68 Matthew 20:29-34 - Greatness Displayed

Series: The Gospel According to Matthew

November 11, 2018
Christopher C. Freeman

Title: Greatness Displayed Text: Matthew 20:29-34 FCF: We often struggle to produce genuine compassion for others. Prop: Because we cannot naturally produce the compassion of God, we must be moved with Christ’s Compassion. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Matthew chapter 20. Last week, in Matthew’s long discussion of desperate need, we finally realized what Kingdom citizens are desperately in need of. And it is Christ. Not just for our ransom, but for humility. We saw how the disciples needed to understand that they would suffer, submit and serve as Christ did. But first that they must humble themselves, with the humility of Christ. We concluded by discussing how we, who are in Christ, can have his mind, his attitude of humility. But we must be desperately needy of it. Today, will really be an Amen to that message, with a slightly different focus. And as a gift to you, it is a shorter message today. I have taxed you a couple weeks in a row, and I appreciate you hanging with me. Today will serve as a tidy little bow to wrap up Matthew’s thought before he expounds it in a different way in chapter 21. I’m in Matthew 20, and I’ll start reading in verse 29. I am reading from the CSB, but follow along in whatever version you prefer. If you need a bible, please raise your hand and let someone know. Transition: Immediately following Jesus’ statements about how those who would be great in the Kingdom, will be servants, there is an opportunity to serve. Let’s see who is the one who will display true greatness. I.) Natural man is self-seeking , so we must be moved with Christ’s Compassion. (29-31a) a. [Slide 2] 29 – As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. i. The other two gospel accounts on this episode include Mark 10 and Luke 19. 1. In both of those accounts, it seems that Jesus and His disciples are approaching or arriving at Jericho. 2. But Matthew makes it clear that they are leaving the city. 3. We may be tempted to say this is a contradiction, but hang on, let’s see if there are more details that could give us a way to harmonize the accounts. ii. We notice that large crowds, as they often did, are following Jesus yet again. iii. Perhaps they are Galileans on their way to Jerusalem for Passover. Perhaps they are even anticipating some glorious and divine rebellion against Rome. In any case, Jesus has not had any difficulty drawing people to Himself. Even if most of the time they came for the wrong reasons. b. [Slide 2] 30 – There were two blind men sitting by the road. i. The blind, poor, and generally helpless and needy often would sit by the gates or main entry roads of a city to seek help. They still do this today. Not at gates, but at exits of the highway. ii. Again there is discrepancy between the Markan and Lukan accounts and Matthew. 1. Both Mark and Luke say it was only 1 blind man, and furthermore, they actually name the blind man… Bartimaeus. 2. Beyond that, the accounts are virtually identical with only subtle differences. 3. So taking these two big differences into account… what is a possible solution? a. There were two traditional sites for Jericho. The old site mentioned in the Old Testament and a new one formed by the Romans. Perhaps Mark and Luke are talking about the new site, whereas Matthew is talking about the old one. This makes sense since Matthew is talking to Jews who would have no doubt thought of the old site first. b. Perhaps Mark and Luke were not relaying a specific time frame for the healing, but instead were just communicating location. So approaching Jericho means, in or around Jericho. c. Perhaps the two blind men followed Jesus through Jericho shouting at Him, and it was only as they were leaving that He turned to address them d. Or perhaps there were two healings, one at the entrance, Bartimaeus, and one at the exit, an unnamed blind man in need. e. In any case, there are several explanations as to how both gospel renditions could be true. c. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” i. What is clear is that they knew who Jesus was, at least by reputation. ii. They knew He was a teacher and a healer. iii. They cry out for mercy from Jesus. Mercy, no doubt, in a physical sense. Compassion or pity. Not necessarily asking of Him some measure of excusing their sin. However, perhaps they believed, as many did at the time, that their parents or they themselves had committed a sin that caused their blindness. So perhaps they are asking for physical and spiritual mercy. iv. Then they call Him the Son of David. We have seen this happen before back in Matthew 9. There we addressed this title, but just as a reminder, we need to understand that to give Jesus such a title is clearly an expression of faith that Jesus was the Messiah. That He was the promised King who would sit on the throne of David forever. v. Now how much they understood is hard to say. But this title is a powerful indicator that they knew Jesus was not a common prophet, but was instead something more. vi. Matthew no doubt includes this as a central theme and pivot point to get to the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, where the crowds who follow Him continue to call Him this… although the people in Jerusalem, still only consider Him a mere prophet from Galilee. More on that next week. Which I think is a pretty fitting thanksgiving message. d. [Slide 4] 31a – The crowd demanded that the blind men keep quiet i. Although the crowds were not present for Jesus’ statements to His disciples, having drawn them away privately, Matthew puts this episode juxtaposed against Jesus’ previous statements about servanthood. ii. If you want to be great in the kingdom, you must be least. A slave to one another. iii. Here however, we see the crowd demanding that they keep quiet. e. Notice how yet another group of people wish to run interference for Jesus. As if He is some kind of rock star that only a few have the right to access. f. Although the motivation is rarely given, the implication is that Jesus is far too important, far too powerful, far too famous to have any kind of time for the lowest dregs of society. Children, women, disabled – all these folks really are nothing compared to the King of Israel. g. And in some ways they are right. But remember that God responds to the neediest. God exalts the humble. God’s heart is close to the voiceless. h. What is it in us that assumes the opposite? What is it in us that views power and authority in such a twisted way? i. Really it comes down to making God and Jesus like us. We think they should be treated as any human would wish to be treated who holds a position of power and influence. j. But in the kingdom of God, those who lead, are those who serve. k. So those who lead are close the those who need. That is how it works. l. Our natural impulse to see leadership as those being served rather than serving – And this puts us further from the heart of God, who turns His heart toward those who are the least. It leads us to be void of love. m. Our lack of humility leads to lack of love. n. And we see exactly that in the crowds following Jesus. Transition: So what could be the solution to this problem? How can we find humility? How can we show love for others? How do we avoid being like the crowd? II.) Jesus’ compassion is moved by need, so we must be moved with Christ’s Compassion. (31b-34) a. [Slide 5] 31b – But they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” i. Like the Canaanite Woman from chapter 15, they would not allow anyone to deter them ii. They continued to cry out to Jesus, louder even, so that He would hear them. iii. Those who are desperately needy, take desperate measures to seek what they need. Even though they could not see… perhaps following Jesus through a city… Doggedly pursuing Him, even as the crowd attempts to prevent them… They will… not… stop. iv. I wonder if MY faith is so persistent. Is yours? Was it at its beginning? Is it still that persistent today? v. Since they did not stop, Jesus did… b. [Slide 6] 32 – Jesus stopped, called them, and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” i. It was their persistence, their desperate need, their faith, that drew Jesus’ attention. ii. They needed Him to hear them. He asked them what they wanted. iii. His desire for them to ask is a desire for them to express their faith. After all, if faith is desperate dependence on, need of, and surrender to something… when we ask in desperate need, it is making our faith sing. iv. They could have asked for anything. But they asked, for what they thought they needed most. c. [Slide 7] 33 – “Lord,” they said, “open our eyes.” i. What a beautiful request. ii. Obviously, they meant it physically. Obviously they were speaking about their sight. iii. But throughout scripture, such a request of God, almost always has a spiritual result. 1. [Slide 8] The Psalmist in Psalm 119:18 asked of the Lord “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things from your law.” 2. [Slide 9] Elisha prays that his servant would see the great armies of the host of the Lord on the hills behind Him. He says “Lord, open his eyes so that he may see” 3. [Slide 10] In recounting the call of the lord on his life, Paul testifies before Agrippa, that Jesus told him to preach to the gentiles so that their eyes may be opened so they may turn from darkness to light, and from the dominion of Satan to the dominion of God. 4. [Slide 11] II Corinthians 4 tells us that natural man is blind to his slavery to sin. Oh that light would come into the darkness and open up their eyes. iv. [Slide 12] Could it be that the blind men meant more? Were they asking for more than just their physical sight? And even if they weren’t, did Jesus only grant to them, physical sight? v. Let’s keep reading and find out. d. [Slide 13] 34 – Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see, and they followed Him. i. The Compassion of Christ is a funny thing. But before we talk about it, let’s finish up the context here. ii. What motivated this compassion? What so moved our Lord? iii. Perhaps Jesus knew how blind they truly were. Not just physically, but spiritually too. iv. Perhaps they were asking for a spiritual healing. v. His heart is gripped with pity, and love, and action. vi. He touched their eyes, and freed them from the darkness. vii. Once free, rather than running off to tell people what had happened, they followed Him. viii. And there is considerable evidence to suggest, that in begging Jesus to open their eyes… He opened their eyes to see the light. That is, He redeemed them. There are a few reasons I think that this is exactly what happened. 1. It says that they followed Him. In Matthew’s gospel at least, do you know that this is the ONLY time when Jesus heals someone and they immediately follow Him? To point this out, Matthew may be insinuating that this was spiritual renewal. 2. The other gospels confirm this. In Mark the man followed Jesus “in the way” which could be translated on the road, but also is used in Acts to describe those who are new birthed “Followers of the way”. Luke says that after being healed he followed Him and glorified God. 3. Also both Mark and Luke emphasize that Jesus healed them because of their faith. Their dependence and need. 4. Finally, in both Mark and Luke, they name the blind man healed. Bartimaeus. Why? Why would they name him? Perhaps because He became a disciple of Christ that day. One that people reading their gospels would recognize. Perhaps someone in their church. “Oh I didn’t know old Bart was the blind man in Jericho!” Transition: [Slide 14 (blank)] Before we go home, there is one more aspect that we have to underscore this morning. What a great text, but we have to find out why it is included here. Why is it in this list of episodes, and what is Matthew trying to show us? Conclusion: So since chapter 18, the emphasis has been on the general neediness of all who are Kingdom citizens. This is what faith is. Faith is less about facts we affirm and more about an object on which we place all our hope. And progressively up through chapter 20, it has been revealed that while Israel is rejecting the Word of God, which they have had for centuries, those who are kingdom citizens desperately cling to the Word of God, who came in flesh and gave His life a ransom for many. Therefore, Matthew’s intent in this entire section has been to show the nature of God. A nature that He has always had. A nature that Isaiah 57:15 makes plain [Slide 15] 15 For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, Now if we stopped right there, it would be a great and humbling passage to show how unapproachable God truly is. But then look what the prophet, or really, what God Himself continues to say [Slide 16] And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite. God is close to the humble, dwells with the weak, He cheers the needy, He comforts the discouraged. When He sees desperate need – those begging for pity – those desperately seeking to see – He runs to their aid, He dwells with them, and HE OPENS THEIR EYES. Last week we saw how needy we are of Christ’s Humility. That without Christ’s Humility, we don’t stand a chance at being humble at all. And this week. This week follows the same pattern. We didn’t dive into it, but let me do so now. The compassion of Jesus. Let me read what some commentators have said about this word translated “compassion” [Slide 16] “In the New Testament this verb is always used of Jesus or by Jesus in His parables; it is particularly associated with Him.” PNT The gospel of Matthew, Leon Morris pg 238-239 [Slide 17] “outside the original parables of Jesus there is no instance of the word being used of men. It is always used to describe the attitude of Jesus and it characterizes the divine nature of His acts… [it is] a Messianic characterization of Jesus rather than a mere depiction of an emotion. “ H. Koster TDNT VII pp. 553,554 I have heard sermons on the compassion of Christ. And the application of it is always – Be like Jesus. Go and be compassionate like Jesus. And I know what they are saying, and they are exactly right of course. But I have always struggled to do so. How can I… A selfish good for nothing wretch… who has been shown grace… how can I, a poor beggar who has been given some bread… HOW CAN I DISPLAY THIS COMPASSION? Truth… I can’t. I can’t. My voice would ring out with the crowd… BE QUIET! JESUS IS TALKING! NO! THE CHILDREN CAN’T COME IN! JESUS DOESN’T HAVE TIME FOR YOU GENTILE DOG! And it appears that the word used of Jesus’ compassion would agree with all this. Because it is only used of Jesus, and not of mere men. Friends – this entire passage has been about desperate need. And really… even though it has taken a couple chapters… the desperate need has been identified. It is desperate need of Jesus. He is our source. [Slide 18 (end)] Do you understand what I mean when I say that? He is our source? You say source of what? EXACTLY! YES! Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches… without Him, WE ARE NOTHING. WE CAN DO NOTHING. Friends… in all things… HE. IS. OUR. SOURCE. So how do we show a kind of love that only God can produce? How can we display a kind of compassion that only Christ has? How can we be humble as only Christ can be humble? HOW CAN WE BE FREE OF SIN AND FILLED WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS? The answer is simple. We can’t. But when we are clothed with Christ. When we are in Christ. When Christ is in us. We can have the mind, the heart, hands, feet and voice… of Christ. How do we show the compassion Jesus showed? Friends it is always the same application in this text… Cry out, in desperate need, of being filled with His compassion! CHANGE MY SELFISH HEART! UNDO MY KINGDOM! LEVEL IT! MAKE ME A SERVANT OF ALL! And give me your compassion for those who are desperately needy. God please. If we are going to be moved to compassion, may it be a compassion flowing from the heart of Christ and not from our own heart. Because if it is our own compassion, it is infinitely less than what it could be. He is our source. Say it with me… He. Is. Our. Source. Amen. THAT is what faith means. Depending on Him. For everything. Forever. Do we need to show love to the helpless? Do we need to help widows and orphans? Do we need to give to the poor and help the lowly? Of course we do. But we cannot hope to ever do so without the compassion of Christ. Don’t go force yourself to give to the poor without first repenting of your heart that is far from Gods and begging for His Son’s compassion. If we neglect this step, every dime we give will be infinitely less than it could have been. And I know, that if God would grace us with His love and Compassion for the lowly – If He would renew our minds and hearts to see people as He sees them… We won’t need a sermon to push us to give to the poor. So the application for today – is not go help the helpless. Because, friend, you can’t. The application for today, is to beg God to be moved with Christ’s Compassion toward the contrite and lowly.

Episode Notes

Sermon Notes for Matthew 20:29-24

What other two gospels have this account, and in what chapter?

A.) Mark 19

B.) Mark 10

C.) Luke 10

D.) Luke 19

 

What are possible reasons that there was such a large crowd following Jesus?

A.) There are always large crowds following Jesus

B.) They are all heading to Jerusalem for Passover

C.) They are anticipating a confrontation between the Roman government and Jesus.

D.) All the Above

 

What are the two primary differences between Matthew’s account and the others?

A.) In Matthew they are leaving Jericho not coming

B.) In Matthew there are two blind men not three

C.) In Matthew there are two blind men not one

D.) In Matthew he names one of the blind men Bartimaeus

 

Given the two differences in the Gospel accounts, how can they be harmonized?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Although it is unclear, what reasons could we look to for the blind men to be seeking spiritual mercy?

A.) They ask for mercy which is always spiritual

B.) They knew Jesus was a healer

C.) People in their day thought disability was a result of personal or familial sin

D.) They Call Him Son of David

 

When Jesus asks them what they want, what is He asking them to express.

A.) Their desire

B.) Their Love

C.) Their Knowledge

D.) Their Faith

 

What is evidence indicating that the two men were spiritually changed.

A.) Following Jesus after healing is unique to this story in the gospel of Matthew.

B.) Mark and Luke include how the man followed Jesus in the way and glorified God.

C.) Both Mark and Luke indicate that Jesus healed them because of their faith.

D.) Both Mark and Luke name the blind man – Barimaeus

E.) All of these

 

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