Jesus heals the blind Jesus heals the blind and dumb and dumb

Mathew 9:27-33aMathew 9:27-33a

INTRODUCTION to the topic and contextual background

God created a perfect world which is to be under the dominion of man. Unfortunately because of sin, the beauty of God’s creation became corrupted and man’s dominion over it removed. The Bible promised that one day God will restore it to its perfect state and man’s dominion over it. For the Jews this would become a reality with the coming of the “Messiah,” the destroyer of sin and death, the Righteous ruler.

Through the miracles of Jesus Christ we are given a preview of the coming reign of Jesus Christ on earth. As Matthew continues to present the third set of miracles that demonstrate Jesus’ claim to messiahship.

HEALING THE TWO BLIND MEN

And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, and saying, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” And after He had come into the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “Be it done to you according to your faith.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See here, let no one know about this!” But they went out, and spread the news about Him in all that land. (9:27-32)

I - THE CONDITION OF THE MEN

Blindness was common in ancient times, as it still is in most underdeveloped parts of the world. The fact that Jesus healed more cases of blindness than any other kind of disease reflects its pervasiveness. Unsanitary conditions, infectious organisms, blowing sand, accident, war, malnutrition, and excessive heat all combined to make blindness a constant danger. Many infants were born blind because of various diseases suffered by the mother during pregnancy, and many others became blind a few days after birth by being exposed to venereal disease, especially gonorrhea, as they passed through the birth canal.

It was not uncommon for blind people to associate with others who were blind, and it is possible that these two blind men had been companions in darkness for many years.

II - THE CRY OF THE MEN (vs. 27)

Kraz (from which comes crying out) - basically carries the idea of shouting or screaming with great intensity, The word is used of the unintelligible babbling of a deranged person such as the demoniac of Gadara. (Mark 5:5) It is used of the Lord Himself on the cross (Mark 15:37). It is used in Revelation 12:2 of a woman screaming in the pains of childbirth. The two blind men were crying out to Jesus in great anxiety and desperation and were determined to be heard over the noise of the crowd, knowing He was their only hope of deliverance from their afflictions. What they said as they cried out indicates they had both:

a.) The right knowledge about Jesus - The fact that the blind men addressed Jesus as Son of David indicates they acknowledged Him as the Messiah, because Son of David was one of the most common Jewish titles for the promised Deliverer. It was a royal title, denoting His lineage from the family of the great King David and His right to reestablish and rule over the coming kingdom of God. Every Jew who heard the blind men call Jesus the Son of David recognized it as a clear confession of their belief in His messiahship.(Luke 1:32,33, 2 Sam. 7:12-14a, 16)

b.) The right attitude toward Jesus - The cry of the blind men also reveals they had the right attitude toward Jesus. They pleaded, have mercy on us, by which they may have acknowledged their need not simply for physical help but for forgiving mercy. It seems reasonable to suggest that they felt a spiritual need that only Jesus could meet, and they came to him in hungering humility.

These two men came to Jesus not only with a right understanding of His great worthiness but also with a right understanding of their own great unworthiness. That is the attitude of heart that the Lord honors and accepts. Again it is made clear that the person who comes before God declaring his own goodness is rejected by Him, whereas the one who mourns over his sin and humbly cries out, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” is justified by the Lord.

It is interesting that Jesus at first showed no response to the pleas of the two blind men. They continued to cry out as the entire crowd moved along with Jesus and the disciples, and He let them keep pouring out their hearts as they persistently demonstrated their determination. He tested their faith, letting it run to the extremity that proved its sincerity.

III - THE CONFRONTATION OF THE MEN (vs.28)

It was not until after He had come into the house (No mention here as to which house Jesus went, it was possibly Peter’s, where Jesus probably made His home while He was in Capernaum) that the blind men came up to Him. They somehow managed to keep up with Him and then followed Him into the house where He was staying.

Each of the healings recounted in chapter 9 involved such persistence. In each case Jesus led the persistent seekers to affirm faith in Him. Now He asks the two blind men pointedly, Do you believe that I am able to do this? The question seemed stranged considering that he already knew their faith. His asking them about their faith must therefore have been for the purpose of drawing out a more complete public confession.

The Gospels makes it clear that faith was not necessarily present in all healing but But faith is always involved in salvation, and Jesus prompted the two blind men to openly confess their trust in Him surely for the sake of the their spiritual, not their physical, restoration.

IV - THE CONVERSION OF THE MEN (vs. 29)

Without the drama so common with self-proclaimed faith healers, Jesus simply touched their eyes, saying, “Be it done to you according to your faith.” According to your faith signifies that the extent of Jesus’ ministry to these men was based on the measure of their personal faith in Him. Faith is the means by which men receive the salvation God graciously gives. In light of their confession and of Jesus’ specific mention of their faith, it seems certain that more than their eyes were opened. Their trust in Jesus Christ likely brought salvation as well as healing. He gave them spiritual life as well as physical sight.

V - THE COMMAND TO THE MEN (vs. 30)

Embrimaomai (sternly warned) - is an intensified form of an already strong verb and could even carry the idea of scolding (see Mark 14:5).

Jesus’ reason for this command was not, to keep His miracle-working power from becoming known. Nor was the command given to keep this particular miracle from becoming known for some reason.

Obviously Jesus had another reason for commanding the men’s silence. The best explanation seems to be that He did not want His messiahship proclaimed prematurely. He did not want to stir up premature opposition or encourage revolutionary Jews to begin rallying around Him. It could be also that Jesus did not want people to come to him just because they get something out from him (John 6:26) Or it could be that Jesus wanted people to draw their own personal conclusions about him. (Mathew 11:3-5) Jesus was concerned that especially the Jews, as God’s chosen people, accept His messiahship on the basis of His fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, not simply on mere verbal claims.

VI - THE CONTRARINESS OF THE MEN (vs. 31)

Despite Jesus’ strict command to the contrary, the two men immediately went out, and spread the news about Him in all that land. Most believers need to say more about the Lord, not less. But for His own important reasons at this time, Jesus had ordered these two men to say nothing about what He had done for them; and yet they disobeyed. Because it was disobedience of the Lord, what they did was wrong; but it was a kind of sin that only a grateful, overflowing heart could commit. The men could not resist the overwhelming desire to tell everyone of their wonderful deliverance and of the Lord who delivered them.

VII - THE COMMITMENT OF THE MEN & THE HEALING OF THE DUMB MAN (vs. 32, 33)

The two men themselves came across another needy person as they were leaving and immediately brought him to Jesus for healing. If this was the case, they evidenced genuine commitment to Christ by bringing others to Him.

The dumb man may have been a friend of the two blind men, who perhaps had acted as their eyes while they acted as his voice. In that case, the first thing they did after being healed and saved themselves was to bring their friend to Jesus for healing and salvation.

Kophos (dumb) often included the idea of deafness because inability to speak is frequently caused by inability to hear. As with blindness, deafness was common in the ancient world. In this man’s case, however, dumbness was caused by being demon-possessed, Nothing is said of this man’s faith, and no intimation is given of his salvation. As far as we know, he made no profession of faith in Jesus and received nothing from Him except physical healing.

CONCLUSION

The primary focus of the passage is on the two blind men, and their story gives a beautiful analogy of the pattern of salvation. Their physical blindness is a picture of spiritual blindness.

First of all, they acknowledged their need. Second, the blind men acknowledged Jesus as the Son of David, Messiah, just as the saved person must acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior.

Third, they came seeking God’s mercy, knowing that what they needed they did not deserve. Fourth, they trusted in Jesus for healing, just as the lost must trust in Him for salvation. On the basis of their faith they were converted.

Fifth, by disobeying the Lord, they displayed the well-meaning weakness that often follows conversion. But, sixth, they were also useful to the Lord, because they brought others to Him.