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DIVINE MERCY APOSTOLATE
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Rabbuni ! Master, let
me see again.
(Luke 18:35-43. Mark 10:46-52. Matt. 20:29-34.)
1.
LUKE
Entering
Jericho: the blind man
18:35 Now as he drew near to
Jericho there was a blind man sitting at the side of the road begging.
18:36 When he heard the crowd
going past he asked what it was all about,
18:37 and they told him that
Jesus the Nazarene was passing by.
18:38 So he called out, 'Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me'.
18:39 The people in front
scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he shouted all the louder, 'Son of David, have pity on me'.
18:40 Jesus stopped and
ordered them to bring the man to him, and when he came up, asked him,
18:41 'What do you want me to
do for you?' 'Sir,' he replied 'let me see again.'
18:42 Jesus said to him, 'Receive your
sight. Your faith has saved you.'
18:43 And instantly his sight
returned and he followed him praising God, and all the people who saw it gave
praise to God for what had happened.
2.
MARK
The
blind man of Jericho
10:46 They reached Jericho;
and as he left Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (that is, the son of
Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting at the side of the road.
10:47 When he heard that it
was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and to say, 'Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me'.
10:48 And many of them scolded
him and told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder, 'Son of David, have pity on me'.
10:49 Jesus stopped and said,
'Call him here'. So they called the blind man. 'Courage,' they said 'get up; he
is calling you.'
10:50 So throwing off his so
cloak, he jumped up and went to Jesus.
10:51 Then Jesus spoke, 'What
do you want me to do for you?' 'Rabbuni,'
the blind man said to him 'Master, let
me see again.'
10:52 Jesus said to him, 'Go; your faith
has saved you'. And immediately his sight returned and he followed
him along the road.
3.
MATTHEW
The two blind men
of Jericho
20:29 As they left Jericho a
large crowd followed him.
20:30 Now there were two blind
men sitting at the side of the road. When they heard that it was Jesus who was
passing by, they shouted, 'Lord! Have
pity on us, Son of David.'
20:31 And the crowd scolded
them and told them to keep quiet, but they only shouted more loudly, 'Lord! Have pity on us, Son of David.'
20:32 Jesus stopped, called
them over and said, 'What do you want me to do for you?'
20:33 They said to him, 'Lord, let us have our sight back'.
20:34 Jesus felt pity for them and touched their
eyes, and immediately their sight returned and they followed him.
Some
comparisons
I.
The Occasion.
1.
In the first miracle
the Lord was "come nigh unto Jericho".
2.
The second was
"as He went out of Jericho".
3.
The third took
place "as they departed from", and had evidently left Jericho.
II.
The Blind Men.
1.
1. In
the first there was one, unnamed.
2.
In the second
there was one, named (Bartimaeus).
3.
In the third
there were two men.
III.
The
Circumstances.
1.
The one man
was begging.
2.
The second
likewise.
3.
The two men
were not begging, and apparently were simply waiting for the Lord's passing by.
IV.
Their
Knowledge.
1.
The first man
did not know what the crowd meant, and asked.
2.
The second
(Bartimaeus) heard, but seems to have made no inquiry and at once cried out.
3.
The two men
also heard, and cried out at once.
V.
Their Cry.
1.
The first man
cried "Jesus, thou Son of David".
2.
The second man
cried "Son of David".
3.
The two men
cried "O Lord, son of David".
VI.
The Lord's
Action.
1.
The Lord
"commanded (the first man) to be brought".
2.
He
"commanded (the second man) to be called".
3.
He called the
two men Himself.
VII.
Their Healing.
1.
The first
desired that he might be able to see (anablepo).
2.
The second in
like manner.
3.
The two men
asked that "their eyes might be opened" (anoigo).
VIII.
The Lord's
Reply.
1.
In the first
case, the Lord said : "Receive thy sight, thy faith hath saved
thee."
2.
In the second
case, the Lord said : "Go thy way, thy faith hath saved thee."
3.
In the third
case, the Lord "had compassion on them, and touched their eyes",
saying nothing.
IX.
The Result.
1.
The first man
"followed Him, glorifying God, and all the people gave praise to
God."
2.
Bartimaeus
"followed Jesus in the way", apparently in silence.
3.
The two men
"followed Him", in silence also.
We thus
gather that the first two men were beggars who sat daily at either gate of
Jericho : Jericho having at that time some 100,000 people, and doubtless
many blind men. In face of this and of the above details, all that a
recent commentator has to say is :--
"The variation is undeniable, and the accounts
cannot be harmonized at this point. But of course it is quite
immaterial... According to Matthew there were two blind men. Calvin
therefore suggests that Bartimaeus met Jesus on His entrance to the city, and
then went for the other blind man, and that both were healed as Jesus was
leaving the city. This is very artificial dealing with the plain
narratives. It is better to accept them as varying accounts of one single
incident."
http://www.levendwater.org/companion/append152.html