Matthew – God’s Purposes
Matthew 9Two Blind Men Healed
27 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.
FROM THE HEART…
Crying out “Son of David” tell us that these men knew who Jesus was. Then Jesus clarifies their faith by asking, “Do you believe I can do this?” The blind men immediately answer, “Yes, Lord”. Can we just stop and camp on this thought for a minute or more? The men, though blind, found Jesus and followed Him until He responded to their request. Jesus then asks, “Do you believe I can do this?” Why ask this question that seems so obvious to us?We are not told why these men were blind. Blindness was a serious problem in the East in that day. The records state that Jesus healed at least six blind men, and each case was different. These two blind men acknowledged Christ as the Son of David (see Matt. 1:1) and persisted in following Him right into the house. (No doubt they had friends who helped guide them.) It was their faith that Christ honored. Their “Yes, Lord” was the confession that
released the power for their healing, and their sight was
restored.
LET’S GO DEEPER…
Blindness is a picture of spiritual ignorance and
unbelief. Digging deeper we remember the words of
Isaiah 6:10; (NLT)
“Harden the hearts of these people.
Plug their ears and shut their eyes.
That way, they will not see with their eyes,
nor hear with their ears,
nor understand with their hearts
and turn to me for healing.”
Matthew 15:14;
“…so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.”
Romans 11:25;
God’s Mercy Is for Everyone
“I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ.”
The sinner must be born again before he can see the things of God (John 3:3). And the believer must be careful to grow spiritually or he will damage his spiritual vision.
“In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.” 2 Peter 1:5–9, NLT
Upon healing the now sighted men, Jesus asks them to keep this quiet, just between Jesus and them. But they do not. They cannot keep this new life a secret. They go back, rejoicing, telling everyone all over the countryside what Jesus had done in their lives.
We are not quite sure why Jesus “sternly” told them to keep this news quiet. Was it reverse psychology as our parents used on us as children? Was it because Jesus wasn’t ready for His glory to be revealed in that place at that time? We are not sure. But we are sure that their acknowledgement of WHO Jesus was began the conversation, their persistence in following Jesus got His attention and their faith led to their healing. Hallelujah, Amen! I believe! How about you?
Dear Heavenly Father,
You are God and we are not. We can become blinded to all you have for us so easily. Keep our eyes opened to all you have for us to see, understand and learn for life. I love you with all my heart, mind and soul. Continue to transform my life to be all you created me to be.
In Jesus Name, Amen
And I’m singing…
Open my eyes that I may see
Glimpses of truth you have for me
Place in my hands the wonderful key
that shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!
Open my ears, that I may hear
voices of truth you send so clear;
and while the wave notes fall on my ear,
everything false will disappear.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my ears, illumine me, Spirit divine!
Open my mouth, and let me bear
gladly the warm truth everywhere;
open my heart and let me prepare
love with thy children thus to share.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my heart, illumine me, Spirit divine!
YES, LORD! I BELIEVE!
