Matthew 20:29-24 "The Prominence of Spiritual Sight"

Introduction:

Our text this morning deals with that original Palm Sunday just prior to Jesus arriving in Jerusalem. He would be arriving to shouts of Hosanna with Palm branches waving in anticipation of restoring the Davidic dynasty.

But there are deeper truths than just a political statement going on here. There are elements of a spiritual significance to that original Palm Sunday that have eternal implications for the Christian. First we see in verse 29 that there is a significance that is tied to the location being Jericho. Look back at your text at verse 29:

I. The Significance of Jericho (29).

Jericho had a history in the Old Testament.

Jericho was the first city of the conquest and it was thought to be a city too fortified to be conquered because of those large walls. It has been said that those ancient walls were so thick they could race chariots side by side on top of those walls.

Most of us are aware that those walls were destroyed by God supernaturally and then the Israelites burned the city to it’s destruction.

Joshua then pronounced a curse on Jericho as recorded in Joshua 6:26 -26 Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, “Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. “At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates.”

Then we learn in hundreds of years later in IKings 16:34 that during the reign of King Ahab, Hiel rebuilt Jericho- “34 In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.”

Jericho was a city under a curse and the one who rebuilt it paid for it in the lives of their oldest and youngest sons. We hear this story and Jericho doesn’t sound like a very nice place to live. Who would want to live in a city built under a curse?

Matthew’s gospel is depicting Jesus as the Messiah King of Israel and Jesus too, like Joshua is on a conquest not to bring a curse upon Israel but to remove the curse of sin and death from upon His covenant people.

Jericho is significant but so are the blind men as we see in verse 30-31. Look back at your text:

II. The Significance of the Blind Men’s Cries (30-31).

Now we know from the other synoptic gospels that one of these men was named Bartimaeus. Matthew doesn’t get that specific in His gospel but just simply states that these men were physically blind and sitting by the road outside of Jericho.

When they heard it was Jesus passing by they began to cry out: “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David.” The crowd tried to get them to quieten down but the text says, “they cried out all the more” in verse 31. They had nothing to loose they were blind beggars without any hope of restoration apart from Jesus. The knew they were bankrupt apart from Christ.

The term “Son of David” was messianic in nature. The blind men understood the messianic identity of Jesus but many who could see on that day physically were actually blind spiritually to who Jesus Christ was in His identity.

Like most of the Jewish religious leaders of that day who were planning the crucifixion of Christ at the very moment this was all taking place.

This is the original, “So obvious a blind man could see it.” Blindness in this time was thought by many to be punishment inflicted upon sinful man by God. Sickness and infirmities were often thought to be for a person’s sin or the sin of the parents if it was from birth. This didn’t deter them one bit.

You see Jesus already had a reputation. He had healed people before and news of this had spread throughout the land. And remember these historical events in our text are taking place while news of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead was spreading all the way to Jerusalem.

This is significant because there were Old Testament prophecies that spoke of such miracles as being indicators of the Messiah and His Kingdom and these blind men were certain that Jesus was the fulfillment of these prophecies.

Christian, I think hopelessness in this fallen world is often the precursor to the prominence of spiritual insight into the reality of Jesus Christ.

It usually comes whenever fallen men in a fallen world come to the end of their self-sufficiency and self-reliance. And God then uses those circumstances to reveal the truth of His word to us that He is our only hope. And that hope is not only for this world but for the one to come.

This is usually a common thread that I see that runs through the lives of Christians when they come to Christ or they are reminded of it again and again as they are being sanctified in the Christian faith.

This world since Adam’s fall has been under a curse. The Old Testament covenant people looked forward to the restoration that God had foretold but they often though about the physical implications while never seeing it all through the prominence of spiritual sight.

John the Baptist understood. Remember when John was thrown in Prison and he sent to inquire of Jesus as to His identity as Messiah? Jesus sent word to John and Matthew records it for us in Matthew 11:4-6 - 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

You see John the Baptist knew the prophets and the prophetic content of the Book of Isaiah in chapters like Isaiah 26 and Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 61.

The two blind men may had known Isaiah too and hearing about Jesus miracle working power and then to be told He is passing right in front of you. What would a bankrupt blind man in a hopeless situation do? No wonder they wouldn’t be quiet. Their only hope was passing their way!

And Jesus, the Lord of glory responds. He doesn’t turn a deaf ear. He does something significant on their behalf. Look back at verses 32-33:

III. The Significance of the Miracle of Jesus (32-33).

Jesus stopped and asked what they wanted Him to do for them. I bet it wasn’t hard for them to come up with something. I am sure they didn’t need to talk it over for a few minutes to agree on something. No, they already knew! Lord let our eyes be opened! We want to see Lord!

And on Jesus part it was an act of His inward pity for them. He touched their eyes and notice the text say immediately they recovered their sight.

Years had probably passed, maybe they were even blind from birth. They feel the fingers of Jesus on their eyes and immediately they see and behold the Lord. When Jesus opens your eyes you can see Him for who He is. I once was blind but now I see Him. The incarnate Son of God standing before you. Blind eyes open and functioning in perfection seeing the glory of God revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.

We live in a broken world full of broken people. The events going on in our Nation this week tell the true story. Monday morning in Nashville, Tennessee at Covenant School six people lost their lives to a shooter. It is the Christian school associated with our sister PCA church, Covenant Presbyterian.

I am always amazed how the blame is never the inherent fallen nature of mankind. It is never that because society would be admitting that they are hopeless and the current spiritual equivalent of two blind beggars by the roadside.

I think Pastor Chad Scruggs in the torment of His pain and sense of loss understands something that we may want to take inventory on this morning. He issued a statement that reveals His eyes are open regarding the loss of his 9 year old daughter Hallie: “We are heartbroken,” he said. “She was such a gift. Through tears we trust that she is in the arms of Jesus who will raise her to life once again.”

You see when Jesus gives you the prominence of spiritual sight you start to recognize that the emphasis is on eternity with Him and not necessarily the security and comforts of this world. Any person can set their sights on this world. That is not hard to do. We do it without even trying. It comes natural to us.

Conclusion:

And if you are captivated by the world you spiritually blind and your situation is hopeless. But I have good news for your today Jesus, the Son of David, the Lord of all glory is passing by. And he is here for the broken. He is here for the hopeless.

He is here for those that the world has rejected. And He is hear to open the eyes of the blind to give them the prominence of spiritual sight that you may see Him for who He is. Unbeliever cry out to Him for mercy. Do not let Him pass you by.

Christian the prominence of spiritual sight sees Christ in light of eternity. His grace is sufficient for us as we live in this fallen world and we follow Christ. We want and we long to be like Him and to one day be where He is. Confess your sin and rest in His grace to us as we look to Him. Lets Pray!