Jesus and his disciples were passing through the city of Jericho, a beautiful city some fifteen miles northeast of Jerusalem. Jesus was at the height of his popularity, and great crowds greeted him as he came into the city. Although we don’t know for certain, perhaps Jesus spent the day teaching in Jericho, which might explain why the people were so excited about having him visit their city.

But regardless, as Jesus was leaving the city he encountered some desperate people with nowhere else to turn. Let me describe the situation to you. Ancient cities were surrounded by a wall to protect them from attack. At nightfall the gates in the wall would be closed for security. During the day, you could always find beggars just outside these gates. They were the forgotten people, cut off from thei…