Why do the blind men address Jesus as "Lord" in Matthew 20:33? Narrative Setting (Matthew 20:29-34) Jesus is leaving Jericho on the final ascent to Jerusalem. Two blind beggars, marginalized yet positioned on a busy pilgrim road, seize their last chance for help. They first cry out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” (Matthew 20:30). When the crowd tries to silence them, they cry even louder (v 31). Jesus stops, summons them, and asks, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They answer, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” (v 33). Their repeated address, “Lord,” frames the episode and carries layered meaning. Old Testament Resonance: YHWH the Healer of the Blind Prophetic texts connect YHWH’s coming salvation with opening blind eyes. Isaiah 35:5 promises, “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened.” Isaiah 42:6-8 links that same act with the glory of YHWH. By choosing κύριε, the blind men align Jesus with the covenant LORD who alone performs such feats (Psalm 146:8). Their plea therefore invokes divine prerogative, not mere human courtesy. Messianic Title Coupled with ‘Lord’ “Son of David” (Matthew 20:30) is an explicitly messianic claim (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Psalm 89:3-4). First-century Jewish expectation held that the Messiah would restore David’s throne and bring healing (cf. Ezekiel 34:23). Combining “Lord” with “Son of David” fuses royal and divine categories. Within Matthew’s Christology, the merger prefigures Jesus’ own riddle in 22:41-46 where David calls his descendant “Lord,” citing Psalm 110:1: “The LORD [YHWH] said to my Lord [’adôn]…”—a text that insists the Messiah shares God’s status. Blind Yet Seeing: Spiritual Insight Amid Physical Darkness Matthew frequently contrasts physical sight with spiritual perception (cf. 13:13-16). Ironically, the sighted crowds and disciples still grapple with Jesus’ identity, while the blind men see with the eyes of faith. Their “Lord” confession anticipates the climactic post-resurrection acclamation, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). The miracle thus illustrates that revelation precedes restoration: recognizing Jesus as Lord is prerequisite to receiving sight. Honorific or Divine? Matthew’s Deliberate Ambiguity Greek permits κύριε to be read merely as “sir,” but Matthew’s redactional pattern pushes the term upward. In miracle stories, those who believe use κύριε; opponents rarely do (Matthew 12:22-24). Moreover, the blind men do not merely request alms; they ask for an act attributed to God alone. The narrative therefore invites the reader to conclude that a higher meaning is intended. Early Christian Confession: ‘Jesus is Lord’ Within two decades of the resurrection, the earliest Christian creed was “Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Philippians 2:11). The Jericho episode foreshadows this confession. By placing it just before the triumphal entry (Matthew 21) where crowds hail Jesus with messianic Psalms, Matthew shows that acknowledging Jesus as κύριος is the gateway to discipleship. Theological Themes Drawn from the Title a. Authority: Calling Jesus “Lord” submits to His sovereign right to command and to save (Luke 6:46). b. Compassion: The appeal “have mercy on us” expects covenantal hesed from the divine Lord (Psalm 51:1). c. Salvation: Physical healing serves as a sign-post to the deeper deliverance Jesus secures through His death and resurrection (Isaiah 53:4-6; Matthew 20:28). d. Worship: Once their eyes are opened, they “followed Him” (v 34), the natural response to acknowledging the Lord. Practical and Evangelistic Implications For believers: The blind men model persistent faith that recognizes Jesus’ divine lordship before receiving benefits. For skeptics: Their confession precedes the publicly witnessed miracle, functioning as historical evidence of claimed authority corroborated by action. Coupled with the resurrection—documented by over 500 eyewitnesses (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) and supported by strong historiographical criteria—the title “Lord” remains the rational conclusion to the question of Jesus’ identity. Hence, the blind men address Jesus as “Lord” because, in the full biblical, lexical, and narrative framework, they perceive Him as the covenant God-Messiah whose authority and compassion can reverse their darkness, a confession Matthew presents as spiritually insightful, historically grounded, and the hinge upon which genuine healing and salvation turn. |
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