Matthew 20:29Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Observe the path that the Savior takes to Jerusalem, as well as His prior journey; this deserves careful consideration. Why did He not travel straight to Galilee but instead through Samaria? Let us set aside this curiosity for now, as the Evangelist John offers adequate reasoning for it. For the moment, we will focus on the ensuing events and listen to the aforementioned blind men, who possessed insight greater than that of many who could see. Lacking a guide and unable to see the Lord approaching, they nonetheless bore a profound desire to reach Him and began to shout. Despite being silenced by strangers, their cries grew even louder. This illustrates the strength of the soul! Obstacles only serve to propel it toward its destination.

The Lord responded to their faith by restoring their sight. Upon reflection, He had previously healed those who were spiritually ill, deaf, and even dead; now, He brings healing to those who are spiritually blind. The eyes of their hearts remain shut. Thus, Jesus passes by, calling us to cry out to Him. What does it signify that Jesus walks by? His presence is temporary, coming to us only for a brief moment. What does it mean for Jesus to pass by? He completes His work as He moves along. Consider how much of what He accomplished has already transpired. He was born of the Virgin Mary—does His birth continue? As a baby, He was nurtured at His mother's breast—does He still require this sustenance? He experienced all the stages of human development—does He continue to grow physically?

In Jericho, there were numerous bandits who frequently harmed and killed travelers on their way to and from Jerusalem. The Lord, accompanied by His disciples, went to Jericho to relieve the afflicted from their anguish and to attract a great multitude to Him. As they prepared to depart from Jericho, a considerable crowd followed Him. Had He remained solely in Jerusalem without lowering Himself to the common people, the crowd would have continued to dwell in darkness and the shadow of death to this day. However, there were also two blind men situated by the roadside. He referred to them as blind because they could not yet affirm, "In Thy light we shall see light" (Ps.

In the book of Genesis, we learn that the righteous man Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Together, they entered the ark during the Great Flood and became the ancestors of various nations spread across the world. Notably, from Noah's first son, Shem, came the patriarch Abraham, from whom the entire Jewish people trace their lineage, for better or worse. Meanwhile, the other two sons gave rise to other nations. The two blind men symbolize Noah's other sons. They recognized Jesus as He walked by, illustrating that the Gentiles came to faith in the Savior not through sight, like the Jews, but through hearing. To pass by signifies a transition from one group to another. He moved from the Jews to the Gentiles, as the Lord declared: "For judgement I have come into this world, that they which do not see may see, and they which see may become blind" (John 9:39).

The Lord made His way to Jerusalem, passing through the town of Jericho. In this place, He extended His grace to Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector; He also restored sight to a blind man as He entered the city and healed two others as He departed. As St. Matthew recounts, "WHEN THEY WENT OUT OF JERICHO, HE WAS FOLLOWED BY A LOT OF PEOPLE." Jericho marked the final stop before reaching Jerusalem; a journey of about twenty-five versts ahead lay through the wilderness, a region where many robbers hid in caves and ravines, preying on solitary travelers. Consequently, those traveling to Jerusalem from Jericho usually did so in groups or caravans. Additionally, many individuals from Galilee passed through Jericho, as the direct route via Samaria was deemed undesirable due to the longstanding animosity between the Samaritans and the Hebrews.

As the Lord and His disciples journeyed through Jericho, accompanied by a large crowd and situated approximately six hours from Jerusalem, a voice emerged among them. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” called a blind beggar known as Bartimaeus. The beggar appealed directly to the esteemed title of Jesus, acknowledging Him as the Son of David, the Anointed One. However, the crowd, with their own notions of the Messiah's significance and misunderstanding His mission with His disciples, rebuked the blind man for his persistent pleas. Undeterred, Bartimaeus continued to cry out, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” Eventually, Jesus halted and directed that the man be brought to Him. Inquiring about his request, Jesus restored the beggar's sight.

The narratives of this occurrence by the Gospel writers exhibit two notable distinctions. First, Matthew recounts the healing of two blind individuals, whereas Mark and Luke mention only one. Secondly, while Matthew and Mark indicate that the event transpired as Jesus was departing the city, Luke asserts that it occurred during His entry. It is evident that there indeed were two men who received healing; however, in the apostolic tradition, the name of one, Bartimaeus, is notably preserved, leading to the event being connected with just him in some early accounts.

The Healing of the Blind in Jericho

After sharing this parable, Jesus continued His journey toward Jerusalem, where the miraculous healing of the blind occurred, as recounted by the Gospel writers Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Their accounts differ somewhat, necessitating a direct citation:

Matthew 20:29-30 states, “As they were leaving Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. And behold, two blind men who were sitting by the roadside, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, began to cry out, ‘Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David.’”

Mark 10:46 notes, “They came to Jericho. And as He was going out of Jericho with His disciples and a multitude of people, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, a blind man, was sitting by the roadside, asking for alms.”

As Christ journeyed with His disciples toward the city, an extraordinary miracle occurred at its entrance, intended to relieve human suffering. There sat two beggars at the gate, one of whom was named Bartimaeus, pleading for mercy from those who passed by. They anticipated a generous response from the worshipers, but they were unaware of the incredible blessing that was about to unfold. Upon hearing the commotion of a particularly excited crowd, they realized that Jesus of Nazareth was among them, a figure known for His miraculous deeds throughout the land. This knowledge sparked a hopeful fervor within them, and in that moment, they set aside their usual requests and began to shout, ‘Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!’

Jericho: At the time, Jericho was a significant Jewish city located approximately 20 versts to the north-east of Jerusalem and 7 versts west of the Jordan River, enriched with sacred memories for the Jewish people. Nearby, the Israelites made a miraculous crossing of the Jordan River during their journey from Egypt into the land of Canaan (Num. 3:16). This city marked the first miraculous conquest by the Israelites post-crossing (Num. 6:20). It later became the hub of prophetic schools (2 Kings 2:5), where the prophet Elisha performed a miracle, restoring the waters that had previously been bitter (2 Kings 2:21). Jericho was once known as ‘the city of palm trees’ due to the numerous palm trees flourishing in its vicinity (Judg. 1:16, Judg. 3:13, 2 Chron. 28:15).

As the Lord Jesus Christ departed from Jericho en route to Jerusalem, a large crowd accompanied Him. The number of His followers grew with those journeying to the Passover feast, hailing not only from the nearby areas but also from distant Galilee. Historically, the relationship between Jews and Samaritans had been marked by significant hostility, as noted in Luke 9:52 and John 4:9. Consequently, the Galileans, wary of potential confrontations, opted against the shorter path through Samaria, choosing instead a longer but safer route along the Jordan region. After crossing the Jordan, they united with fellow worshippers in Jericho. This flourishing city, adorned with palm trees, provided a resting place for the pilgrims before their final leg to Jerusalem. Their journey next took them through the rugged wilderness of Jericho, where numerous caves and crevices offered shelter to robbers who preyed on solitary travelers, as exemplified in Luke 10:30.