Jesus’ Compassion: The Heart of Missional Livingಮಾದರಿ

Day #5: Matthew 20:29­–34

Mercy and compassion are once again front and center as Jesus meets two blind men on the final leg of his journey to Jerusalem. This encounter is set in juxtaposition to a rather testy conversation between Jesus and his disciples, prompted by an audacious request from the mother of James and John (v. 21). Jesus has just given a brutally clear description of what awaits him in Jerusalem (vv. 18–19), but this “mama bear” skips right over the suffering and death to zero in on the resurrection. Correctly interpreting that as victory, she begs for Jesus to let her sons sit beside his throne in his kingdom (Mark says “in your glory,” 10:37). Jesus knows that it’s really James and John who are behind this request, and he tells them (and the rest of his disciples) in no uncertain terms that their request is both misguided and inappropriate, worthy of Gentile tyrants but not of his kingdom (vv. 25–26).

Immediately, Matthew turns our attention to a different kind of request, a cry for mercy. Unlike James and John, who thought they deserved something, these two blind men sitting beside the road are deeply aware of their helplessness and unworthiness. They don’t seek their efforts to be rewarded, nor do they seek what they deserve. They seek the unmerited favor of God, and they fully expect to find it in Jesus, whom they call both Lord and Son of David, a royal title. They are persistent, calling out even louder when the crowd tries to hush them.

Their desperate plea for mercy was bothersome to the crowd (and perhaps to the disciples, who may still have been grumbling after Jesus’ rebuke), but it found a home in the heart of Jesus. Their cries stopped Jesus in his tracks, and he spoke to them (v. 32), asking them to define their need. Without hesitation, they told him what they yearned for: “That our eyes may be opened!” Also, without hesitation, moved by compassion, Jesus acts on their behalf (v. 34). “Moved by compassion” is a phrase that could serve as the overarching title of Jesus’ mission as recorded in Matthew’s Gospel.