As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
“Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”
Matthew 20:29-33
What comes next in this story is critical for followers of Christ. Let me start by telling you what does not come next:
Jesus looked at the men with great indignation and told them, "Oh foolish men! Why are you so short-sighted? I have come to bring you hope for eternity, so cast your vision for what is to come, not on what you may see today!"
And the men rejoiced as they continued in their blindness, knowing that someday they too would see.
Could Jesus have said that? Yes, he had the right to say it, and there are certainly places in Scripture where he points people away from today and toward eternity. But his response in this situation (and in many situations in Scripture) was very different. Instead of ignoring the men or downplaying their need, Matthew tells us that Jesus
"...had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him."
Jesus cared about those with physical needs and almost always did something about it. He didn't preach to the men, he just healed them. But don't miss what came next: they followed him. That's what often happens when we consistently do good things for others in the name of Jesus. They follow him. And isn't that the ultimate goal?
