Answering Requests

Matthew 20:29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

Jesus was now making His way toward Jerusalem, and His followers and apostles had high expectations of what may happen there and along the way.  The chapter begins with his parable of the harvesters who were hired throughout the day at different times of the day. At the end of the day everyone received the same pay, regardless of when they began. Those who worked all day complained that this was unfair, but the master reminded them of their agreement. The next paragraph is a reminder by Jesus that when they arrived at Jerusalem, they might not get what they expected, as he would be crucified, something Peter had before begged Jesus not to let happen. Then, the mother of James and John requested special recognition for her faithful sons, which Jesus refused to promise. Here in the last paragraph, the crowd booed these two blind men for crying out for healing; Jesus granted the men's request. If nothing else, we see that Jesus does not always answer requests the way we want, when we want, how we want, but He always knows that is best and will not be swayed by any selfishness.