The Bold Strategic Holy Personal Jesus, Message 56

Devotional

Day 1: Screens Full of Light, Eyes Full of Shadows

A hillside glows with flat screens, yet darkness lingers in souls. Modern life bombards us with vivid images but leaves us blind to eternal truths. Like crowds fixated on temporary thrills, we gorge on digital clarity while missing the God who walks among us. Spiritual sight requires more than pixels—it demands humility to admit our blindness. The story of two beggars reminds us: true vision starts when we stop pretending we see just fine. [13:38]

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down. The Lord loves the righteous. (Psalm 146:8, ESV)

Reflection: Where has constant screen exposure numbed you to God’s presence? What “obvious” spiritual truth might you be missing while distracted?

Day 2: Mercy in the Dirt: A Beggar’s Bold Cry

Two men sit where palm branches meet poverty, their cloaks spread like spiderwebs. They don’t negotiate, perform, or hide their need. “Mercy” becomes their battering ram against pride, their raw admission that survival depends on Another. Their shout disrupts the religious parade, proving desperation often sees what comfort misses. To cry for mercy is to trade self-sufficiency for the freedom of empty hands. [23:18]

Two blind men sitting by the roadside, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” (Matthew 20:30, ESV)

Reflection: What broken area have you stopped bringing to Jesus because it feels too familiar? How might shouting “mercy” instead of “fix this” change your approach?

Day 3: The God Who Stops for the Unseen

The Messiah en route to crucifixion pauses for nobodies. While crowds debate theology, Jesus halts eternity’s timeline for two men society stepped over. His question—“What do you want?”—isn’t ignorance but invitation. He leans into their stench, their shame, their lifetime of being ignored. The God who numbers hairs on heads still stops for those the algorithm would scroll past. [30:43]

Jesus stopped and called them. He said, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they recovered their sight and followed him. (Matthew 20:32-34, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your circle feels “unimportant” enough to deserve your full attention? How can you mirror Jesus’ interruption-driven compassion today?

Day 4: Hosannas on Lips, Crucify in Hearts

Palm branches wave as Jerusalem erupts—a worship service fueled by hype, not surrender. The crowd wants a consultant, not a King; a prophet to affirm their plans, not a Savior to wreck them. Their “Hosanna!” dies when the road gets steep, exposing fairweather faith. True worship isn’t volume but allegiance—singing “save now” while yielding control. [48:15]

The Lord says: “These people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me.” (Isaiah 29:13, ESV)

Reflection: Where do your spiritual routines (prayers, songs, habits) mask a refusal to let Jesus lead? What’s one area you’re still saying “but…” to His kingship?

Day 5: Following Without a Map: Sight Leads to Surrender

Healed eyes don’t linger on the miracle—they lock on the Miracle-Worker. The beggars-turned-disciples don’t consult calendars or count costs. Following becomes as natural as breathing for those who’ve tasted grace. Their journey up the 18-mile road to Jerusalem models the only response to mercy: walking where the King walks, even when it leads to a cross. [35:20]

Immediately they recovered their sight and followed him. (Matthew 20:34, ESV)

Reflection: What practical step (screen fast, serving, confession) could demonstrate your “follow” after receiving mercy? Where is Jesus walking that scares you to join?

Sermon Summary

The hillside of flat screens gives a picture of people seeing more than any generation has ever seen, with more color, more clarity, more images, and still missing the big picture. That image sets up Matthew 20, where a massive crowd has eyes, noise, motion, religion, and proximity to Jesus, but two blind beggars sitting in the dirt actually see who is passing by.

Matthew 20 puts Jesus on the road out of Jericho, 18 miles from Jerusalem, with the cross already in view. Jerusalem is a powder keg at Passover, packed with people waiting for God to save them again, remembering the blood of the lamb over the doorposts, hoping for freedom from Rome. Jesus has already told his disciples three times that he is going up to be handed over, beaten, crucified, and raised. The crowd follows, but the blind men cry out with the only prayer that gets it right: “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us.”

Their cry is not bargaining. Their cry is not “teacher” or “miracle worker” or “good man.” Their cry reaches back into Scripture, into the promise that David’s Son would reign forever and that the Messiah would open blind eyes. Isaiah had already said that when God comes to save, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, and captives will be set free. If Jesus is he, then they are they.

The crowd rebukes them, and that crowd becomes a warning. The Jesus parade can get loud enough to silence the broken people Jesus came to reach. The blind men shout louder because desperation knows that mercy is the only hope left. Jesus stops. With the weight of the world on his shoulders and the cross ahead of him, the Son of God stops for them. He asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” not because he lacks information, but because prayer is the soul exercising dependence.

Jesus has compassion, touches their eyes, and immediately they see. They do not need a command to follow; grace makes following the only sane response. Matthew 21 then brings Jesus into Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling Zechariah and claiming the throne as the peaceful King. The crowd sings “Hosanna,” lays down cloaks, and says the right words, but Jesus weeps because right lyrics without surrender still miss him. The city asks, “Who is this?” and the crowd calls him a prophet, when the truth is bigger: he is King, Creator, Lord, and Savior. Real worship is not enthusiasm on Sunday while crucifying him on Friday. Real worship comes from opened eyes, surrendered lives, and mercy that turns beggars into followers.

Key Takeaways

1. Mercy is the right prayer The blind men do not come to Jesus with leverage, promises, or spiritual résumés. Their prayer is stripped down to the truth: Lord, Son of David, have mercy. That kind of prayer does not inform God; it hands the soul over to him in utter dependence. Mercy becomes the place where a person finally stops pretending to have something to trade. [23:18]
2. Jesus stops for the broken Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem with the cross in front of him, and still he stops for two men sitting in the dirt. His compassion is not sentimental distance; it is the Son of God being moved in his gut by human misery and faith. The broken are not interruptions to his mission. They are the very people his mission came to save. [30:43]
3. Sight can still miss Jesus The crowd has working eyes, religious energy, and a front-row seat to the King, but the blind men understand what the crowd does not. Spiritual blindness can stand close to Jesus, sing loudly, and still refuse surrender. The real question is not whether a person can see images, attend gatherings, or know the words. The real question is whether Jesus is being received as King. [36:25]
4. Worship needs truth, not lyrics The crowd shouts Hosanna with the right words, but Friday will expose what Sunday did not surrender. Songs can tell the truth while a life keeps lying. Real worship happens when the lips, the screen time, the relationships, the private choices, and the whole self come under the King’s rule. Enthusiasm is not the same thing as surrender. [47:40]
5. A prophet can be ignored The city calls Jesus a prophet, but a prophet can be treated like a consultant whose words get weighed and edited. A king does not offer advice to be sampled; a king speaks with authority that calls for surrender. Jesus does not merely talk about salvation. Jesus brings salvation, opens eyes, and teaches followers how to walk in what he has done. [51:18]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[09:37] - Flat Screens and Spiritual Blindness
[15:30] - Jerusalem Ready to Explode
[19:18] - Two Blind Beggars in Jericho
[21:59] - Lord, Son of David, Have Mercy
[27:02] - The Crowd Tries to Silence Them
[30:43] - Jesus Stops on the Road
[33:15] - Compassion Opens Blind Eyes
[38:44] - The Donkey and the King
[41:15] - Hosanna in the Streets
[44:18] - So Close and Still Missing It
[47:20] - Right Worship and Real Surrender
[51:18] - Prophet or King
[55:19] - A Call to Stop Playing Games

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 20:29-34 (ESV)
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.

Isaiah 35:5-6 (ESV)
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

Zechariah 9:9 (ESV)
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Observation questions

What specific title did the blind men use when crying out to Jesus, and why is this significant?
How did the crowd respond to the blind men’s cries, and what does this reveal about their priorities? [27:30]
What Old Testament prophecy does Jesus fulfill by riding a donkey into Jerusalem, and how does this contrast with worldly expectations of power?

Interpretation questions

Why do you think Jesus asked the blind men, “What do you want me to do for you?” when their need seemed obvious? What does this teach about prayer? [32:50]
The crowd called Jesus a “prophet” (Matthew 21:11), but the blind men called him “Lord, Son of David.” What is the difference between viewing Jesus as a prophet versus a king? [51:18]
Isaiah 35:5-6 describes the Messiah’s work as opening blind eyes and freeing captives. How does Jesus’ healing of the blind men point to a deeper spiritual reality?

Application questions

The blind men cried out for mercy without bargaining or offering anything in return. What areas of your life do you need to stop “bargaining” with God and simply ask for mercy? [23:18]
The crowd tried to silence the broken. Are there ways you’ve unintentionally ignored or dismissed people who seem “messy” or desperate? How can you actively listen to their cries? [28:02]
The sermon contrasts singing “Hosanna” on Sunday while “crucifying” Jesus in daily choices. What habits, relationships, or private decisions might contradict your worship? [47:40]
The blind men followed Jesus immediately after receiving sight. What practical step could you take this week to follow Him more closely in an area where you’ve been holding back?
The average person spends 7 hours daily on screens. How might your screen time dull your spiritual sight or distract you from seeing what truly matters? [13:21]
Jesus stopped for two marginalized people despite the weight of His mission. Who in your life needs you to “stop” and show compassion, even if it feels inconvenient?
The crowd reduced Jesus to a prophet. Do you treat Him more like a consultant (weighing His advice) or a King (surrendering fully)? What would surrender look like today? [51:45]

Sermon Clips

61s

“``In verse 32, Jesus stopped. circle, highlight, underline. On his way to Jerusalem, with the weight of the world literally on his shoulders, he stops. He doesn't slow down. He doesn't roll down the window and toss out a blessing. He doesn't give him a little Jesus spittle on the way through. He stops. The son of God, who in this very chapter has just clearly stated for the third time what his mission is. He's taken on the sins of the world. He's taken on the cross, not the Roman government. He's coming not to kill your enemies, but to be killed. He is not coming to take prisoners. He's coming to set prisoners free. And the son of God stops the mission of the world for what? Them. Them. Which means you.”

51s

“And this this is the link between the two. And doesn't this sum up everything that Jesus has been? When the spiritually blind realize they're helpless and ask for mercy, he is moved with compassion. He transformed them and they follow. This has been the entire gospel story. The spiritually blind realize they're absolutely helpless. They cry out for mercy. The son of God has compassion, not vengeance, not revenge, not wrath, compassion. He transforms them and they can follow. This is the entire gospel message. This is you and I. This is our life. When we realize I can't make it, I can't do it, I can't earn it, I've got nothing. I've tried.”

56s

“Let's be honest about being a prophet or a king. A prophet, you can ignore silence. Write down prophet. You can ignore silence. A king's word has to be surrendered to. When we when we come to the Bible and Jesus is a prophet, when we treat him as a cosmic consultant, it's good advice. Does it match with my relationship? Does it match with my finances? Do I think that's good advice? When we treat them like a prophet, it's someone that I get to interpret. If I come to him and you are Lord, you are king of kings, you are son of David, you are the one that is saved. Now, when a king gives a word it is surrendered to, it is obeyed. A prophet can talk about salvation. You could write under a prophet talk about salvation. Right under a king, he brings salvation.”

69s

“And it is then it said Jesus had compassion. He is physically moved in his gut, in his being. He's now emotively part of their pain and their suffering. What gets the son of God to stop his mission for the world? This prayer. What moves the heart of God? This prayer. mercy. And he had compassion on them. And he touched their eyes and immediately they received their sight and they followed him. What has he been saying? And the last will be first and the first will be last. It's the blind who actually see what those with sight cannot and he's moved by that.”

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The Bold Strategic Holy Personal Jesus, Message 56 - Matthew: The Art Of Surrender