Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 20:30

"And behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, Lord, have mercy on us, thou son of David." — Matthew 20:30 (ASV)

Behold, two blind men sitting — Two difficulties arise when comparing this narrative with the accounts of the same or a similar event in St. Mark and St. Luke.

1. St. Mark agrees with St. Matthew as to the time and place but speaks of one blind man only, giving his name as “Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus.”
2. St. Luke also speaks of only one blind man but fixes the time of the miracle at our Lord’s entry into Jericho.

A probable explanation for the first discrepancy is that of the two men, the one whom St. Mark names was more conspicuous and better known. For the second, it is possible that St. Luke, visiting the scene and having the spot pointed out to him outside the city gates, was left to conjecture—or was misinformed—that the work was done as our Lord drew near to the city.

The fact that St. Luke alone records the incident with Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1–10) indicates that he had either been on the spot as an inquirer or had sought out local sources of information. The assumption that he recorded a different miracle from St. Matthew and St. Mark is possible but hardly probable. It is also needless, except on a very rigid and a priori theory of inspiration. It is possible, again, that St. Luke’s local inquiries may have made his narrative more accurate than the recollection on which the accounts of St. Matthew and St. Mark rested.

O Lord, thou son of David — The blind men probably echoed the whispered murmurs of the crowd sweeping by. In any case, they used the most popular and widely known name for the Messiah, just as the Canaanite woman did (Matthew 15:22). They were beggars, and they appealed to the pity of the King.