Get In Position | Elder Mark McLean | Generations Church NY

Matthew 20 places two blind men beside the road outside Jericho, pushed to the margins, unable to see, unable to work, and dependent on the mercy of others. Their physical blindness is terrible, but the text presses toward a greater tragedy: missing the moment when God is moving. Every day doors open and close, divine appointments pass by, and people miss them because distraction, discouragement, or resignation has made the present condition feel permanent.

The two blind men had little in the world, but the passage shows that they had something worth more than pure gold. They had desperate and persistent faith. They heard that Jesus was passing by, and what they heard was enough to activate faith. They had never seen him, but they believed that if they could get his attention, their lives would never be the same.

The roadside becomes a place of spiritual positioning. They were not in the temple, and they were not part of the moving crowd, but they were present where Jesus was traveling. The text declares that perfection is not required for position. Some blessings come because a person showed up and stayed close to the road Jesus walks.

The crowd becomes the voice of opposition. The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but the blind men cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us.” Desperate faith does not whisper for mercy. It gets loud, refuses to be canceled, and will not let public opinion silence private pain.

Their cry also shows revelation. They did not merely call him Jesus. They called him Son of David, deliverer, Messiah, and King. Their eyes were blind, but their spirit had vision. The passage shows that a person receives differently when Jesus is recognized correctly.

Jesus stopped for their cry. The Son of God, surrounded by a large crowd and moving on assignment, stopped for two men on the side of the road. Jesus did not stop for the crowd. He stopped for faith. Their expressed need, “Lord, we want our sight,” became the place where faith came out of the heart and through the mouth.

Jesus had compassion, touched their eyes, and immediately they received sight. The miracle did not end in comfort. It led to commitment. They did not run back to Jericho or simply celebrate the blessing. They followed him, because real miracles produce real disciples. Position, faith, persistence, revelation, and commitment mark the road where grace meets need.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Presence requires intentional spiritual positioning. The two blind men were not in ideal circumstances, but they were close to the road where Jesus was passing. Spiritual position is not about looking polished, it is about being present where God’s presence is welcomed. Worship, prayer, the Word, and fellowship are not religious decorations, they are roads where Jesus still moves among his people. [10:38]
• 2. Desperate faith refuses the crowd. The crowd tried to make the blind men quiet, but their need had become louder than public opinion. Faith becomes dangerous to darkness when it stops asking permission to cry for mercy. Critics, culture, comfort, and even well-meaning voices can mute prayer if the soul lets them, but persistent faith keeps calling until Jesus stops. [12:36]
• 3. Right recognition receives Christ differently. The blind men called Jesus “Son of David,” and that name carried revelation, not just information. A teacher can be admired, and a prophet can be respected, but Messiah and King must be cried unto. The way Christ is recognized shapes the way the heart approaches him and the kind of faith that rises before him. [14:57]
• 4. Faith must be spoken clearly. Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” not because he lacked knowledge, but because faith must be expressed. Their answer was immediate because desperate faith had already settled the matter in the heart. Vague desire became a clear cry, and clear faith met compassionate power. [18:17]
• 5. Real miracles produce real disciples. The healing did not leave the men merely comfortable, improved, or relieved. The text says they received sight and followed him immediately. A breakthrough that truly comes from Christ does not end with self-satisfaction, it reorders direction, loyalty, and the whole walk of life.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:59] - Reading Matthew 20
• [03:22] - Missing the Moment God Moves
• [05:18] - Desperate and Persistent Faith
• [07:49] - Get in Position
• [10:01] - Five Points of Wisdom
• [10:18] - Positioned Where Jesus Passes
• [12:14] - Refusing to Be Silenced
• [14:57] - Knowing Jesus as Son of David
• [16:29] - Jesus Stops for Faith
• [18:17] - Speaking the Need Clearly
• [19:43] - Healing Leads to Commitment
• [21:31] - Strategies for Today’s Believer
• [24:37] - Position Precedes Possession
• [29:10] - Biblical Examples of Positioning

Bible Reading

Matthew 20:29-34
“And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 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!’ The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, ‘Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!’ And stopping, Jesus called them and said, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, let our eyes be opened.’ And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.” [01:59]

Romans 10:17
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” [25:34]

2 Corinthians 5:7
“for we walk by faith, not by sight.” [25:19]

Psalm 119:105
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” [02:46]

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 20:29-34, what details show the condition of the two blind men before Jesus healed them, and where were they sitting when Jesus passed by? [10:18]
2. What did the crowd do when the blind men cried out, and how did the blind men respond to that opposition? [12:36]
3. What name did the two men use for Jesus, and what did they specifically ask him to do for them? [18:17]
4. According to the passage, what happened immediately after Jesus touched their eyes? [19:43]

Interpretation questions

1. The two men were on the roadside, not in the temple and not inside the crowd. What does that suggest about what it means to be spiritually positioned for an encounter with Jesus? [10:38]
2. The blind men had never seen Jesus, yet hearing that he was passing by stirred their faith. How do Romans 10:17 and 2 Corinthians 5:7 help explain their response? [25:34]
3. The blind men called Jesus “Son of David.” Why does recognizing Jesus rightly matter when a person cries out to him for mercy and help? [15:45]
4. Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” even though their need seemed obvious. What does that reveal about the place of spoken faith and clear desire in coming to Christ? [18:36]

Application questions

1. Spiritual position is not about being perfect but about being present where Jesus is welcomed. What does that look like in this season of life for each person here? Where has spiritual drift made someone less present in prayer, worship, the Word, or fellowship? [24:37]
2. Some people miss the moment when God is moving because distraction, discouragement, or resignation makes their condition feel permanent. Which of those pressures feels most familiar right now, and how has it affected expectation for what Jesus can do? [03:53]
3. Desperate faith refuses to let the crowd have the last word. What voices have been the loudest lately—fear, embarrassment, disappointment, comfort, past failure, or the opinions of other people? How can someone keep crying out to God instead of going quiet? [27:12]
4. Faith comes by hearing. What has been feeding faith lately, and what has been feeding fear? What practical change could help someone hear more of God’s Word this week? [25:59]
5. Jesus asked the blind men to say clearly what they wanted. If Jesus asked that same question today, what would need to be spoken plainly instead of kept vague? What has made it hard to say it out loud before God? [19:03]
6. The men received sight and then followed Jesus. How can a person tell whether a blessing has led to deeper discipleship rather than just temporary relief or excitement? [20:01]
7. Position precedes possession. Before asking for a breakthrough, what might need to be repositioned in daily habits, relationships, or priorities so that life stays near the road where Jesus walks? [24:52]