Bible Synapse
Did Jesus heal one blind man near Jericho, or two?
Hard question · The life of Jesus · raised by 3 of the lists sceptics circulate
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As they leave Jericho, two blind men by the roadside cry out to Jesus, and he heals them.
And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.
As Jesus goes out of Jericho, blind Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, cries out and receives his sight.
And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimeus, the son of Timeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. …
As Jesus comes near Jericho, a blind beggar cries out and is healed; Jesus then enters and passes through the city.
And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, …
The objection
Matthew says Jesus healed two blind men as he was leaving Jericho. Mark names one, Bartimaeus, healed as Jesus went out of the city, and Luke has one blind man healed as Jesus “was come nigh unto Jericho”, before he entered it. How many men were healed, and was Jesus arriving or leaving?
The answer
On the number, Mark and Luke never say there was only one blind man; they tell of the one who stood out, and Mark names him, Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus, probably, as Adam Clarke suggested, because he was well known in those parts. Matthew, who also tells of two demon-possessed men where Mark and Luke speak of one (Matthew 8:28), mentions both, and naming one person who was present does not deny that another was there.
On the place, two answers are often given. In Jesus’ day there were in effect two Jerichos: the ancient city of Joshua’s time, by then little more than a mound and a village, and the newer Jericho a mile or two to the south, where the Hasmonean kings and then Herod the Great built their winter palaces. Blind men sitting between them could be met as Jesus left the one (Matthew, Mark) and drew near the other (Luke). Calvin suggested another fit: the blind man began calling out as Jesus approached the city, was not heard above the crowd, and placed himself by the road again as Jesus left, where he was called and healed; Luke tells where the incident began, the others where it ended.
Other answers Christians give
Three blind men
John Gill thought three men were healed: one as Jesus approached the city (Luke) and two as he left it (Matthew and Mark). The accounts are so alike that most commentators, Calvin among them, take them as one event.
‘Near’ Jericho
Luke’s phrase can be read as ‘while he was near Jericho’, without saying whether he was arriving or leaving. Gill noted the difficulty with this: Luke 19:1 goes on to say that Jesus then entered the city.
Still open
Which of these explanations is right is still debated among Christian scholars. Each fits the texts, and none can be checked from outside them.
From the classic commentators
My conjecture is, that, while Christ was approaching to the city, the blind man cried out, but that, as he was not heard on account of the noise, he placed himself in the way, as they were departing from the city, and then was at length called by Christ.John Calvin, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists, on Matthew 20:29 (1555)
It was because he was the most remarkable that this evangelist mentions him by name, as a person probably well known in those parts.Adam Clarke, Commentary on Mark 10:46 (1810–1826)
Sources
- John Gill, Exposition of the Bible: Matthew 20, at Bible Hub
- John Calvin, Harmony of the Evangelists on Matthew 20, at HelloAO
- Adam Clarke, Commentary on Mark 10, at Bible Hub