As
Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, “Have mercy on us, son of David!” When he had come into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They told him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” Their eyes were opened. Jesus strictly commanded them, saying, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread abroad his fame in all that land.
Matthew 9:27-31
Matthew 9 [23.] When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players, and the crowd in noisy disorder, he said to them, “Make room, because the girl isn’t dead, but sleeping.” They were ridiculing him.
Matthew 9 [25.] But when the crowd was put out, he entered in, took her by the hand, and the girl arose. The report of this went out into all that land. As Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, “Have mercy on us, son of David!”
Matthew 9 [28.] When he had come into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They told him, “Yes, Lord.”
Matthew 9 [29.] Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” Their eyes were opened. Jesus strictly commanded them, saying, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread abroad his fame in all that land.
Matthew 9 [32.] As they went out, behold, a mute man who was demon possessed was brought to him. When the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke. The multitudes marveled, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”
Meaning:
Jesus had just raised the ruler’s daughter, and the news was spreading through the whole region (Matthew 9:18-26). As he left the house, two blind men followed him, crying out for mercy. This short account is found only in Matthew. It belongs to a series of ten mighty works in chapters 8 and 9 that show Jesus’ authority over sickness, nature, demons and death. Here he gives sight to the blind, one of the signs the prophets had linked with the coming of God’s salvation.
- “Have mercy on us, son of David!”
The blind men could not see Jesus, but they saw more clearly than many who could. The title “son of David” pointed to the Messiah. God had promised David, “I will set up your offspring after you, who will proceed out of your body, and I will establish his kingdom” and “I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12-13). Matthew opens his Gospel by presenting Jesus as “the son of David” (Matthew 1:1). These men are the first in Matthew to call Jesus by this title. Later the blind beggar Bartimaeus would cry out in the same way at Jericho (Mark 10:47).
Their cry was simple: “Have mercy on us.” They did not claim any right to healing. They asked for kindness from one they believed was able and willing to help.
- “When he had come into the house”
Jesus did not answer them at once on the road. They had to keep following him until he went indoors. Their persistence was part of their faith. Jesus sometimes allows a delay so that faith can show itself and grow.
- “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
Jesus asked a direct question. He did not ask whether they believed in healing in general, but whether they believed that he could do it. Faith in the Bible is trust in a person. Their answer was short and clear: “Yes, Lord.” Calling him “Lord” showed respect, and in the light of the whole Gospel, much more than respect.
- “According to your faith be it done to you.”
Jesus touched their eyes, a personal and tender act. His words do not mean that a person’s faith produces the miracle by its own strength. The power belonged to Jesus. Faith is the open hand that receives what he gives. Isaiah had foretold that in the day of God’s salvation “the eyes of the blind will be opened” (Isaiah 35:5). The Servant of the Lord would come “to open the blind eyes” (Isaiah 42:7). When the blind men saw, the promises were coming true.
- “See that no one knows about this.”
Jesus “strictly commanded” them to keep quiet. He did not want to be known only as a miracle worker or to stir up political hopes about the son of David as a warrior king. His mission would lead to the cross, not to a throne seized by force. The men disobeyed and spread his fame everywhere. Their gratitude was real, but their disobedience made Jesus’ work harder, as happened with the cleansed leper in Mark (Mark 1:45).
The Significance of Matthew 9:27-31
- Seeing who Jesus is
The blind men recognised Jesus as the son of David before the religious leaders did. Spiritual sight is a gift. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see” (John 9:39). We need him to open our eyes to who he is.
- Persistent, personal faith
The men kept following and kept calling until Jesus answered. Their faith was not in a technique but in Jesus himself. When we pray, Jesus still asks, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
- Obedience along with gratitude
Joy at what Jesus has done should lead to obedience to what he says. Gratitude expressed in our own way, against his word, can do harm. Love for Jesus listens to him.
Cross-References:
Isaiah 35:5: "Then the eyes of the blind will be opened," The promise fulfilled in Jesus.
2 Samuel 7:13: "I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." The promise behind the title son of David.
Mark 10:47: "Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!" Another blind man’s cry for mercy.
Isaiah 42:7: "to open the blind eyes," Part of the Servant’s mission.
Conclusion: Two blind men followed Jesus, calling him son of David and asking for mercy. Jesus asked whether they believed he was able to heal them; they answered, “Yes, Lord.” He touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith be it done to you,” and they could see, fulfilling the prophets’ promises. Though told to keep it quiet, they spread his fame. Jesus opens the eyes of all who trust him.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible