84-Jesus gives sight to the Blind

Matthew 9:27-31

Matthew 9:27-31, When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” 28 And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows it.” 31 But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country. On the count of three, I am going to ask you close both your eyes. I have just turned you into two blind men who lived 2,000 years ago sitting by the side of the road in the ancient Galilean town of Capernaum. How did you come to be blind?

We are not told the exact details.

• You might have been born blind.
• Or you might have become blind as a result of an accident.
• Or it may even be that you became blind through an illness or an infection.

You live in an unsanitary world compared to the one from which you just came. All you know is that you are blind. Your blindness is beyond human remedy. The skin around your eyes would be red and swollen. Your eyes would be pale and shrunken - or in some cases, grotesquely protruding.

Your infected eye sockets would often run and would be itchy and painful.

• You are poor and needy.
• You can't work.
• You can't participate in the normal, daily life of your people.
• There aren't the kinds of accommodations in your world such as would have been made for you in modern times.

• There are no signs on doorways that are written in braille.
• There are no sloped sidewalks.
• There are no guide dogs to protect you and lead you.
• You have no help to read books or tape to help you.
• You have no television or radio so that you could at least hear the news.
• You have no protection from abuse, or from the cruelty of passers-by, or from people who steal from you or take advantage of you.

You are constantly at the mercy of others. You are constantly in need. You are constantly in a world of darkness. All that you can do is sit somewhere and ask alms of people as they go by. It's a sad and lonely existence.

But isn't it nice that you at least found each other - you and the blind man beside you? Perhaps you knew each other at some other point in life. Two poor blind men that share a common state of helplessness and need. Perhaps you felt that you could make it along better with each other than you each could on your own and so, you cling to one another in this lonely existence of yours.

You both "look out"for each other. Today, you are sitting along one of the roads near Capernaum, waiting for the daily traffic of alms-givers to come by. For two men without sight, you have gotten to be pretty good at getting around together. You can tell what time of day it is by which side of your faces the heat of the sun beats down upon.

You can tell what direction you are both facing by the smell of the fishy wind that blows up from the busy shores the Sea of Galilee. You can even hear the screeching of the sea birds and the chatter of the crowds in the marketplaces.

Lately you both have been hearing a lot of talk in town from the passers-by about this prophet from Nazareth, a Man named Jesus. You heard about the amazing sermon He preached up on the nearby mountain. People still talk about how they never heard anything like it. They say that this teacher Jesus doesn't speak like the scribes do.

He teaches as one possessing a great authority all His own. But it wasn't just the things that people are saying about His teaching that catch your attention. You hear about how He heals all kinds of people. People who are afflicted with various diseases and torments, demon- possessed, or epileptics, or paralytics!

From the talk you have been hearing, you would think that there was nothing this Man Jesus couldn't do!

Why? The other day, you heard someone talking about a leprous man that Jesus healed! They say that this horrible leper came right up to Jesus and worshipped Him, calling Him "Lord", and saying, "If you are willing, You can make me clean!"

Then, you heard that Jesus just reached out His hand and touched the man! No one ever dares to touch a leper, but this Prophet Jesus did. When He did, the leper was instantly healed. The people you heard talking about it say that they heard the story directly from the leper himself!

Then, you heard that Jesus healed the servant of a centurion. The young man was paralyzed, they say racked with pain and torment! Yet, Jesus healed the poor man from a distance just by speaking a single command! You heard that it wasn't too long after that that Jesus healed another paralyzed man. This man was lowered down through a roof to Him. The story is that there were lots of people who saw it and that they marvelled that God would give such power to men!

In fact, you even heard that Jesus went to a fisherman named Pater’s house and healed his mother-in-law of a terrible fever. She got right up, they say, and made everyone dinner! Before the day was over, you heard that crowds and crowds of people gathered at the fisherman's house - bringing all kinds of sick people, and demon-possessed people and Jesus healed every one of them!

So, you both begin to talk and reflect together on the things you have been hearing about this Jesus. You have both been to lots of doctors in your time and none of them have been able to help either of you with your eyes.

But you start thinking to yourself.

Who is this Man? If the things we are hearing about Him are true, then He must not only be a great prophet and teacher! He must also be the greatest healer that ever lived! Perhaps, He is more than just a prophet and a miracle worker.

Maybe much more than just a mere man. You heard that He was out in a boat with a few of His followers caught in that strange storm that struck the lake the other day. Remember how it all just suddenly stopped and how there was a great calm afterwards.

It was told by someone that it stopped because this Jesus stood up in the boat and commanded the wind and the waves to become calm and they obeyed Him! You heard about the two demoniacs on the other side of the lake. Scariest two guys you will ever run into! They met Jesus and they came to Him in fear falling on their knees and trembling before Him. The demons begged Him not to cast them out. I heard that they cried out to Him.

He cast the demons out and into a heard of pigs!

Now you can just imagine that, when you are a couple of blind men sitting along the road in ancient Capernaum, you have got some time to think. You don't have much in the way of distractions, if you know what I mean so you can think deeply.

So, you start to roll things around in your mind. "'Son of God'. That's what the demons called Him. Suddenly you remember to connect the prophecy given in Isaiah.

Isaiah 35:4-6, Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.” 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert. I know that passage! I was thinking of it too. That's a promise about the Messiah. The long-awaited Son of King David.

Now with these kinds of thoughts rolling around in your mind, you begin to hear a commotion.

There are crowds and crowds of people coming walking along the street - almost running. They are talking wildly and excitedly.

Is it a parade?

Is there something wrong?

What in the world is going on? One of you reaches out and pleads with someone to stop and explain. Someone stops - almost breathless with joy - and tells you! Jesus! He was on His way to the home of Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, going to heal the man's sick daughter. Then, He stopped along the way and healed a sick woman of her bleeding disease. She had been sick for twelve years - and yet, she merely touched the hem of His garment and was healed!

He went to the ruler's house and raised his daughter! She wasn't just sick - she was dead! Yet, He raised her to life! He's passing by right now, on His way to the house of the fisherman! Everyone is heading there! I am going too!

"Wait!"you both cry out. "Take us with you!"But it's too late. The man who was telling you this has hurried away and is gone. You both jump up and stagger behind the crowd, shouting out, "Jesus! Help us! Heal us! We know who You are!

You are the Son of David! The Messiah! We know it! Stop for us! Wait for us! Have mercy on us!" Right now, there is nothing more important than for both of you to get to Jesus! Nothing can stand in your way! There may not be another chance!

So, you run as fast as you dare - shouting all the while; "Son of David, have mercy on us!" You are running recklessly but neither of you cares! How glad you are that you have each other! Together, you keep stumbling and running - hands out, groping desperately for the crowds that are following Jesus - listening, and straining to hear the mob - and crying out the

whole time long, "Jesus! Son of David - Messiah! Have mercy on us!" You now know in your heart that nothing is too hard for Jesus. Surely, it would be easy for Him to give you both your sight.

But why won't He stop for you?

Why won't He wait for you?

Doesn't He hear your cries?

Doesn't He care? You both must have Him touch your eyes! You both must have Him heal you! You both are determined to do just as your great, patriarchal father Jacob did - you will find this One who is God in human flesh, and you will both grab a hold of Him, and you will both say, "I will not let you go unless you bless me!"

At long last, you reach the outer fringes of the crowd. The chatter is almost deafening, but you can hear them as they talk about Jesus. You can hear them say that He went into the house and so you feel your way through the crowd to the door - shouting out for Him all the while, "Son of David, have mercy on us!"

You push your way through the crowd. People see the determination on your sightless faces, and they get out of your way. You must get into Jesus! You enter shouting over the voices inside, "Jesus! Son of David! Can you hear us? We can't see You but can You see us?

Oh please, have mercy on us!" You hear the most wonderful voice you could ever hear, breaking the silence. It's a gentle voice - but a very strong and commanding voice as well. It's His voice and He says to you, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"

Of course, you believe that He is able to give you your sight. That's why you fought so desperately to get to Him. You both dare to speak to the Son of David, and say, "Yes, Lord!" Then, you are startled to feel the sudden but gentle touch of His hand upon your eyes!

Reach up right now and touch your own closed eyes. Can you imagine what it must be like to feel the touch of Jesus'hands upon your eyes? What a wondrous experience that is!

No one would have dared to touch your eyes before. They are too repulsive. But He is a God of great mercy and love. He touches your eyes without even being asked to. He says to you both, "According to your faith let it be to you."

Now, dear brothers and sisters please open your eyes. You can see! One of the things we have learned in this series is that each of Jesus’ physical miracles also has a spiritual meaning. Each of the various physical diseases Jesus heals represents a different aspect of sin in our lives.

For example, leprosy represents the uncleanness of sin. Paralysis represents our powerlessness in the face of sin.

So, what does blindness represent? Blindness is a symbol of spiritual darkness the state of being blind to God’s truth. Jesus came as the light of the world to free us from the power of darkness. But, as we will see, people preferred darkness to light.

There are no miracles recorded in the Old Testament of the blind receiving sight. This was something new that came with Jesus, and so this was a very powerful indicator that the kingdom of God had indeed come with Christ.

In fact, there are more miracles of healing the blind recorded in the gospels than any other type of miracle. V 27, When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”

From where? From the house of Jairus. Same day evening. A busy day raising the dead, healing the woman with an issue of blood, perhaps engaging in dialogue with the disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees. A busy day.

Evening, He leaves the house of Jairus. There is a mass of humanity crushing around Him. He has two crowds. The crowd that’s been following Him all along, the crowd that pushed their way through the little narrow streets of Capernaum all the way to the house of Jairus. The crowd that

was there when he healed the woman with the issue of blood, the crowd that is looking for His miracles. Now another crowd has been added. The crowd of mourners paid musicians, flute players, and weeping women who were holding the funeral service for the daughter.

The funeral was broken up when He raised her from the dead. Now He has this whole collection of humanity. Jesus moves from that place back toward the house in which He was staying. V 27, When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”

Blindness was a common disorder in Egypt, in the Arabian countries, and in Israel. In fact, the gospel records include more healings of blind people than any other type of healing. That may indicate its commonness.

• Poverty and the unsanitary conditions,
• excessive heat,
• blowing sand,
• accidents,
• war,
• infectious organisms,
• all those things contributed to blindness.

Many of the people were blind from birth. Sometimes it was not even known to be existing in the mother, and yet, when the little baby passed from the uterus down, those germs that lodged in that mother’s womb would find their lodging in the conjunctiva of the eye.

As they did, they would begin to multiply, and within only three days the child would be permanently blind. That is why today, antiseptic drops are put in the eyes of a new-born baby, and for all intents and purposes, we have eliminated that problem.

That may also have been what was in the mind of the question on the heart of the disciples in John 9:2, when they saw the man born blind and they said, “Who sinned? Did this man or his parents?” There may have been a theology in that question, but there also may have been a little bit of medicine in that question or a little bit of the physical.

Blind people hung around together. It was not uncommon to see a couple of blind people hanging onto each other, and thus did our Lord say to the Pharisees on one occasion, “You are like the blind leading the blind. You both fall in the ditch.”

The two men followed Him. They are in the crowd, shoving their way along, trying to stay with the group in their blindness, pushing and pressing along with everybody else as they leave the neighbourhood of Jairus. They are crying out.

V 27, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” They are not shy and retiring, slinking in a corner. No doubt they had heard of Jesus. No doubt they were part of the crowd at Jairus’ house and must have been aware of the resurrection.

It is always the broken-hearted, hurting, the unfit, the outcasts, the discouraged, the sorrowing, the lonely, the sinful, the guilty who follow Jesus. You never find the self-sufficient people. You never find the people who think they have the resources.

You never find the people who don’t really have any questions. Both the blinds were crying. The word basically means to yell or to scream or to shriek.

Revelation 12:2, Then being with child, she cried out in labour and in pain to give birth.

Cry of a woman who is screaming the pains of childbirth. They were crying out in agony, desperation, deep need, shrieking, pleading, and begging. That is the desperation of which regeneration is made. “Son of David.” Why did they call Jesus of Nazareth Son of David?

Did they know His lineage from Joseph, who was of the line of David? The term Son of David was the common Jewish designation for the Messiah. Matthew knew that that was the point of Jewish recognition. Matthew begins his gospel that way.

Matthew 1:1, The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the

Son of David, the Son of Abraham

That is a Messianic affirmation. He is the Promised One. Son of David is all the concept of dominion, royalty, and kingship that the prophets spoke of.

These two men may have been physically blind, but they saw the truth of Jesus’ identity more clearly than all those around them. The Old Testament said that the Messiah would be the seed of a woman. The Messiah would be the seed of a woman, a virgin woman, but nonetheless, a human.

God was going to redeem man through man. But then from all the men that He could have chosen, He narrowed it down in Genesis 22, and said not just the seed of the woman, but the seed of the woman and then the seed of Abraham.

Out of all those who came of Abraham, not just any, but the seed of Judah, and of all of those who came out of the loins of Judah.

Genesis 49:10, The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes;

The Messiah came through Abraham, through Judah, finally through David.

2 Samuel 7:12-14, “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will

come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. It was not fulfilled in Solomon. That is Christ the Son of David.

Every Jew knew how to interpret 2 Samuel 7. He knew that ultimately there would come a Son of David.

Luke 1:32, He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

Luke 1:69, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David,

Luke 2:4, Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, Acts chapter ² identifies Christ as the fulfilment of the promise to David.

Romans 1:3, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, John identifies Him in the Revelation as Christ is called the Son of David.

Matthew 21:9, Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!”

They were saying this is the Messiah. Hosanna means to save now. That He is coming in the Lord’s name, and that He is representative of the highest. He was God Himself. So, the very crowd were somewhat fickle, yet were giving to Jesus Messianic titles. Of those Messianic titles, none is more direct than the title Son of David.

The Pharisees were gathered.

Matthew 22:41-42, While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.” Everybody knew that the Son of David was a title by which the Messiah Himself was designated.

Now when these two blind men came in verse 27 and said, “Son of David”

These two blind men are affirming beyond doubt that they believe this is the long-awaited Messiah. This is the rightful Heir, the King of Israel. And perhaps they have well recalled Isaiah 35, that He would heal the blind when He came.

By the way, you have to remember that John the Baptist had had a far-reaching and effective ministry. His ministry was to heighten the anticipation of the coming of Messiah. In the light of that heightened anticipation, the people at this time were living in expectation. When Jesus came along and could do the things that He could do, even to the point of raising the dead, it became apparent to some, including these two, that this was One who did fulfil their expectation.

“Son of David, have mercy on us!” They also had a right attitude. They felt a deep need. They felt a spiritual need as deep as they felt a physical one or probably much deeper. They believed that Jesus was the Messiah. They believed that He had the power to bring the kingdom blessings.

Yet they knew that they were undeserving, and that is why they asked for mercy. That is something you will never hear a Pharisee ask for, because they were self-sufficient. They thought they did everything God expected. They thought they had earned everything God had to give.

Therefore, there was no mercy. Mercy is giving you what you don’t deserve and can’t earn or withholding from you that you do deserve.

Luke 18:10-14, “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Pharisee never asked mercy because he never thought he needed it.

But these two came with not only a right understanding of who Christ was, but a right understanding of how unworthy they were. They sought mercy. They came to the right person. They really did. He was so merciful.

Hebrews 2:17, Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Titus 3:5, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, Ephesians ² says He’s rich in mercy. He is a God of mercy. He has mercy for healing, mercy for saving, and it was available to these two desperate men.

They had a right knowledge. They had a right attitude. Screaming that they believed He was Messiah and begging. Jesus pays no attention to them. He lets them just keep pouring out their heart. They will not turn around until He heals them.

They follow Him, and so He tests the faith.

V 28, And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Finally, He responds to them.

What house? The house, which probably means the house that He stayed in. It might have been Peter’s house in Capernaum. They are still in the city of Capernaum on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. “And the two blind men came to Him.”

He can’t avoid them. Every one of the healings we have seen in this chapter involves persistence, and that is how Jesus drew out true faith. Jesus doesn’t heal them right away but waits until they go indoors. This is not a public miracle before the crowd. It takes place during a private meeting with Jesus. When Jesus raised the ruler’s daughter from the dead, he put the crowd outside.

When he heals these two blind men, he waits until they are away from the crowd inside. Do you believe I am able to do this?

I don’t think the purpose of the question was to deny their faith, that He was the Messiah, which they had affirmed in the statement Son of David. I don’t even think it was to question whether or not they believed that He had the power to do it.

He knew they believed that. To hear the affirmation of their faith in their own confession.

Romans 10:9-10, that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Jesus is drawing out a verbal confession, an affirmation of that faith. Jesus wants to affirm the genuineness of their faith, that it might stand as a testimony to what is necessary for genuine conversion.

They said, “Yes Lord.” ‘Kurios’ It was filled with love, adoration, worship, submission, and devotion.

That was the affirmation of their faith. My Kingdom is divine and are you willing to affirm My Lordship? As I have said before, faith is not necessary for healing. The gospels are loaded with times that Jesus healed, and people didn’t have any faith.

Doesn’t say a word about whether they had faith. But faith is necessary for conversion, and He wanted to bring these men all the way that their faith would take them. When someone says, “I need mercy” and it means “You are the promised Messiah”

“I believe You have the divine power of God” We saw their condition. They were blind. Now the conversion. V 29, Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” They not only had their physical eyes opened, but at that moment, the flower of faith burst into full bloom, and they became children of God.

So often Jesus touched people. So often He expresses the divine tenderness. He touched their eyes. So simple. All He does is touch their eyes. “According to your faith, be it unto you.”

What do you mean according to your faith?

Did they have enough faith to be healed? Yes.

Did they have enough faith to be saved? Yes. They had enough faith to be saved because it was according to their faith that they received. I don’t think faith is the issue in the healing. I think faith is the issue in the saving.

Your faith is big enough to encompass redemption, so be it unto you. That was where their faith was. Faith is the bucket let down into the fountain of God’s grace without which the man could never draw water of life from the wells of salvation. For the wells are deep and of himself man has nothing to draw with. Faith is the purse which cannot

of itself make its owner rich, and yet effectually enriches by the wealth which it contains. Your bucket is big enough to gather the waters of the wells of salvation. Jesus has the power to give sight, and He has the power to save.

V 30, And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows it.”

How are they going to do that? Going to go around with their eyes closed bumping into things just to pretend. The people who know us are going to know.

Why? Some say that Jesus wants to hide the fact that He is a miracle worker. Of course, He didn’t want to hide that. He was doing them in public. That isn’t the reason. There must be something bigger, something different than that.

It isn’t that He wanted to hide His miracles, or He wouldn’t have done them in public. Why did He tell him then not to spread this everywhere? The proclamation that the blind men had made was, “Son of David,” and that was a Messianic title.

Going around proclaiming Jesus as Messiah, Son of David, Heir to the throne, could really create some problems. The Jews wouldn’t understand it because He didn’t come through the Jewish establishment. The Romans wouldn’t understand it either because Caesar was the king. Ultimately, if you know the story of Christ, it was that very affirmation that He was the King that brought Him to the cross.

What Jesus was saying that it is not the time to start yet. God is on a divine timetable. Also, people had a tendency to see Him, when they heard about these things, just as a miracle worker, which gave a kind of a dangerous and needless publicity.

John 6 when they saw Him feed the, the 5,000, they immediately wanted to make Him the king.

He also had to deal with the problem of the publicity that brought about reprisals. It wasn’t until Matthew 10th chapter that He really began to send His apostles forth with the right message. Jesus still wanted people to conclude things for themselves.

He still wanted people not to hear about Him by hearsay, but to come and see for themselves rather than make judgments. If these men went beyond the circle of the people who knew them and started broadcasting it, people would say, “how do we know you were blind?

We don’t believe that. It might be better if the people came themselves and examined before they made such a conclusion. He didn’t want to start a revolutionary uprising on behalf of Himself at the wrong place and the wrong time.

Do you know what they did? V 31, But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country. Exactly what He told them not to do.

It is understandable. If you had been blind and now you can see, you would tend to tell others, get excited about it. Matthew says they spread the news about “Him.” The focus of their message was Jesus as Messiah rather than just their own healing.

But there are times when He doesn’t want us to say things and we do. They were commanded, but they were contrary to the command.

Conclusion and Application

The passage teaches that Jesus has the authority to give sight. He can certainly restore physical sight to people who are blind. But behind the healing of the blind men is the deeper meaning of the healing of their souls. Jesus was more concerned with the spiritual blindness in Israel that the physical blindness, which was often a symbol of the former.

The fact that these men came by faith to be healed physically shows that Jesus had already begun to reveal Himself to their souls, that they already had been enabled to see spiritually. Faith is required to gain sight spiritually.

Whoever comes to Christ must believe that He is the promised Messiah and that He has the power and the authority.

The task of the church is therefore to take this message to a world that is blinded by the god of this world, the evil one, the deceiver. We who have received our sight, who have come to faith, should then be characterized by

• Praise and thanksgiving,
• Devoted to Christ,
• Growing spiritual discernment in all things, and
• Public witness of the glories of the Lord.