And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.

Matthew 20:29-30

And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.

Mark 10:46

And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:

Luke 18:35

On the final leg of His journey toward Jerusalem and the Passover Week there, Jesus comes once again to Jericho. There, He continues to perform miracles and preach the gospel to the poor in spirit. 

In these passages, we see Jesus having compassion on men who were blind. Some want to question the inerrancy of scripture by saying that these three accounts contradict one another. Therefore, it is important for us to take a closer look. Knowing that the word of God has no errors, there must be a proper way to understand these differing accounts.

First of all, Luke records that Jesus is coming “nigh unto Jericho” while Matthew and Mark say that He was leaving Jericho. There are two ways to reconcile this. The first is to say that Luke didn’t necessarily mean that Jesus was arriving at Jericho but was simply still close to the city on his way out.  I think this puts a strain on the English language that is not necessary. The easiest reconciliation is found when we realize that Luke is talking about a completely different event than Matthew and Mark. So, we are dealing with at least two separate events.

Next, scoffers object that Matthew says there are two blind men when Mark says there is only one. Look closer. That is not what it says. Just because Mark only names one man doesn’t mean that there weren’t more! 

Mark is making a point about one specific man because he was probably well known in the community. Bartimaues’ father was Timaues. His name means “a useful man of honor.” Many would have known him, and therefore would have known the poor condition of his son, Bartimaeus. Mark’s account adds credibility to the healing power of Jesus as the Messiah because he gives a name so that others may verify that the miracle really happened.

The other possibility is that Matthew and Mark are talking about two separate events as well. I think this is less likely but is still a possibility. If this be the case then, we have three different occasions in which Jesus heals blind men, and the total number healed is four!

Finally, it is possible that the three authors are speaking of one event that happened between the Old City of Jericho and the New City. The old city was left in ruins in Joshua 6, but the new city was rebuilt near the same site (about a mile away) as recorded in 1st Kings 16:34. Both of these cities were in ruins by the first century, but Herod the Great built a city by the same name about a mile away. So Matthew says they are leaving Jericho (the old city). Mark says that they came to and went out of Jericho (into and out of the old city). Luke says they came nigh unto Jericho (the new city) in which also the scene with Zaccheus takes place. So, in this explanation, there is a single event in which two men are healed, and one is named by Mark.

Regardless of whether it was two, three, or four men (or even more), the main point of the passage is to show how compassionate Jesus was on those who were hurting and cried out for mercy. As far as the similarities are concerned, we only have a small record of the countless number of miracles Jesus performed (John 21:25). There were, no doubt, many different times where people were healed in exactly the same way and the scenes were virtually identical.

The passages also show that the Pharisees and other unbelievers will never stop trying to silence the fact that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of David, the eternal Son of God. They tried to silence the man in Luke while Jesus was approaching Jericho, and they tried to silence the blind men when Jesus was leaving the city.

Jesus is the same today. He still hears the cries of God’s people and responds with compassion. The world is the same as well. They hate the Son of God and do not want His name proclaimed or people helped by Him. Therefore, we have a job to do. Let us help the “Blind Bartimaeus’s” we have around us. Let us help them ignore the distractions of the world and look unto Jesus for help and healing.