurd to us today and probably to the crowd back then. “What do you me to do for you? So what does this mean? The question is open-ended.

Sometimes hotshot preachers try to out-insight the inspired writers of Scripture. “This a dumb and useless question! Everyone knows what the blind man wanted!” Morris, however, has the right idea: “Asked to put his desire into words, the man crystallized his longing, Lord, let me receive my sight” (comment on vv. 40-41, emphasis original).

2.. Jesus touched Bartimaeus’ eyes. When we pray for the blind, we can do this too. At other times we can simply speak to the eyes to be opened or “see!” The prayer warrior can command healing–not command God, but command healing. But see nos. 4 and 5, for balance.

3.. What was the channel through Bartimaeus was healed? His faith. How did he show his faith? He cried out and shouted. He felt his faith or conviction so deeply that he ignored or shouted over the naysayers and watchdogs who shushed him. Bartimaeus was desperate but he also had faith. Usually desperation can cause anxiety, which kills faith, but in in his case.

In the context of miracles and healings, faith is a gift of the Spirit:

3. Gifts of the Spirit: Faith

Pray that the Spirit will distribute this gift to you, as he determines things, before you pray for someone’s healing.

4.. As I write in all the healing posts:

Let it be noted that Jesus never went in for “decree and declare.” (Name one time he used such verbiage during his prayer for the sick. Nor did the disciples use those formulaic words in Acts).

Instead, God the Father through his Son who was anointed by the Spirit performed miracles of healing. Jesus clarified that he does only what he sees his Father doing (John 5:19). He lives because of the Father (John 6:57). He speaks only what the Father taught him (John 8:28). He does what he sees the Father do (John 10:37). What Jesus says is just what the Father told him to say (John 12:49-50, 57). Perhaps the most important verse about miracles: “Many good works I have shown you from My Father” (John 10:32). (In John’s Gospel, “good works” = miracles, at a minimum.)

And so the Father through his Son who was anointed by the Spirit, performed all miracles during his Son’s ministry (Acts 10:38). The Son obeyed and followed his Father and also did the healings by the Spirit. The Trinity was working together.

5..We too should develop life in the Spirit (Gal. 5), so we can hear from the Father through the Spirit, in Jesus’s name and authority granted to us. We will never heal as Jesus did, because he is the Anointed One without limits (John 3:34). But after the cross and the Son’s ascension, the Spirit can distribute the gifts of healings (plural) as he determines (1 Cor. 12:11), not as we “name and claim” or “decree and declare.” Let the Spirit work, and you listen and obey, and then rebuke a disease (not the person) or pray for healing.

4. Gifts of the Spirit: Gifts of Healings

Kenneth Copeland Gets a Pacemaker

Is ‘Decreeing’ Biblical for Christians?

What Is Biblical Confession?

For fuller commentary, click on the chapters:

Matthew 20

Mark 10

Luke 18

Scroll down to the right verses.