Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 20:31
And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, [thou] son of David.
31. thou Son of David ] An appeal which reflects the thought that especially signalizes this period of our Lord’s ministry, the Son of David entering upon His kingdom.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 31. The multitude rebuked them] Whenever a soul begins to cry after Jesus for light and salvation, the world and the devil join together to drown its cries, or force it to be silent. But let all such remember, Jesus is now passing by; that their souls must perish everlastingly, if not saved by him, and they may never have so good an opportunity again. While there is a broken and a contrite heart, let it sigh its complaints to God, till he hear and answer.
They cried the more] When the world and the devil begin to rebuke, in this case, it is a proof that the salvation of God is nigh; therefore, let such cry out a great deal the more.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And the multitude rebuked them,…. Who were either the friends or enemies of Christ: if his friends, they might rebuke them, that they might not be so troublesome to him, and judging it unworthy of him to have anything to do with such mean persons, and supposing that their business was only to ask alms of him; or if they were his enemies, or not so well affected to him, they might chide them for giving him such high characters, as Lord, and Son of David; and therefore being displeased with such encomiums, reproved them,
because they should hold their peace; be silent, and say no more of that kind, lest others should take up the same notion of him, and it should prevail among the people.
But they cried the more, saying, have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. They lifted up their voice higher, and cried the more loudly, that their voice might be above the noise of the people, and be heard by Christ; and renewed their request with more eagerness and importunity, repeating the characters they before gave him, being not in the least intimidated by the rebukes of the people: their faith in Jesus, as the Messiah, being more increased, and their desires of his pity and compassion being more enlarged, they grew bolder, and more resolute, as faith often does by opposition, and trials.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
31. And the multitude reproved them. It is surprising that the disciples of Christ, who follow him through a sense of duty and of respect, should wish to drive wretched men from the favor of Christ, and, so far as lies in them, to prevent the exercise of his power. But it frequently happens that the greater part of those who profess the name of Christ, instead of inviting us to him, rather hinder or delay our approach. If Satan endeavored to throw obstacles in the way of two blind men, by means of pious and simple persons, who were induced by some sentiments of religion to follow Christ, how much more will he succeed in accomplishing it by means of hypocrites and traitors, if we be not strictly on our guard. Perseverance is therefore necessary to overcome every difficulty, and the more numerous the obstacles are which Satan throws in the way, the more powerfully ought we to be excited to earnestness in prayer, as we see that the blind men redoubled their cry
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(31) The multitude rebuked them.The silence of our Lord, the hushed reverence of the multitude, led men to look on the eager, clamorous supplication as intrusive. The entry of the Prophet about to claim His kingdom was not to be thus disturbed. But they were not to be silenced, and the litanies of Christendom for centuries have been modelled on the Kyrie Eleson (Lord, have mercy upon us) which came from their lips.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
31. Multitude rebuked them At this time the multitude are respectful to Jesus. It is plain until after his triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, the Lord has the hearts of the people with him. Because they should hold their peace That is, in the opinion of the multitude, not of the evangelist, they ought to keep silence. But they cried the more With the blind men it is too serious a matter for nice decorums. The multitude can afford to stand upon etiquette, but with them it is a matter as important to them as their own eyes. Jesus the healer is now passing by, and now or never is their chance. So should the sinner improve the gracious hour of mercy and revival, when Jesus, in pardoning power, is revealed as near. Son of David Again do they proclaim our Jesus as the son of the royal line of Israel kings. The same appellation was applied by other petitioners for relief; the blind in Mat 9:27, and the Syrophenician woman in Mat 15:22.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And the crowd rebuked them, that they should hold their peace, but they cried out the more, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, you son of David.” ’
The two blind men were clearly causing some uproar because the crowds told them to keep quiet. The respectable pilgrims accompanied in many cases by their families would not want beggars mixing with the crowds. But the more the crowd tried to shush them, so the more they cried out “Lord, have mercy on us, you son of David.” They recognised that this was the opportunity of a lifetime, and they were not going to miss it.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 20:31. Because they should hold their peace That they might, &c.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Mat 20:31 f. .] Aim of .
Euthymius Zigabenus says well: , . Comp. Mat 19:13 . They probably saw that He was just then in the act of conversing on some topic or other.
;] The question is intended to increase their confidence by means of the hope which it excites. Comp. note on Joh 5:6 . There is no need to supply , but comp. note on Mat 13:28 .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.
Ver. 31. And the multitude rebuked them ] In prayer, we must look to meet with many rubs and discouragements; but God’s Spirit is heroic, and gets over them all. The devil will interrupt us, as the Pythoness did Paul, Act 16:16 ; as the birds did Abraham, Gen 15:11 ; as those Samaritans did the Jews in building the temple, Neh 6:1-19 Hence we are bidden to strive in prayer, Col 4:2 , and watch in prayer; for Satan will be at our right hand, as at Joshua’s, Zec 3:1 , watching his time to cast in, if not a profane, yet an impertinent thought, thereby to bereave us of the benefit of our prayers; besides our own natural lack of devotion through hardness of heart, heaviness of body, multiplicity of worldly distractions and disturbances. All which we must break through, and cry the more earnestly, as Bartimeus here did, though checked by the multitude, “Have mercy on us, O Lord,” &c. Daniel would not be kept from his God for any danger of death, Dan 6:10-11 , nor the French Protestants restrain prayer, though King Henry III made a law to forbid them to pray with their families. The sun shall sooner stand still than the trade of godliness, and that continual intercourse that is between God and the Christian soul.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Mat 20:31 . : same word as in Mat 19:13 , and denoting similar action to that of the disciples in reference to the children, due to similar motives. Officious reverence has played a large part in the history of the Church and of theology. , they cried out the more; of course, repression ever defeats itself; , adverb, here only in N.T.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
rebuked . . . peace = charged them to be silent.
cried = kept crying.
the more. Greek. meizon. (Adverb) Occurs only here.
Son of David. The sixth of nine occurrences in Matthew. See note on Mat 1:1.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Mat 20:31. , …, but they, etc.) We must not listen to those who inculcate perverted shame or noxious decorum.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
rebuked: Mat 15:23, Mat 19:13
but they cried: Mat 7:7, Mat 7:8, Gen 32:25-29, Luk 11:8-10, Luk 18:1-8, Luk 18:39, Col 4:2, 1Th 5:17
Reciprocal: 2Ki 4:27 – thrust Mat 9:27 – Thou Mat 15:22 – son Mat 15:25 – came Mar 10:48 – many Luk 17:13 – have Luk 18:40 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
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The multitude (lid not want the journey interrupted. Because, etc., expresses the motive of the multitude and not the opinion of the inspired writer. The persistence of the blind men was like that of the woman of Canaan in Mat 15:22-28 and it showed their great faith as Jesus said about the woman.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 20:31. That they should hold their peace. The multitude did not object to the title, son of David (comp. chap. Mat 21:9), but thought the cry would annoy our Lord.
But they cried the more. In persistent faith.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Matthew’s version of this healing stresses Jesus’ compassion that overcame the opposition of the crowds to provide healing for these men (cf. Mat 19:13-15). When Jesus previously healed two blind men in Galilee, He commanded them to tell no one about the healing. He did not do that here because it was now unnecessary to conceal His identity. Jesus would soon publicly proclaim His messiahship in the Triumphal Entry (Mat 21:1-11). The healed blind men immediately followed Jesus. This was the proper response for people who had come to see who Jesus was. These believers in His messiahship became disciples.
It is significant that these men where physically blind but spiritually perceptive regarding Jesus’ identity. The other disciples had recently demonstrated their own spiritual imperceptibility (Mat 20:17-23). Jesus had taught them that insight into messianic truth came only from divine revelation (Mat 16:17).
"The ’sight’ of these blind men discloses the ’blindness’ of Israel’s sight." [Note: Kingsbury, Matthew as . . ., p. 80.]
"The giving of sight to the blind is a dramatic miracle that points to the dawning of the era of messianic fulfillment. The Son of David is present among his people. And as he compassionately delivers them from their literal darkness, so he continues on his way to Jerusalem, where in his sacrificial death he will deliver all of humanity from an even greater darkness-that of the bondage to sin and death. . . . This healing pericope thus may be seen as the gospel in a microcosm." [Note: Hagner, Matthew 14-28, p. 588.]
This was the last public miracle that the evangelists recorded Jesus’ doing before His death. Even though the nation as a whole rejected Jesus, individuals continued to believe that He was the Messiah. The postponement of the kingdom did not rule out personal salvation for anyone who believed. They would enter the messianic kingdom by resurrection at the Second Coming (Isa 26:19; Dan 12:2). For this reason Jesus continued to present Himself to Israel as her Messiah in the Triumphal Entry. This miracle is a prelude to that presentation in Matthew’s Gospel.