No One Unimportant
“And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.” (Matthew 20:29-34)
A huge crowd followed Jesus as He walked. They passed two blind men begging. The men heard Jesus passed by and cried out to Him for mercy. No doubt many in the crowd were annoyed. They wanted the two blind men just to be quiet. Apparently no one cared about those two. Yet Jesus cared.
If Jesus had ignored them, the crowd likely would have still followed Him. Yet just before this passage, the Lord had said, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28) He used this moment to minister and to teach an object lesson.
Jesus stopped and turned His attention to them. Some in the crowd may have wondered why Jesus, as important as He was, would stop to take His time with these two.
These men called Jesus “Lord,” and “son of David.” Those terms were important. The men did not just see Jesus as a healer. Most importantly, they saw Him as Israel’s Messiah. Isaiah 9:7 is a prophecy of the Messiah’s descent from the lineage of David: “Of the increase of his [the Messiah’s] government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.”
Matthew 12:22-23 tells of another event when Jesus healed a demon-possessed man: “Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?” What they were saying was, “Isn’t this the Messiah we have been waiting for?”
Jesus asked what the men wanted. They said, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” By calling Him “Lord,” they recognized that He is God. One day everyone will confess that Jesus is Lord, even those who never received Him as Saviour: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:11)
Jesus “…had compassion on them, and touched their eyes:” Psalm 86:15 says, “But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” The men did not just receive their sight, thank Him, and leave. Their lives were changed, “…and they followed him.”
You may meet people whom many may consider unimportant. Yet no one is unimportant to Jesus. There is no one He does not love, whose sins He did not die for, or who cannot be saved by receiving Him.
To see how to have forgiveness of sins and eternal life by receiving the Lord Jesus as your personal Saviour, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links,” then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 2/13/2025
Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216/671-2822