The blind men of Jericho

St Matthew Chapter XX : Verses 29-34

Contents

• Matt. xx. 29-34.  Douay-Rheims text & Latin text (Vulgate).
• Notes on the text.

Matt. xx. 29-34

29 And when they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.

Et egredientibus illis ab Jericho, secuta est eum turba multa,

30 And behold two blind men sitting by the way side, heard that Jesus passed by, and they cried out, saying: O Lord, thou son of David, have mercy on us.

et ecce duo cæci sedentes secus viam audierunt quia Jesus transiret : et clamaverunt, dicentes : Domine, miserere nostri, fili David.

31 And the multitude rebuked them that they should hold their peace. But they cried out the more, saying: O Lord, thou son of David, have mercy on us.

Turba autem increpabat eos ut tacerent. At illi magis clamabant, dicentes : Domine, miserere nostri, fili David.

32 And Jesus stood, and called them, and said: What will ye that I do to you?

Et stetit Jesus, et vocavit eos, et ait : Quid vultis ut faciam vobis?

33 They say to him: Lord, that our eyes be opened.

Dicunt illi : Domine, ut aperiantur oculi nostri.

34 And Jesus having compassion on them, touched their eyes. And immediately they saw, and followed him.

Misertus autem eorum Jesus, tetigit oculos eorum. Et confestim viderunt, et secuti sunt eum.

Notes

    29. when they went out from Jericho. St Matthew agrees with St Mark in placing the time of this miracle when they went out from Jericho (xx. 29). St Luke places it when he drew nigh to Jericho (xviii. 35). Many commentators agree in reconciling the discrepancy by supposing that as Jesus entered the city, a blind man called to Him for pity, but that Jesus did not heal him until the next day ; and that as He was going out of the city, after having stayed in the house of Zacheus, this same blind man, in company with a fellow-sufferer, again appealed to our Lord, and this time successfully. A few writers favour the idea that three men were restored to sight, one as Jesus entered Jericho, and two others as He left the city.

    Jericho. “ It lies in the Ghor, i.e. the Jordan Valley. The Plain of Jericho was formerly celebrated for its luxuriant vegetation, due to the tropical climate and the abundance of water. In the time of our Lord a large stone aqueduct, built by Herod the Great, brought a plentiful supply into the city. The city was the first to fall before the armies of Israel when they entered the Promised Land. After its destruction Josue pronounced a curse on the city, saying, ‘ Cursed be the man . . that shall raise up and build the city of Jericho. In his first-born may he lay the foundation thereof, and in the last of his children set up its gates’ (Josue vi. 26). In Achab’s days Hiel of Bethel rebuilt the city, and paid the penalty (see 3 Kings xvi. 34). A famous school of the sons of the prophets flourished there in the days of Elias and Eliseus. Under the Herods, Jericho was a prosperous city, a commercial centre, and a seat of customs. Herod the Great beautified the city with palaces and public buildings, and here he died. After Herod’s death Jericho was sacked and burnt, but restored by his son Archelaus. It was also a city of priests and publicans.

    a great multitude. Large numbers of pilgrims on foot or on asses and camels would be on their road to Jerusalem. The pilgrims were accustomed to utilize their pilgrimages of devotion for commercial purposes, both in Jerusalem and at the principal towns on the road. Jericho was celebrated, among other things, for its trade in balsam. The pilgrims travelled in companies or caravans, for personal safety and for the protection of their goods.

    30. two blind men. The other Synoptists only mention one blind man, and St Mark gives his name. Cf. Bartimeus the blind man, the son of Timeus, sat by the way side begging. Possibly Bartimeus was the greater sufferer, or the better known of the two.

    sitting by the way side. In Palestine there were no middle classes. There were the very wealthy classes, and also great numbers of poor and afflicted, for whom no organized provision was made. Hence the latter lived largely on alms, and the passage of the pilgrims was their harvest-time.

    heard that Jesus passed by. St Luke’s account is fuller here : And when he heard the multitude passing by, he asked what this meant. And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, etc.

    son of David. The name by which the Jews called the Messias. Jesus answered now to that name, since it was the full time for Him to reveal Himself as the Messias, whereas, on a previous occasion, He did not answer publicly to the call of the two blind men who thus invoked Him, but waited until they had followed Him into a house, and there He healed them privately (supra, ix. 27-30).

    31. rebuked them. Various reasons have been assigned for this refusal . on the part of the multitude to favour the cause of the blind men. They rebuked them because —

    (a) the beggars publicly expressed their faith in Jesus as the Messias.

    (b) they thought it unseemly for beggars to trouble our Lord.

    (c) they did not wish to interrupt our Lord’s discourse.

    (d) they did not wish to hinder the journey to Jerusalem, since, if Jesus healed these two men, many more might present themselves, as most of these beggars had some affliction.

    The last opinion has the greater number of supporters — St Thomas Aquinas, Maldonatus, C. a Lapide, etc.

    they cried out the more. “The people were not offended at the respectful invocation used by the blind man, but at what they considered an untimely appeal for alms. The Evangelist records that the poor sufferer was not deterred by this rebuke. On the contrary, fearing lest the opportunity might be lost, he uttered persistent, repeated, and much louder cries for mercy at the hands of Jesus. This is the force of the verb ἔκραξαν in the imperfect tense. Plummer remarks that while βοάω, used in the preceding sentence, signifies an intelligent cry for help, κράζω often means an instinctive cry or scream, a loud expression of strong emotion. In classical Greek, κράζω is often used to designate the cries of the lower animals ” (Ryan, vol. i. p. 235).

    32. Jesus stood, and called them. At the same time the multitude change their tone, for they call the blind man, saying to him : Be of better comfort : arise, he calleth thee. Who casting off his garment leaped up, and came to him (St Mark x. 49, 50). The poor man cast off his abba, or outer garment, that he might hasten to Jesus.

    What will ye, etc. ? Jesus knew full well, but He willed to hear an explicit statement on the part of the blind men. The question would arouse their hope, and strengthen the faith of the multitude, by proving to them that the men were really blind.

    33. Lord, that our eyes be opened. St Mark has “ Rabboni,” — i.e. “ my Master.” It is a title of great reverence. St Mary Magdalene used it when she saw Jesus after His Resurrection. “ The gradations of honour were, Rab, Rabbi, Rabban, Rabboni” (Maclear). It was prophesied that the Messias should open the eyes of the blind. Cf. That thou mightest open the eyes of the blind (Is. xlii. 7).

    34. touched their eyes. Also He said, Receive thy sight, thy faith hath made thee whole (St Luke).

    Our Lord evidently did three things —

    (а) He touched the men’s eyes.

    (b) He commanded their sight to return.

    (c) He spoke consoling words to them, and attributed the restoration of their sight to their earnest faith.

    St Thomas remarks : “Jesus touched their eyes, thus acting according’ to His humanity, and immediately they saw,” thus manifesting His Divinity.

    immediately they saw. The cure was instantaneous and complete, whereas in the case of the blind man at Bethsaida whom Christ cured, the miracle was worked progressively (see St Mark viii. 23-25).

    and followed him. St Mark adds in the way, — i.e. on the road to Jerusalem. The third gospel gives other effects of the miracle, — the men followed glorifying God, and all the people when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.