“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

It starts with having faith in who He is

“They heard that Jesus passed by…” (v.30) Even though the two blind men couldn’t see Him with their own eyes, they evidently knew who He was because they called Jesus by His Messianic title, “thou son of David”, indicating that they believed – and had faith that – He was The Messiah. They didn’t need eyes to see this truth, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Then they “cried out” (v.30) for Him, calling Him “Lord” and asking – pleading, is my impression – for Him to have mercy on them. “Mercy” in this context is the Greek word eleeo, “to help one afflicted or seeking aid” or “to help the afflicted, to bring help to the wretched.”

It’s an interesting turn of phrase in that Paul also refers to himself in a similar way: “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24) “Wretched” (talaiporos, “enduring toils and troubles, afflicted”). These men were asking for help (mercy) from the Lord for their afflicted (wretched) state.

And as He always does, the Lord heard them… and then “stood still” (v.32) The Greek word there, histemi, can mean a few different things, including “to stop, stand still” – but it can also be defined “to stand immovable.” Notice the dynamic: First He hears, and then He stops, seemingly dropping everything to give the matter His complete and immediate attention. I’m a father myself, and I can tell you from personal experience, particularly when my children were young, that when they cried out to me when they were in distress, it would stop me dead in my tracks. Trust me – those cries had my complete and immediate attention. Have you ever cried out to God and wondered if He heard you? Have you ever found yourself wondering if He was even listening? Have you ever wondered what He was doing while you were waiting on Him to answer you? I can tell you. He was standing right there with you, immovable. Immovable because His love for you was so great there was no way He would be anywhere but at the side of one of His children in distress. “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10)

God answers when we cry out to Him

Then He “called them” (v.32)

Jesus first hears them, then stands still for them, and then ultimately calls them. There’s a Michael W. Smith song, “I’ll Lead You Home”, that comes to mind when I think about what it’s like from God’s perspective when He calls us:

Hear me calling

Hear me calling

Blind, “they cannot see” (Isaiah 44:18), but “by faith” (Hebrews 11) hear His call. Not just with “ears to hear” (Matthew 11:15), but with hearts opened up “by faith“. (Hebrews 11)

“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” (John 10:14)

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me…” (John 10:27)

It’s further evidence that seeing isn’t necessarily believing, as the old saying goes. These men believed even though they had no earthly sight.

“Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

James 4:8 tells us that if we “draw nigh to God… he will draw nigh to you.” We see here the Lord’s faithfulness in that as these men respond to His calling, He does in fact draw near. And in drawing near to God there is now an opportunity for healing as Jesus asks “What will ye that I shall do unto you?” (v.32)

And now, just like that, a dialogue is established with The Great Physician:

“Lord, that our eyes may be opened” (v.33)

Jesus ultimately answers, but before He does we’re given insight into His heart: “So Jesus had compassion” (v.34), in the original Greek, a word meaning “to be moved as to one’s bowels, for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity”. It was as if He felt for them in the very core of His being, another picture of the depth and breadth of God’s compassion towards us. It’s the same word used to describe his sympathy and concern for the weariness of the multitude in Matthew 9:36 when “He was moved with compassion.”

Have you ever seen a child sick or injured or suffering and it just moved you, like an ache so deep you felt like you’re heart would break in two? Or knew someone who’s need was so great you wished there was something, anything you could do to make it better?

That’s what that word means. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. That compassion does not and will not change with the passage of time. And that compassion isn’t reserved for a single individual or a single circumstance. That compassion is directed at each and every one of us. When we cry out to God in our pain and suffering, when we’re begging God for help (“Lord, help me.” Matthew 15:25), for God to hear us, to just speak to us, speak to our heart, this passage shows that He not only sees and hears and answers, but does so with compassion.

God doesn’t want us to suffer. He wants to ease our pain. And we see here that not only does His touch have an immediate effect on the blind men (v.34), but also that His touch is a healing one.

The compassion of God

I love the use of the word “compassion” in this context because it suggests a deep, longing ache in the core of His soul because He cares about our circumstance. As a young believer – and in the years that would follow, whenever I would read this account, and really, even now up until the time of this writing – I always took it as a kind condescension, in a sense, on the part of God to reach down to these men, to humor them as it were, to take time out of His mission to more or less tolerate their request for His time and attention. And the timing of this event wasn’t exactly a trivial interruption – Jesus was on His way to get crucified. (Matthew 27:35)

But I had it all wrong. This wasn’t a distraction. This wasn’t an irritation. There is no indication anywhere of annoyance. What there is, is a deep abiding concern and unwavering attention to the cries and the needs of His children. It was His desire to hear them cry out to Him. It was His desire to be still for them. It was His desire to answer them, to reach out to them, to allow them to experience the loving, healing, gentle touch of God.

And in a remarkable display of His kindness, He cared enough, was compassionate enough, was moved enough, to take the time to draw near to these men who had first drawn near to Him and offer them healing.

He’ll do the same for you and me. Like those two men, just cry out to Jesus.

There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
And love for the broken heart
And there is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He’ll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus

“Cry Out to Jesus” Third Day