Problem: How many blind men did Jesus encounter when leaving Jericho? Matthew 20:29-30; Mark 10:46-47; Luke 18:35.
- Two blind men, Matthew 20:29-30, “And as they were going out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. 30 And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
- One blind man, Mark 10:46-47, “And they came to Jericho. And as He was going out from Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
- One blind man, Luke 18:35, 38, “And it came about that as He was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting by the road, begging…38 And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Solution: There is no contradiction when dealing with how many blind men did Jesus encounter. Matthew 20:29-30 makes it clear that as Jesus was leaving Jericho there were two blind men sitting by the road. If there are two blind men, then there is certainly at least one there as well. The one focused on was Bartimaeus. Both called out for healing (Matthew 20:29-30). Perhaps Mark and Luke focus on Bartimeaus’ account because he was the loudest and most determined, a point worth focusing on for spiritual reasons. God wants us to be persistent in laying our needs before Him.
How many blind men did Jesus encounter when leaving Jericho?
Another possibility is that there were two Jerichos at the time: the ancient city and a newer Roman city nearby. Jesus may have been moving between these locations. But I don’t think this explanation is what I would lean on. Rather, since there are different accounts but not contradictory statements, it is possible that both were true since each does not exclude the possibility of the others.
