As they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed Jesus. His ministry was at its apex. The authority of His teaching, mixed with the signs and wonders performed almost everywhere He went, had many abuzz. He wasn’t quite like any Rabbi they had encountered before. Certainly He didn’t fit in with the normative religious establishment of the day. Who was this Man? That was the 64 million dollar question. And often it was the least likely who had insight into the answer.

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!”
                                                                              (Matthew 20:29-30 ESV)

Son of David . . . that’s how the blind men addressed Him. A reference to royalty. A reminder of the promise of God that the line of David would continue forever. A response of those in desperate need of deliverance by the Messiah. That was Matthew’s overriding intention in writing his gospel . . . “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David . . . ” (Matt. 1:1) . . . that he might identify Jesus as the Son of the David . . . that he might present King Jesus. And these blind men saw it.

What they saw, even before their optic nerves were refurbished, many of “able body” were clueless to. Some in the crowd were there because of idle curiosity . . some were waiting for the next display of miracles . . . some may have hung out waiting to see what sparks would fly when He arrived in Jerusalem. And then there were these blind guys seeing at the side of the road.

Not to be silenced . . . not to be denied access . . . because of what “they saw” in Him . . . well aware of the depths of their need . . . they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

And I marvel afresh that God gives sight to the blind . . . sometimes even before He heals their eyes.

Matthew records that “Jesus in pity touched their eyes” . . . but I’m thinking, even before that, that God in His amazing grace brought light to their dark hearts that they might recognize in this Carpenter from Nazareth the King of Heaven. That even before they saw again the beauty of the natural world around them, that they started to behold something of the majesty of the Son of God before them. That prior to laying renewed eyes upon Jesus and following Him, He had already revealed something of Himself to them and had called them to Himself.

That’s kind of what Jesus does . . . He makes blind guys seeing. What manner of world opens up to those who are given eyes to see . . . even before their eyes see.

Son of David. O blessed title of the One who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for man” (Matt. 20:28).

King Jesus. King of kings . . . Lord of lords . . . Sovereign of heaven . . . and by glorious grace, ascended to the throne of all who have been given eyes to see the Son of David and, in faith, have cried out for mercy.

. . . and immediately they recovered their sight and followed Him.
                                                                         (Matthew 20:33b ESV)

All praise be to the Son of David . . .

Amen?