Jesus' Last Days I – Son of David

Confession: I'm obsessed with Bible chronology. Where the authors of Scripture relate events as a whole, telescoping details which cover days and even years into a single story, I compare verse with verse and pick them apart. Join me as look at events leading up to God's greatest work to date—the Resurrection of Jesus.

~ ~ ~

Today is Friday. Jesus makes the journey from Jericho to Jerusalem. In two days, on Sunday, throngs of people will hail Jesus as "Son of David," acknowledging Him as Heir to the throne of Israel's mightiest king.

The path from Jericho's deep, below-sea-level valley to Jerusalem's Mount Moriah is steep. But the path to His throne on High will plunge Him into the depths of Hell. Today, the sacrifice that awaits Jesus at Calvary surely weighs His every uphill step.

And here in lowly Jericho, echos are heard of Palm Sunday's cheers.

Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!" Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"
Matthew 20:29-31 (NKJV)

Mark, the Gospel evangelist with a flair for detail, tells us one of the blind men is "Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus" (Mark 10:46).

Matthew, the Gospel evangelist writing to Jews, records just three occasions during Jesus' ministry (before Palm Sunday) on which the messianic title is used of Jesus. In Matthew 9 we hear of two other blind men calling out to Jesus as "Son of David." And in Matthew 15, a woman of Canaan also uses the title—a Greek woman, Syro-Phoenician by birth (Mark 9:26). At least the Samaritan woman of John 4 was half Jew. This woman is despised by the disciples and, initially, turned away by even Jesus.

But in the end, Jesus affirms her great faith and heals her daughter, just as He healed two pairs of blind men.

In our own valleys, on steep journeys to glory, might we lay hold of the vision of blind men and the desperation of an alien to call out to Jesus as King of all?

Comments are welcome (including respectful disagreement) and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – use @gmail.com *after* buildingHisbody
Copyright 2013, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.