Two Blind Men

Matthew 20:30 - And, look, there were two blind men sitting by the side of the road. Hearing that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, "Have mercy on us, lord, Son of David!"

They were just leaving Jericho and outside the gates of the city they encounter two blind men, presumably begging. We don't know anything more about them. I wonder, did they have a home to go to each night? family that cared about them? Or did they only have each other? Were they born blind or did they have a disease or an accident? Of course, none of these questions are answerable (and arguably not relevant). Yet, they are a way to enter the world of these two men. Their lives couldn't have been easy, whether they had family support or not.

They hear, someone tells them that Jesus is passing by. Somehow, they know who he is, which implies they're not completely without support or resources. They know that Jesus can heal them; give them a better life going forward. They are willing to do what they can to make their situation better. They cry out to Jesus, "Have mercy on us." Help us. We trust you can heal us. Please help. It's the first century equivalent of people begging in  big cities holding a sign telling their story. "Homeless and unemployed. A veteran, need housing." Except, it's a lot easier to pass by a person with a sign that people shouting out to you specifically.

Son of David is what they call Jesus. This was a messianic title and they are acknowledging they know who he is and what he can do for them. They are proclaiming him to be the messiah.

One final point. There must have been others begging on the road that day, but we only hear the story of these two men. DId others cry out and also receive healing? We don't know, we only know that these two did. Jesus does not heal people randomly. I can't think of one person he healed who did not ask (or argue with) him about it. He raised Lazarus from the dead, however, you can't ask a dead person's permission. They all asked, they all did what they could to better their situation. Jesus certainly healed more people than the gospels record, but could he or would he have healed some random person without their expressed desire for such healing?
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