Amen, and please be seated. Now if you have a Bible, let me invite you to turn with me to Matthew 20. This morning, verses 29 through 34. In our study of late in this gospel, we have heard Jesus say, for instance, in verse 16, in chapter 20, that in the Kingdom of Heaven, the last will be first and the first last.
Two weeks ago, in verses 26 to 27, we heard it again. This way, middle of verse 26, whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave. And then Jesus applied that to himself in verse 28, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. And so we saw, well, and we know that Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to die on the cross.
He who is first in the Kingdom of Heaven, the King himself, is going to suffer the most. He's going to take the lowest position in his Kingdom, bear the greatest burden of the work. And he who is wholly innocent and undefiled will give his life as a ransom for the unholy and the guilty and the polluted people. And now here in verses 29 to 34, this true King on his way to Jerusalem and to that cross, pauses before two blind beggars, who in their condition have nothing to offer him, and he serves them.
Matthew gives us that another reason to admire Jesus, if we have eyes to see, who he truly is. Let me invite you to see who Jesus truly is. From Matthew chapter 20 verses 29 through 34. Here now the holy and inspired Word of God.
And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside. And when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David. The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more.
And Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David. And stopping, Jesus called them and said, what do you want me to do for you? They said to him, Lord, let our eyes be open. And Jesus in pity touched their eyes.
And immediately they recovered their sight and followed him. Amen. This is God's Word. May he cut our hearts with it.
Let's look to him in prayer. Father in heaven, thank you for the gift of your son. We would see Jesus, Lord. So grant by the Spirit, eyes to see, ears to hear, hearts to believe in his name, I pray.
Amen. Well, let's just start with, I mean, who are these two blind beggars on the road to Jericho or the Jericho road? Well, actually Mark and Luke give us a little bit in their accounts, mentioning, however, only one blind man. Mark does tell us his name is Bar Tameas or the son of Tameas, meaning son of valuable or son of highly prized.
And Mark calls him a blind beggar, as many who were blind would have been beggars. His contemporaries would have considered him anything but valuable or highly prized. Then Matthew tells us that actually there's a second blind man with him. And there's no conflict, ultimately, in these accounts.
I mean, Matthew often gives us longer stories, more details than Mark who abbreviates things. And differently even than Luke, who actually Luke will often give us the specifics of people's medical difficulties and conditions because Luke himself was a physician. And he was interested in those things. So Mark and Luke, what I'm saying is, aren't wrong to mention one whose name that we know.
Matthew also wants us to know that they were actually two blind beggars. Now, interestingly, Matthew and Mark tell us that they met Jesus as, well, in our translation, leaving Jericho. Luke's account says, as he drew near to Jericho, and some people have gotten well all discombobulated and see in that some fundamental contradiction about the truth of the story and then call into question the reliability of God's word. But that's just spunk.
So here, let's put it plain. Is Jesus leaving Jericho or is he coming into Jericho? That language can be easily explained in one of two ways. First we know that there were actually two Jericho's geographically.
There is an old Jericho which Jesus may have been leaving. It's about 17 miles northeast of Jerusalem, 6 miles north of the Dead Sea and west of the Jordan River, a day's journey from there to Jerusalem. But there was also a new Jericho, further south, just a mile on the road to Jerusalem, built by Herod the Great as his winter residence. New, because you may remember Joshua fought the battle of Jericho and the walls came to be doubling down.
Well, a new Jericho had arisen and it may just be that Jesus is leaving the old Jericho and nearing the new Jericho on his way to Jerusalem where he meets these men. The other way to understand this is that, well, Luke's language in the Greek, if not the English, has been demonstrated not to imply movement necessarily, but vicinity or proximity. That is he was near to Jericho without implying that he's arriving at it. But either way, the point is the Gospels have no fundamental contradiction.
We can believe these stories and now that we've cleared away that clutter, what are we to see about Jesus? Well, we learn about his identity and his agenda and his compassion and his power. And let me point you to those four things. First in verses 29 to 31, the recognition of the identity of Jesus.
Notice this, as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David. Now Matthew isn't simply pointing us to what Jesus can do. He's actually preaching to us who Jesus is in telling us the story.
He's the Son of David. Well, let's with this title. Well, you remember King David of old and that God made a covenant with him in 2 Samuel chapter 7 that God would have a descendant of David of his own flesh and blood sit on the throne as King of God's people forever. That's who these blind men believe Jesus is, the Son of David.
That is great David's greater son and Jesus doesn't deny it. He knows himself to be the Son of David. Well, how did they come to believe that about him? Well, they may have heard the scuttlebutt.
There may have been talk among travelers passing these beggars. The beggars can sometimes be extraordinarily resourceful in networking, but notice they believe it's true. They insist he's the Son of David calling it twice and they expect that he can heal them if he wants to. And so that's what they asked for.
Now, some of you will remember in the third book of the trilogy, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, you remember that when Mary and A.O.N. and Faramir were deathly ill and taken to the houses of healing, that even Gandalf was unable to heal those who had fallen under the black shadow. But a legend of Gondor was recalled which said, the hands of the king are the hands of a healer and so shall the rightful king be known.
Gandalf quotes that lore and declares for it is only the coming of Aragorn that any hope remains for the sick that lie in the house. And Aragorn comes and he goes to the house and Faramir, A.O.N. and Mary are grievously wounded and close to death and what follows are a series of, well, like resurrections. Aragorn administers healing, it wakes Faramir up and he immediately recognizes Aragorn to be his superior and his king.
That the true king of Gondor had come and how was he known by his healing hands? Well, here are these two blind men. They are beggars yet they have spiritual eyes to see Jesus for who he is. They are blind but they see what others have missed.
They call him son of David near technical term for the Messiah, great king David's greater son and heir to the throne of the kingdom of heaven. But do you remember David was that first king and Solomon? Well, David was the great king and then Solomon after him in his reign and things went awry and then the northern and southern kingdoms were divided into Israel and Judah. And maybe you remember that in the 700s the 10 northern tribes of the northern kingdom were wiped out by the Syrian empire and then later in the 580s the Babylonian empire wiped out the southern kingdom and the last ruler of the southern kingdom of Judah watched as the enemies of God killed his children and then put out his eyes and carried him into captivity so that the last thing he would ever see in this world was his family line being cut off and the kingship being taken away.
And so by the time of Jesus there has actually been no Jewish king for some 500 years the kingship seems completely wiped out except for the promises and the prophecies and these blind men see that the prophecy of the promise of the son of David has come true. They saw that Jesus could heal them because he is the son of David the Messiah the Lord the king the eternal God and ruler of God's everlasting kingdom standing in the flesh. That's who they see him to be. Now when you look at Jesus what do you see when you think about Jesus what do you understand him to be do you see him the way that the blind men do or do you see him the way that so many of the Pharisees and scribes and Sadducees did who didn't see him as he really is but his identity is the son of David.
Now notice the opposition to his agenda in verses 31 to 32 the crowd it says rebuked these blind beggars and told them to be silent but they cried out all the more Lord have mercy on us son of David and stopping Jesus called them and said what do you want me to do for you? The crowd rebuked them and told them to be silent but Jesus stopped and told them to speak. His agenda was not the crowd's agenda. They saw an inconvenience perhaps an interruption maybe they didn't want to see these two get in the way of Jesus going up to Jerusalem where they as we know the crowds did hoped that he would be crowned king and where they imagined that he would be glorious and victory over the Romans who governed them and they don't want these couple of guys to push pause on that at all but his ways are not our ways and on the way to fulfilling his larger agenda which oh by the way was not to be immediately crowned king but to be crucified for our sins first.
This shows that he has time for the smaller cares of two hurting individuals to be sure he's determined to carry out his heavenly father's will but he knows that will includes the personal concerns of his people. His approach to his agenda is not to say to them look guys I've got bigger fish to fry you know get on board if you can or just get out of the way I've got something else I need to do. He's not that kind of a leader. He doesn't advance his agenda at the expense of caring for his people.
You understand dear brother sister in Christ that you are never an inconvenience to Jesus. You're never a tool to be used by him or distorted by him in his kingdom there are no little people. There are no persons to damaged let's call it by the miseries of this life for him to stop and visit and help but the crowds get them wrong just like the disciples did don't you remember I mean this is a theme we're seeing now. Remember that Canaanite woman we learned about in Matthew chapter 15 she was from the region of Tyre and Sidon and her family ancestry was from the enemies of God the Canaanites and and do you remember how the disciples wanted Jesus to treat her she came out to Jesus she was weeping and said have mercy on me oh Lord son of David my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon and his disciples begged him send her away but Jesus had mercy upon her and healed her daughter instantly.
His agenda was not their agenda theirs was not his or remember the large crowds in Matthew chapter 14 and the feeding of the five thousand Jesus had been ministering to them out away from the city evening came and the disciples came to him and said send the crowds away from us and Jesus said no we're going to feed them right here and he did so miraculously or remember those parents in Matthew chapter 19 they were bringing their little ones to him in their arms that he might lay his hands on them and bless them and pray and what was the attitude of the disciples to these parents with their infant children the disciples rebuked the people their attitude was something like Jesus doesn't have time for your kids or Jesus is too busy with these adults or maybe their thought was you know the kingdom of heaven is only for people old enough to hear and understand and respond why don't you wait for them to grow up a little bit their attitude was don't bother Jesus but Jesus said let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for too such belongs to the kingdom of heaven and he laid his hands on them Jesus has a different agenda than his disciples these crowds have an agenda like the disciples contrary to the agenda of Jesus their eager to get to Jerusalem crown him king so that they think we can reign with him in the victory he's eager to get to Jerusalem to die on the cross to give his life as a ransom for many even the least and so helping even the least is his agenda and in his agenda he leaves no believer behind the crowd thinks you know these blind beggars I mean what help could they be to us in Jerusalem and Jesus says well wait let's help them they belong to me they believe in me it's not a case of Jesus saying well let the dead bury their own dead you come follow me oh no but it's the case of a needy believer asking for mercy and receiving it what a rebuke that is it must have been to the crowd certainly to the disciples what a rebuke Jesus is to us is his disciples how easily we want him to do our will for him to do our bidding and serve our agenda even when we think we're ministering in his name we so often think we're seeking to serve his agenda and we may have it all upside down no wonder he taught us to pray Lord your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven because we need to pray that his will by the work of the spirit of God even in us would help us in our obedience and joy and faithfulness like the holy angels angels in the saints who are now in heaven we're to pray that because it doesn't come naturally we're to pray that because we're prone to substitute our will for his will and so what a rebuke Jesus is to us but also the steadfast faithfulness of Jesus is a comfort to us I mean look that even when his people take a wrong step or have a bone-headed idea or follow a foolish course or go astray or are too hasty in the work that needs to be done overlooking the people who need mercy well the agenda of Jesus continues to be served he steps into accomplish his holy purposes he is never derailed even when we're off the tracks he's never distracted by us hindered by us from doing what he pleases to do in service of his own agenda in showing himself a strong unto average people and what a comfort to us he holds his individual needy people in his hand and on his heart even as he governs the universe builds his church and advances his kingdom and yet he leaves none of his children behind isn't his leadership admirable do you see that thirdly the appeal to the compassion of Jesus verse 32 to 34 stopping Jesus called and said what do you want me to do for you and they said Lord let our eyes be open and Jesus in pity touched their eyes their persuades the Messiah so they asking for mercy they aren't demanding what they think is right they're pleading for what they need and their helplessness and he says what do you want me to do for you well let our eyes be open and again the reason they believe he can do that because they believe he's the Messiah who has all authority and sovereignty over all death and disease to heal or not to heal as he pleases now reflect for just a moment on your own experience the truth is every disease you have ever been healed of every childhood illness and fever every injury that's been repaired every broken bone that's that's been restored everything and the reason it didn't get any worse than it did and the reason that it got better than it was is Jesus physicians and nurses and medicines and hospitals can all be great blessings in their own way and the way that God has designed the human body to carry out various tasks of what we might call itself healing well that's Jesus's handiwork too but these things all of them are ultimately effective by God's blessing and well ultimately ineffective without God's blessing and one day for all of us it will be his will to bring about our last day yet for Christians our death will be a portal to eternal life and health and happiness and holiness in heaven forever and when he heals whether in this life or at that last day it's because he chooses to exercise his compassion and his mercy in the situation and in his own timing and the appeal then of these beggars is spot on Lord have mercy upon us don't give me what I deserve give me mercy and don't you find that as a Christian you make this appeal a lot also Lord have mercy on me I mean don't you find that you have to raise this cry again and again from your heart because well whether it's doubts and fears in your own soul or matters in your family or your marriage or because of the press and burden of your work and your calling or because of reversals in you or a loved one's health or because of the sudden murkiness of some future you have planned for yourself you find yourself saying Lord have mercy upon me do we ever actually get beyond that in this life Jesus son of David have mercy on me no we never do and it is no trouble to him for you to ask you are invited to come boldly to his throne of grace that you might receive mercy and help in your time of need and so we see the compassion and pity of Jesus upon these men and the demonstration of his power I mean notice verse 34 Jesus and pity touch their eyes and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him now did you know that there is no Old Testament miracle where someone blind receives back their sight this has never happened in Israel there are miracles of people being struck with blindness like the men of Sodom in the time of Lot in Genesis 19 the angels rescued him verse 11 striking with blindness the man who sought to take him but none of the miracles in the Old Testament have the blind receiving sight none of the miracles performed by God through Moses involving giving sight to the blind whether the plagues of Egypt or the parting of the Red Sea in none of the miracles under Joshua whether the parting of the river Jordan or the fall of Jericho's walls none of the miracles under Elijah when the widows oil and flower increased and the widow son was raised from the dead none of the miracles of Elisha when the shoot of my son was raised from the dead and the axe had floated in water nor Daniel when his friends survived the fiery furnace and when Daniel himself was delivered from the lion's den not a single example of the physically blind receiving physical sight it's unsurprising then to learn that the Jews considered giving sight to the blind a thing that only God could do no man had ever done it only God was thought to be able to do that so 146 says it's Yahweh who opens the eyes of the blind and so the power and authority to give sight to the blind was something that they actually looked forward to God doing when God came to earth in his glory to save his people it's the expectation set by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 35 they shall see the glory of the Lord he says the majesty of our God behold your God will come he will come and save you and what will be the effect what will be the effect that tells you he has come and saved you then the eyes of the blind will be opened the ears of the death death unstopped then shall the laymen leap like a deer and the tongue of the mute sing for joy and so it was when Jesus came he healed the mute and the lame and the death and the blind now we have to ask you know is this passage a promise to every believer that if we call upon the son of David for mercy he will do for us immediately what we've asked of him no don't make this a promise that he will heal us of all our diseases in this world but it is a promise it is a foretaste of that healing we all will certainly have in heaven when our body will lie in the grave awaiting the resurrection and what is sewn in that grave is perishable what is raised is imperishable it's sewn in dishonor it's raised in glory it's sewn in weakness it's raised in power it's sewn a physical body it's raised a spiritual body and who is it that will transform our body to make it imperishable and glorious the Philippians 3 20 says our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a Savior the Lord Jesus who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself this is our hope he is our hope in disease decay and death and you know the story of William Cooper he was a good friend of John Newton who gave us amazing grace they were both Christian men and poets and hymn writers Cooper gave us the God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform and he partnered with Newton shared in ministry with him and their parish they they wrote the old me hymns together a collection of a couple hundred hymns or so but but all that it was after a childhood in which he suffered many things let me give you a sketch of his life his mom died when he was really little two of his siblings died in infancy three more failed to reach adult years and when he went to boarding school at the age of six because his mom was gone he was tormented and abused by an older boy in his early childhood he fell in love with a young woman who fell in love with him and they wanted to be married and they dated for a season and then the father stepped in and said no her father forbade the marriage she remained single her whole life as did he and it's it's uh said based on her their mutual letters that they remained for for the rest of their days in in love but unmarried then then his father died in a close friend drowned while bathing and all of this when he was a young man a child and a young man and he suffered severe mental distress and then came multiple attempts to take his own life and he was eventually placed in a hospital for the mentally ill and actually brought to faith in Christ there it was overseen by a godly christian man and he encountered the scripture he recovered some strength he says of Christ I saw the sufficiency of the atonement he made my pardon sealed in his blood and all the fullness and completeness of justification and he went on in joy in Christ for a season writing those hymns with Newton and sharing and visiting the congregation and yet later years later he wrote a hymn god moves in a mysterious way with these stanzas just listen to some of this ye fearful saints fresh courage take the clouds ye so much dread are big with mercy and shall break with blessings on your head judge not the lord by feeble sense but for his grace behind a frowning providence he hides a smiling face his purposes will ripen fast unfolding every hour but may have a bitter taste but sweet will be the flower blind or to err and scan god's work in vain god is his own interpreter and he will make it plain it's an amazing hymn of trust in the sovereign mysterious will and work of god amidst the hard providences of life he wrote that hymn and within something like a month he had a terrible horrible dream and it messed with his head and it messed with his heart he never divulged the contents of it but through the dream he came to believe that he was utterly forsaken of god with all hope of salvation gone forever he he felt into the lowest places of hell lower than Judas he never denied the faith he believed the promises of the gospel and Jesus were true but he became convinced that they did not apply to him that he was the one sole exception among god's elect and the dream as well convinced him that everybody hated him that his food was poisoned that butcher's meat was really human flesh you could see how he through this dream had become mentally irrational suffered significant emotional and spiritual distress he wrote a famous poem called castaway convinced that he was god's castaway yet newton his friend at a pastor held an opposite view of his friend William Cooper for his friend who believed in Jesus but was not yet on this earth completely whole in mind and in the heart in body and in spirit in fact reflecting on Cooper's death which he heard of Cooper dying at the age of 69 Newton said I was glad when I heard of it he suffered much here for 27 years but eternity is long enough to make amends for all eternity is long enough to make amends for all I don't know what trouble you've seen not all of it I know bits and pieces none of us knows the trouble that lies in a world of sin and misery but what we do know is that Jesus sits on the throne of the universe and his eyes are attentive to the cares of his people he always lives to intercede for us he will return to take us to be where he is in his father's house and when he does there will be no more sorrow no more suffering no more tears no more death as Revelation 7 says they shall hunger no more neither thirst anymore the sun shall not strike them nor any scorching heat for the lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd and he will guide them to springs of living water and god will wipe away every tear from their eyes so here's this son of David Messiah true king of kings healing blind beggars on the Jericho road and yet to close isn't it interesting when he finally gets to Jerusalem he doesn't exercise his authority and power to save himself he uses his power mercifully and compassionately but not to save himself but rather he chooses to die on that cross to save his people from their sins that he might also ultimately save us from all misery that wasn't that admirable then praise him let's pray Lord Jesus you are great and good and we thank you for your kindness and grace and we thank you and we need you more than we know that we have mercy and compassion upon us we pray and sustain your weary people with the hope that we have in you in Jesus name I pray amen amen let's stand together and sing