The Servant Messiah

In Matthew 20:29, Jesus and his twelve disciples are leaving Jericho in order to reach Jerusalem. A great crowd continues to follow them. These “many” crowds have followed them from Galilee–and Jesus has healed many of them (see Mat. 19:1-2). Now the crowds, and disciples, are full of grand expectations for what Jesus will accomplish in Jerusalem, the capital and headquarters of the kingdom of Israel.

Then, two blind men sitting along the road hear that Jesus is passing by; they cry out to him, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” (20:30). These men probably had heard the crowd shouting about the Son of David (as the crowd will be doing in 21:9). The crowd, and the disciples, all think that Jesus is the descendant of king David who will restore the kingdom of Israel to its former glory; they believe Jesus is the Messiah, God’s anointed king, who will take over power in Jerusalem.

Ever since Peter’s declaration that the disciples thought Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah (Mat. 16:16). Jesus has responded that, while he is indeed God’s anointed king, he is above all the Son of Man, who will fulfill the prophecy of Daniel 7:13-14 (about a heavenly “one like a son of man” who will be given, by God, a kingdom that will include people from every nation and continue forever). In 20:28, Jesus has just said that the Son of Man had not come to be served (as another king of Israel), but in order to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for the many.

Now, the “many” crowd (including despised Gentiles, and the sick and disabled that Jesus healed) follow Jesus to Jerusalem. Yet when they hear the blind men shouting at Jesus, they rebuke the men; they think this is a bad time to bother Jesus (and them) as they have their sights set on the great showdown in Jerusalem. The blind men, however, cry out even louder: they again address Jesus as Son of David, and Lord, and plead for mercy (healing) (20:31).

Unlike the kings of the earth, this anointed king (from heaven) remains focused on serving the “many,” even the least, even those hated or rebuked by the crowds. Jesus stops and asks the blind men what they want him to do; they reply that they want their eyes opened. So Jesus has compassion on them and touches their eyes; they regain their sight and follow him (20:32-34). This act is not an interruption of his mission; it is another act of service, giving himself to the “many,” especially to those who are considered the least, the outcasts. For Jesus is above all the heavenly Son of Man, God’s anointed king, who serves the “many” that will become part of his kingdom of (from) heaven. He is the Servant Messiah; and he will continue to open the eyes of those who follow him, so that they too can join him in compassionate service to even the least among them.