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Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 9:27

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And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, [Thou] son of David, have mercy on us.

27. Son of David ] See note ch. Mat 1:1. The thought of the kingdom of heaven had been closely linked with the reign of a Son of David, but doubtless with many Jews the glory of the Asmonean dynasty (the Maccabees) and the established power of the Herods had tended to obscure this expectation. To have clung to it was an act of faith.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

27 31. A Cure of two Blind Men

Peculiar to St Matthew. Archbp. Trench alludes to the fact that cases of blindness are far more numerous in the East than in Western countries. “The dust and flying sand enter the eyes, causing inflammations. the sleeping in the open air, and the consequent exposure of the eyes to the noxious nightly dews, is another source of this malady.”

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

And when Jesus departed thence – The scene of this miracle was near Capernaum. The blind men probably followed him with their cry for aid immediately on his leaving the house of Jairus.

Thou Son of David – By the Son of David the Jews meant the Messiah. He was the descendant or Son of David by way of eminence, Isa 9:7; Luk 1:32; Rev 22:16. See the notes at Mat 1:1. This was therefore a profession of belief, on the part of these blind men, of the Messiahship of Jesus, and, at the same time, the expression of a belief that, being the Messiah, he could heal them.

Have mercy on us – That is, show compassion toward us in our affliction, and restore to us the blessing of sight.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 27. Son of David] This was the same as if they had called him Messiah. Two things here are worthy of remark:

1st. That it was a generally received opinion at this time in Judea, that the Messiah should be son of David. (Joh 7:42.)

2dly. That Jesus Christ was generally and incontestably acknowledged as coming from this stock. Mt 12:23.

Have mercy on us.] That man has already a measure of heavenly light who knows that he has no merit; that his cry should be a cry for mercy; that he must be fervent, and that in praying he must follow Jesus Christ as the true Messiah, the son of David, expected from heaven.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

This miracle is reported only by St. Matthew, though the other evangelists tell us of some others of the same kind. They

followed him in the way,

crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. These are the first we read of in this Gospel, that made their applications to Christ under the notion of the Messiah (for so much that compellation, Thou Son of David, importeth). He was to open the blind eyes, Isa 35:5; 42:7, and was to be the Son of David, according to the prophecies of him; nor can any reason be given, why they called him the Son of David, but this their belief that he was the true Messias.

Have mercy on us: their petition is general, though without doubt they had a particular respect to their want of sight, and so our Saviour understood them. Others, that came to Christ for cure before, looked upon Christ as a man to whom God had given great power, and glorified God upon that account, as in Mat 9:8. Their courage and boldness in the faith also appeared, in that they feared not the Pharisees decree made, as appeareth from Joh 9:22; for the Christ and the Son of David amongst the Jews at this time signified the same person, as appears by Mat 22:42. Christ listens not unto them till he came into the house; there he saith,

Believe ye that I am able to do this? Christ forgetteth not the prayer of faith, though he doth not give a present answer according to our expectation, that he may continue us in our duty, and quicken us yet to further importunity. Our Lord puts the common test upon them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? There is no absolute particular promise for good things of a temporal concern; it is enough for us in those cases to believe that God is able to do the thing, and that he will do it if he seeth it be for our good; he only therefore questions their faith as to his power. In their former owning him as the Messiah, the Son of David, they had declared that they believed his kindness to the sons of men.

They said unto him, Yea, Lord, we believe thou art able; and we believe thee the Messiah, come to do good, and we have a trust in thee thou wilt do it; for this cause we are come, we cry unto thee.

Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. See the mighty power of the prayer of faith.

Their eyes were opened, that is, their visive faculty was restored, or given to them.

And Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. It was known they were blind, and men must know that they now saw; but he charges them not to publish it as done by him. The word used signifieth to command with authority, and with a threatening annexed: we have met with several such commands to persons cured, and none of them observed, nor the persons blamed by Christ for not observing them. We must say the parties sinned in publishing the things, unless the command was with some limitations not mentioned by the evangelists; but we are not able, either to give a just account why or how Christ commanded them, nor how they published the things, or were excusable in doing of it.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

27. And when Jesus departed thence,two blind men followed himhearing, doubtless, as in a latercase is expressed, “that Jesus passed by” (Mt20:30).

crying, and saying, Thou sonof David, have mercy on usIt is remarkable that in the onlyother recorded case in which the blind applied to Jesus for theirsight, and obtained it, they addressed Him, over and over again, bythis one Messianic title, so well known”Son of David”(Mt 20:30). Can there be adoubt that their faith fastened on such great Messianic promises asthis, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,” &c.(Isa 35:5)? and if so, thisappeal to Him, as the Consolation of Israel, to do His predictedoffice, would fall with great weight upon the ears of Jesus.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And when Jesus departed thence,…. From the house of Jairus, to another in the same city;

two blind men followed him: very closely, by the direction of others, having heard of the miracle just now performed by him; and from thence concluded he was able to restore them to their sight;

crying and saying, with great faith and fervour, with much importunity, and frequently repeating the following words,

thou son of David, have mercy on us. Whence it appears, that they firmly believed, and were fully persuaded, that he was the true Messiah; for “the son of David” was a known character of the Messiah among the Jews: nothing was more common than to call him by this title, without any other additional epithet, see Gill “Mt 1:1”, and since it had been prophesied of the Messiah, that he should “open the eyes of the blind”, Isa 35:5 they might be greatly encouraged to hope and believe they should obtain mercy from him in this respect.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Two Blind and a Dumb Man Healed.

27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. 28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. 29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. 30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. 31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country. 32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. 33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. 34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.

In these verses we have an account of two more miracles wrought together by our Saviour.

I. The giving of sight to two blind men, v. 27-31. Christ is the Fountain of light as well as life; and as, by raising the dead, he showed himself to be the same that at first breathed into man the breath of life, so, by giving sight to the blind, he showed himself to be the same that at first commanded the light to shine out of darkness. Observe,

1. The importunate address of the blind men to Christ. He was returning from the ruler’s house to his own lodgings, and these blind men followed him, as beggars do, with their incessant cries, v. 27. He that cured diseases so easily, so effectually, and, withal, at so cheap a rate, shall have patients enough. As for other things, so he is famed for an Oculist. Observe,

(1.) The title which these blind men gave to Christ; Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. The promise made to David, that of his loins the Messiah should come, was well known, and the Messiah was therefore commonly called the Son of David. At this time there was a general expectation of his appearing; these blind men know, and own, and proclaim it in the streets of Capernaum, that he is come, and that this is he; which aggravates the folly and sin of the chief priests and Pharisees who denied and opposed him. They could not see him and his miracles, but faith comes by hearing. Note, They who, by the providence of God, are deprived of bodily sight, may yet, by the grace of God, have the eyes of their understanding so enlightened, as to discern those great things of God, which are hid from the wise and prudent.

(2.) Their petition, Have mercy on us. It was foretold that the Son of David should be merciful (Psa 72:12; Psa 72:13), and in him shines the tender mercy of our God, Luke i. 78. Note, Whatever our necessities and burthens are, we need no more for supply and support, than a share in the mercy of our Lord Jesus. Whether he heal us or no, if he have mercy on us, we have enough; as to the particular instances and methods of mercy, we may safely and wisely refer ourselves to the wisdom of Christ. They did not each of them say for himself, Have mercy on me, but both for one another, Have mercy on us. Note, It becomes those that are under the same affliction, to concur in the same prayers for relief. Fellow-sufferers should be joint-petitioners. In Christ there is enough for all.

(3.) Their importunity in this request; they followed him, crying. It seems, he did not take notice of them at first, for he would try their faith, which he knew to be strong; would quicken their prayers, and make his cures the more valued, when they did not always come at the first word; and would teach us to continue instant in prayer, always to pray, and not to faint: and, though the answer do not come presently, yet to wait for it, and to follow providence, even in those steps and out goings of it which seem to neglect or contradict our prayers. Christ would not heal them publicly in the streets, for this was a cure he would have kept private (v. 30), but when he came into the house, they followed him thither, and came to him. Note, Christ’s doors are always open to believing and importunate petitioners; it seemed rude in them to rush into the house after him, when he desired to retire; but, such is the tenderness of our Lord Jesus, that they were not more bold than welcome.

2. The confession of faith, which Christ drew from them upon this occasion. When they came to him for mercy, he asked them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? Note, Faith is the great condition of Christ’s favours. They who would receive the mercy of Christ, must firmly believe the power of Christ. What we would have him do for us, we must be fully assured that he is able to do. They followed Christ, and followed him crying, but the great question is, Do ye believe? Nature may work fervency, but it is only grace that can work faith; spiritual blessings are obtained only by faith. They had intimated their faith in the office of Christ as Son of David, and in his mercy; but Christ demands likewise a profession of faith in his power. Believe ye that I am able to do this; to bestow this favour; to give sight to the blind, as well as to cure the palsy and raise the dead? Note, It is good to be particular in the exercise of faith, to apply the general assurances of God’s power and good will, and the general promises, to our particular exigencies. All shall work for good, and if all, then this. “Believe ye that I am able, not only to prevail with God for it, as a prophet, but that I am able to do it by my own power?” This will amount to their belief of his being not only the Son of David, but the Son of God; for it is God’s prerogative to open the eyes of the blind (Ps. cxlvi. 8); he makes the seeing eye, Exod. iv. 11. Job was eyes to the blind (Job xxix. 15); was to them instead of eyes, but he could not give eyes to the blind. Still it is put to us, Believe we that Christ is able to do for us, by the power of his merit and intercession in heaven, of his Spirit and grace in the heart, and of his providence and dominion in the world? To believe the power of Christ is not only to assure ourselves of it, but to commit ourselves to it, and encourage ourselves in it.

To this question they give an immediate answer, without hesitation: they said, Yea, Lord. Though he had kept them in suspense awhile, and had not helped them at first, they honestly imputed that to his wisdom, not to his weakness, and were still confident of his ability. Note, The treasures of mercy that are laid up in the power of Christ, are laid out and wrought for those that trust in him, Ps. xxxi. 19.

3. The cure that Christ wrought on them; he touched their eyes, v. 29. This he did to encourage their faith, which, by his delay, he had tried, and to show that he gives sight to blind souls by the operations of his grace accompanying the word, anointing the eyes with eye-salve: and he put the cure upon their faith, According to your faith be it unto you. When they begged for a cure, he enquired into their faith (v. 28), Believe ye that I am able? He did not enquire into their wealth, whether they were able to pay him for a cure; nor into their reputation, should he get credit by curing them; but into their faith; and now they had professed their faith he referred the matter to that: “I know you do believe, and the power you believe in shall be exerted for you; According to your faith be it unto you.” This speaks, (1.) His knowledge of the sincerity of their faith, and his acceptance and approbation of it. Note, It is a great comfort to true believers, that Jesus Christ knows their faith, and is well pleased with it. Though it be weak, though others do not discern it, though they themselves are ready to question it, it is known to him. (2.) His insisting upon their faith as necessary; “If you believe, take what you come for.” Note, They who apply themselves to Jesus Christ, shall be dealt with according to their faith; not according to their fancies, nor according to their profession, but according to their faith; that is, unbelievers cannot expect to find any favour with God, but true believers may be sure to find all that favour which is offered in the gospel; and our comforts ebb or flow, according as our faith is stronger or weaker; we are not straitened in Christ, let us not then be straitened in ourselves.

4. The charge he gave them to keep it private (v. 30), See that no man know it. He gave them this charge, (1.) To set us an example of that humility and lowliness of mind, which he would have us to learn of him. Note, In the good we do, we must not seek our own praise, but only the glory of God. It must be more our care and endeavour to be useful, than to be known and observed to be so, Pro 20:6; Pro 25:27 Thus Christ seconded the rule he had given, Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth. (2.) Some think that Christ, in keeping it private, showed his displeasure against the people of Capernaum, who had seen so many miracles, and yet believed not. Note, The silencing of those who should proclaim the works of Christ is a judgment to any place or people: and it is just in Christ to deny the means of conviction to those that are obstinate in their infidelity; and to shroud the light from those that shut their eyes against it. (3.) He did it in discretion, for his own preservation; because the more he was proclaimed, the more jealous would the rulers of the Jews be of his growing interest among the people. (4.) Dr. Whitby gives another reason, which is very considerable, why Christ sometimes concealed his miracles, and afterwards forbid the publishing of his transfiguration; because he would not indulge that pernicious conceit which obtained among the Jews, that their Messiah should be a temporal prince, and so give occasion to the people to attempt the setting up of his kingdom, by tumults and seditions, as they offered to do, John vi. 15. But when, after his resurrection (which was the full proof of his mission), his spiritual kingdom was set up, then that danger was over, and they must be published to all nations. And he observes, that the miracles which Christ wrought among the Gentiles and the Gadarenes, were ordered to be published, because with them there was not that danger.

But honour is like the shadow, which, as it flees from those that follow it, so it follows those that flee from it (v. 31); They spread abroad his fame. This was more an act of zeal, than of prudence; and though it may be excused as honestly meant for the honour of Christ, yet it cannot be justified, being done against a particular charge. Whenever we profess to direct our intention to the glory of God, we must see to it that the action be according to the will of God.

II. The healing of a dumb man, that was possessed with a devil. And here observe,

1. His case, which was very sad. He was under the power of the devil in this particular instance, that he was disabled from speaking, v. 32. See the calamitous state of this world, and how various the afflictions of the afflicted are! We have no sooner dismissed two blind men, but we meet with a dumb man. How thankful should we be to God for our sight and speech! See the malice of Satan against mankind, and in how many ways he shows it. This man’s dumbness was the effect of his being possessed with a devil; but it was better he should be unable to say any thing, than be forced to say, as those demoniacs did (ch. viii. 29), What have we to do with thee? Of the two, better a dumb devil than a blaspheming one. When the devil gets possession of a soul, it is made silent as to any thing that is good; dumb in prayers and praises, which the devil is a sworn enemy to. This poor creature they brought to Christ, who entertained not only those that came of themselves in their own faith, but those that were brought to him by their friends in the faith of others. Though the just shall live eternally by his faith, yet temporal mercies may be bestowed on us with an eye to their faith who are intercessors on our behalf. They brought him in just as the blind man went out. See how unwearied Christ was in doing good; how closely one good work followed another! Treasures of mercy, wondrous mercy, are hid in him; which may be continually communicated, but can never be exhausted.

2. His cure, which was very sudden (v. 33), When the devil was cast out, the dumb spake. Note, Christ’s cures strike at the root, and remove the effect by taking away the cause; they open the lips, by breaking Satan’s power in the soul. In sanctification he heals the waters by casting salt into the spring. When Christ, by his grace, casts the devil out of a soul, presently the dumb speaks. When Paul was converted, behold, he prays; then the dumb spake.

3. The consequences of this cure.

(1.) The multitudes marvelled; and well they might; though few believed, many wondered. The admiration of the common people is sooner raised than any other affection. It was foretold, that the new song, the New-Testament song, should be sung for marvellous works, Ps. xcviii. 1. They said, It was never so seen in Israel, and therefore never so seen any where; for no people experienced such wonders of mercy as Israel did. There had been those in Israel that were famous for working miracles, but Christ excelled them all. The miracles Moses wrought had reference to Israel as a people, but Christ’s were brought home to particular persons.

(2.) The Pharisees blasphemed, v. 34. When they could not gainsay the convincing evidence of these miracles, they fathered them upon the devil, as if they had been wrought by compact and collusion: he casteth out devils (say they) by the prince of the devils–a suggestion horrid beyond expression; we shall hear more of it afterwards, and Christ’s answer to it (ch. xii. 25); only observe here, how evil men and seducers wax worse and worse (2 Tim. iii. 13), and it is both their sin and their punishment. Their quarrels with Christ for taking upon him to forgive sin (v. 3), for conversing with publicans and sinners, (v. 11), for not fasting (v. 14), though spiteful enough, yet had some colour of piety, purity, and devotion in them; but this (which they are left to, to punish them for those) breathes nothing but malice and falsehood, and hellish enmity in the highest degree; it is diabolism all over, and was therefore justly pronounced unpardonable. Because the people marvelled, they must say something to diminish the miracle, and this was all they could say.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary

As Jesus passed by ( ). Associative instrumental case with . It was the supreme opportunity of these two blind men. Note two demoniacs in Mt 8:28 and two blind men in Mt 20:30. See the same word used of Jesus in 9:9.

Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament

TWO BLIND MEN HEALED AND DEMON CAST OUT

V. 27-34

1) “And When Jesus departed thence,” (kai paragonti ekeithen to Iesou) “And as Jesus passed forth from there,” the home of Jairus, from where He had raised his daughter from the dead. Two new types of diseases are now brought to Jesus, blindness and possession, accompanied by dumbness.

2) “Two blind men followed him,” (ekolouthesan duo tufloi) “There followed him two blind men;” Blindness was then, and still is, much more common in the middle east than in the western world. It was caused by a diversity of internal and external things, Lev 19:14; Deu 27:18; Isa 29:18; Isa 35:5; Mat 11:2-5; Mr 10:46; Joh 5:3.

3) “Crying, and saying,” (krazontes kai legontes) “Crying, and repeatedly saying,” appealing for help, from their nigh-helpless state. Jesus did not stop to help them by the wayside, on the way to His residence, where He went to retire for some rest after the incident recounted above.

4) “Thou son of David, have mercy on us.” (eleeson hemas huios David) “Pity us, Son of David,” or pity us as the Messiah one promised to David. The phrase “Son of David” was an expression of faith in Jesus as the Messiah, Mat 1:1; Mat 12:23. The appeal for mercy was for pity for Jesus to respond to their pitiful, semi-helpless condition.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

Mat 9:27

. And while Jesus was departing. The other Evangelists say nothing about these two miracles; for, as we have already said, and as John expressly affirms, (Joh 21:25,) they did not intend to record every action of Christ, but only to prove, by a brief summary, that he is the Messiah. Now Matthew relates that sight was restored to two blind men, but not so speedily as Christ was wont, on many other occasions, to grant relief to the wretched. While they cry to him on the road, he makes no reply, but, as if he appeared not to notice them, allows them to follow him to his lodging. There he at length asks them what they believe as to his power. Both by action and by words he intended to make trial of their faith; for he holds them in suspense, — nay, passes by as if he did not hear them, — tries their patience, and what root faith had in their heads. When he afterwards inquires if they believe, he pursues the same investigation. But it may be asked, if a man is convinced of the power of God and of Christ, is that enough to make him a believer? for such appears to be the meaning of the words,

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

CRITICAL NOTES

Mat. 9:27. Two blind men.This miracle narrated by St. Matthew only. Blindness is a far more frequent calamity in Palestine and the adjoining countries than with us. Its frequency is attributable to various causes, as, e.g. to the flying dust and sand pulverised by the suns intense heat; to the perpetual glare of light; to uncleanness; to the effect of dews during night on those who sleep on the roof of their houses, etc. Thou Son of David.See on Mat. 1:1.

Mat. 9:28. The house.The house in which He sojourned at Capernaum, probably that of Peter and Andrew (Mar. 1:29). Believe ye? etc.His early cures had been wrought almost without solicitation. Now that evidences were multiplied, the kingdom recognised, a proportionate expression of faith is expected (Laidlaw).

Mat. 9:30. Straitly.Strictly, sternly (R.V. and margin). The word, implying originally the panting breath of vehement emotion, is one of the strongest used by the New Testament writers (Mar. 1:43; Mar. 14:5; Joh. 11:33; Joh. 11:38) to express repugnance, displeasure, or the command that implies annoyance. It is as if our Lord saw the garrulous joy on the point of uttering itself, and sought by every means in His power to restrain it. The reasons may be sought, as elsewhere, either:

1. In its being good for the spiritual life of the men themselves that they should show forth their praise of God, not with their lips, but in their lives; or
2. In the shrinking from mere notoriety, from the gaze of crowds drawn together to gaze on signs and wonders, and ready to make the Wonder-worker a king because He wrought them (Plumptre).

MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Mat. 9:27-31

A sharp contrast.The earlier and later halves of this passage are alike in one thing. They both speak of requests. They are different in almost everything else. The first request was the request of two blind men to Jesus. The second request was the request of Jesus to them. The first request was complied with. The second was not.

I. The request of the blind men, which we consider first, was natural enough in their case. He being such as they had doubtless heard Him to be, and they being such as they knew themselves to be, what more natural than that they should ask from Him what they required? If others had been helped by Him, why not they? What was more remarkable was the apparent strength and depth of their faith. Not every one, at that time, had recognised Jesus as the Son of David. Not every one was ready by calling Him so, virtually to salute Him as Christ (cf. 2Ti. 2:8). It is carefully to be noted, therefore, that these two blind mennot blind in mindwere not afraid so to do; and still more to be noted that they followed this up with much endeavour and prayer. It is never very easy for blind men to follow any one. Perhaps for two blind men more difficult still. Yet we are told here with something of emphasis that this was done by these two. They follow Jesus in the way (ver: 27); they follow Him into the house (Mat. 9:28); they come finally to Himself. If their effort is to fail it shall not fail through any slackness of theirs. Nothing could better prove the strength of their faith. Yet before He blesses them, the Saviour requires from them a further proof still. They have virtually professed faith in His mission. They must now openly declare their faith in His power. Believe ye that I am able to do this? That question must be answered, and answered aloud, before anything can be done. When it was answered, as answered it was immediately, then all that was needed was done. Done by a touch, done by a word, done by the exercise of their faith (Mat. 9:29), done with a yet added blessing at least as great as the first. Their eyes are open, and they are looking on Christ! A double blessing indeed!

II. The request of Jesus to them.This was noteworthy in its matter. In what it did not ask. In what it did. What might not have been asked of two men who had just been enabled, so to speak, to gain half the world at a stroke? Certainly, compared with what it had been a moment before, the world was now double to themtwice as full of sources of pleasure, of the means of knowledge, of ideas of beauty and glory. To them, in a word, what Christ had done was to say Let there be light. How strange, therefore, that all He asks in return should be of a negative kind, not to publish what He had done for them, to be silent about it, to leave it untold. That, in substance, is all He asks. The manner of His request is as surprising, in an almost equal degree. He sternly charged them, so some; He peremptorily forbad them, so others; He did with them, in a word, in a manner which is illustrated by what is said (the word is the same) of the severity and indignation of some of the disciples in Mar. 14:5. Do not you go and begin telling this story. That is My express word and command. Whatever you do if you wish to please Me, do not take up that line. The reception accorded to this request is the last surprising thing here. It was as uncompliant and defiant in every way as it could possibly be. Instead of being silent, the two men did nothing but speak. Instead of not telling it at all, they spread it abroad. Instead of confiding it only to a few, they proclaimed it wherever they could. They acted, in a word, just as though the request of the Saviour had commanded them the very thing He forbade. Apparently His request was as strange to them as it is, at first, to ourselves.

To us, who look on from a distance, and compare what is said here with what is said elsewhere of our Saviour, there are two truths which this very strangeness seems all the more to enforce.

1. The superiority of Christs character.At the least we see here that He does not seek for that praise of men which is sought for by most; which is the very breath of their nostrils to many men; and about which they are more jealous than anything else (1Sa. 18:8; Pro. 15:30; Mat. 27:18). The love of fame, it has been said, is the last infirmity of noble minds. Evidently, in His case, there is not a trace even of this.

2. The identity of His natureHis human naturewith ours.This supreme anxiety to avoid the praises of men in this case points to something behind; to something which is deeper than it is possible for us in all points to explain. But we may at least hope that we are on the right track to such an explanation when we bear in mind the mysterious yet indubitable truth that our Divine Lord and Master, on the human side of His being, was tempted in all points as we are. Viewed in this light, what we read of here seems quite parallel to such passages as Mat. 4:10, Mat. 16:23; and not altogether dissimilar to those words of Bishop Hooper, who, when someone was led to speak, on the night before his martyrdom, of all the misery he might escape from if only willing to recant, replied by saying, As you love my soul do not speak to me so. At any rate, in those words of His we seem to hear something of the same indignant earnestness as that noted by us above. We may believe, therefore, that it was due in part to a similar cause!

He knows what sore temptations mean,

For He hath felt the same.

HOMILIES ON THE VERSES

Mat. 9:29. Expectancy and success.According to your faith, etc. These words embody a principle which applies to church work. If we expect little we shall have little; if we expect much we shall have much. Large success is greatly to be desired. A hopeful spirit is important in order to success in any work. If the school-boy believes himself a dunce, he loses heart, his lessons become irksome, and there is great danger of his becoming the dunce he fears he is already. If a man takes up a business without much hope of succeeding, if he imagines he sees the bankruptcy court ahead, it is not unlikely that he will see it indeed. How can he go into his new enterprise with enthusiasm if he indulge in gloomy forebodings, and how can he achieve any considerable success without enthusiasm? So in church work; if we expect large success, we are much more likely to realise it than if there be no such expectation. Notice how this spirit of expectancy works:

I. It stimulates prayer.Our praying will be very different if there be a lively expectation of receiving, from what it will be if this be absent. There will be a ring of joyous exultation about it, and the voice of thanksgiving and praise will be heard as well as the voice of prayer. It might seem, at first, as though expectation would check prayer rather than stimulate it, for why should we ask if we are already confident of receiving? But experience teaches that this is not so. Having prayed, and received the assurance that blessing will be given, we continue in prayer; our expectant eyes are raised unto the Lord our God, and we wait before Him still with eager desire. Indeed, our confidence enlarges our desire.

II. It stimulates effort.To achieve nothing requires no great exertion; so if the members of a church are not expecting success they will not work for it.

III. It promotes co-operation.Where the members of a church are not standing shoulder to shoulder and together striving for the faith of the gospel, it is an indication that there is no expectation of large success.

IV. It promotes consistent Christian living.The conversion of souls to God being much in the thoughts, Christians are careful about their conduct lest they should be stumbling-blocks in the way of any.

Why should we not have success?

1. Think of the material we have to operate uponin the congregation, the Sunday-school, the town.

2. Think of the power of the gospel.

3. Think of the capabilities of the church. 4. Think of the experience of the past. Has not God granted success when the conditions have been fulfilled? Experience should work hope. He may be depended upon for the future.H. M. Booth.

Faith.It is the bucket let down into the fountain of Gods grace, without which the man could not draw up out of that fountain; the purse which does not itself make its owner rich, but which yet effectually enriches him by the treasure which it contains.Anon.

Mat. 9:30. A time to be silent.

I. When silence is commanded.
II. When the truth itself may be out of season.

III. When the truth is only partially known.

IV. When it might be as pearls cast before swine.J. C. Gray.

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Section 21

JESUS GIVES SIGHT TO TWO BLIND MEN AND FREES A DUMB DEMONIAC

TEXT: 9:2734

27.

And as Jesus passed by from thence, two blind men followed him, crying out, and saying, Have mercy on us, thou son of David.

28.

And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

29.

Then he touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it done unto you.

30.

And their eyes were opened. And Jesus strictly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.

31.

But they went forth, and spread abroad his fame in all that land.

32.

And as they went forth, behold, there was brought to him a dumb man possessed with a demon.

33.

And when the demon was cast out, the dumb man spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.

34.

But the Pharisees said, By the prince of the demons casteth he out demons.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS

Why did these two blind men address Jesus as Son of David? What do you think they mean to imply by using the expression? Why not just call Him Jesus of Nazareth or something similar?

Why did Jesus ask the blind men if they believed He was able to give them their sight? Would it have not been simpler just to heal them without this questioning?

Why would Jesus forbid these men to tell of their healing?

What do you suppose was the justification these men used for disobeying Jesus clear orders?

To what would you attribute the fact that Jesus ministry appealed to a pair of old blind men here, some sick folk there, publicans and other sinners elsewhere, but was not received by the Pharisees? Was it because His evidence did not meet the critical investigation of these erudite scholars?

Why did the Pharisees make such a violent charge as this statement that Jesus power is attributable to some secret league with Satan? What motivated the charge? What could they have hoped to accomplish by voicing it?

Why could not the Pharisees criticize Jesus other miracles on the same basis, crediting them to the same satanic power?

PARAPHRASE AND HARMONY

As Jesus was on His way somewhere else, two blind men following along behind Him, shouting, Take pity on us, Son of David!
When Jesus had entered a house, these two came indoors too and approached Him. Jesus asked them, Do you men believe that I have the power to make you see?
Yes, Lord, they said, We do.
Then He touched their eyes with His fingers, saying as He did, On the basis of your trust, the miracle will be done for you.
And suddenly their sight was restored. Then Jesus sternly warned them, See that no one hears about this!
But as soon as they went outside, they spread this all over the countryside!
Later, as Jesus and His group were leaving, some people brought Him a dumb man who was demon-possessed. Jesus evicted the demon and immediately the man recovered his speech. Simply amazed, the onlookers remarked, We have never seen anything like it in Israel!
But the Pharisees growled, He throws out these demons by secret agreement with Satan himself, the demons leader!

SUMMARY

En route somewhere Jesus encountered two blind men who sought healing. Seemingly ignoring their request, Jesus entered a house. Persistently, the two came in also. Jesus challenged their faith. Receiving a positive response, Jesus healed them and ordered secrecy. However they disobeyed by telling it everywhere. On another occasion Jesus cast out the demon from a dumb man, freeing him thus to speak. The crowds responded with amazed praise; the Pharisees responded by attributing Jesus power to Satans permission.

NOTES

Mat. 9:27 And as Jesus passed by from thence, i.e. coming away from Jairus house. Two blind men followed him as well as men deprived of their sight can follow. Perhaps they were led by friends as they make their appeal, This is one of several such requests made of Jesus (see Mat. 12:22; Mat. 20:30; Mat. 21:14; John 9) among many alluded to (Luk. 4:18; Luk. 7:21-22). Matthews narrative of this and the following incidents seem almost devoid of color and significance, being related only in the barest of factual detail. But his purpose is very clear when this section is viewed in the context of the entire ninth chapter, in which he describes how opposition began to mount to Jesus ministry.

Jesus was accused of blasphemy (Mat. 9:2-8)

Then He was accused of immorality for receiving as intimate friends those whom no respected person would consider as intimate companions (Mat. 9:9-13)

Thereafter the Lord was subtly accused of not being holy enough, since His disciples apparently with His approval did not follow those forms that expressed holiness (Mat. 9:14-17)

When He tried to comfort the mourners, family and friends in Jairus house, telling them the little girl was not dead, but sleeping, people accused Him of madness by scorning His revelation. (Mat. 9:24)

Here, in an accusation less obvious, and certainly more subtle than the out-spoken remarks of others, is the attitude of the two blind men, when healed, that regards Jesus as anything less than a real Lord. They disobey His clear command. (See on Mat. 9:30)

Last, the Pharisees take up the jealous cry, accusing Jesus of being Satans ally. (Mat. 9:34)

In each case, Matthew has shown Jesus masterful response to the accusations, except in these last two, unless verses 3538 be so construed. In the case of the unwanted publicity created by the healed blind men, there was little Jesus could do or say to deal with it, except plunge into more vigorous work to meet the needs of the people who came to Him as a result of His fame, which, in fact, He did (Mat. 9:35-38). In the case of the calumny raised by the Pharisees, Matthew has reserved a full and final answer for a later section (Mat. 12:22-37), so he did not record any answer Jesus might have given here.

Crying out and saying, Have mercy on us, thou son of David. Although Son of David, taken as a title, was a then-current expression for the Christ, since the Messiah was to be THE Son of David par excellence (See Notes on Mat. 1:1; Mat. 12:23; Mat. 21:9; Mat. 21:15; Mat. 22:41-45), it may be fairly asked why, in light of the revolution-breeding implications of its use in that particular historic period, should Jesus permit these two blind men to follow Him crying out this obvious advertisement of His true identity. It may be that Jesus half hides, half reveals the exciting truth by not rebuking these men on the spot:

He permits the blind men to advertise His identity for Him, so as to suggest to all who hear them the conclusion to which all His life and preaching led.

But since He does not publicly accept this title as pronounced by them, rather forcing them to follow into private quarters, He did not here decide the issue. As a result, those, who would have been willing to start a bloody nationalistic revolution at the drop of a suggestion that He were the long-awaited Messiah, could not move into action. This is Galilee, hot-bed of the Zealots movement (See Josephus, Ant. I, 1, 1 and 6; IV, 3, 9; 5, 1; Wars, VII, 8, 1 and Edersheim, Life, I, 237242) Jesus could accept the title openly elsewhere away from Galilee and later on, as His life and ministry had already run its course. (See Mat. 15:22; Mat. 20:29-34 and parallels; Mat. 21:9; Mat. 21:15 as over against Mat. 12:23).

Leaving the question thus unresolved, the Lord gives Himself time and opportunity to reveal what kind of Son of David He really intended to be.

But the fact that these two blind men, who would presumably have lived outside the general circle of public activity, should make this appeal to Jesus as Messiah, certainly strongly suggests that the public sentiment is growing that Jesus may well be the great Son of David.
How correct a concept of Jesus Messiahship did these men have in order to dare address Him in these terms? Barclay (Matthew, I, 358) observes that the usual occurrences of this title within the gospels as almost always by crowds or by people who knew Jesus only, as it were, at a distance (Mat. 15:22; Mat. 20:30-31; Mar. 10:47; Mar. 12:35-37) This is so strongly felt by Edersheim (Life, II, 48, 49) that he felt constrained to regard this incident as having taken place in Gentile territory and at a much later period. It is true that, in the popular mind, this messianic title conjured up the great commander who would bring national glory, power, wealth and freedom to Israel. And, just as deeply implanted in the national consciousness of Israel was this hope of national greatness, just so far from their popular hopes was the opinion that the Messiah was to be King over a spiritual reign in mens hearts. How far these blind men shared these views cannot be known. One thing is known from the available information recorded by Matthew: Jesus did NOT praise them for their great insight into His identity. They probably came to Him with a very inadequate concept of who He was and what He intended to tell the world, and YET He helped them. Have mercy on us, thou Son of David, is still their expression of trust in Him as Messiah and that He, as Christ, could restore their sight.

Have mercy on us is all that is written down of their appeal, a fact which suggests that they humbly left to Jesus the complete right to bless them as He chose, even as the leper. (Mat. 8:2-4)

Mat. 9:28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus apparently indifference to their pleas puts their faith in Him to several rigorous tests: they must, by some means, follow Him if they are to have the answer to their prayers. In forcing the blind men into a private, face-to-face confrontation with Him, the Lord made them confront a personal decision about Him they perhaps had not yet made, even though their desire for sight had already caused them to hurdle other difficulties. Barclay (Matthew, I, 359) comments:

It is the law of the spiritual life that sooner or later a man must confront Jesus alone. It is all very well to take a decision for Jesus on the flood tide of emotion of some great gathering, or in some little group which is charged with spiritual power. But after the crowd, a man must go home and be alone; after the fellowship he must go back to the essential isolation of every human soul; and what really matters is not what a man does in the crowd, but what he does when he is alone with Christ.

Does Jesus foresee that they will disobey Him when once He grants their request? Their subsequent actions show that He was fully justified in testing them even further than He did.

Into the house causes us instinctively to ask, which house, since no special house has been mentioned since Jesus left that of Jairus. Why the article, the house? (Cf. Mar. 7:24 without the article.) Is it the house where Jesus normally resided in Capernaum when at home (Mar. 2:1)? It may be that Matthew does not regard the identification of the house as important, since his emphasis is to show the blind mens determination to get to Jesus despite the opposition of their own blindness and the obstacle of Jesus not helping them by His not letting them catch up with Him on the road. (Cf. Mat. 20:32).

Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? Why ask a question which has so obvious an answer?

Because the Lord probably suspects the depth of information that represents the foundation of their acclamation of Him as Messiah. It may well be that these blind men had taken up a popular opinion about Him, simply because everyone had begun to think it. In this case, He demands that they sound the depth of their personal understanding and the genuineness of their own dependence upon Him as Messiah.

This question could almost be an exclamation of surprise and wonder, since these two blind men, unable to see the miracles for themselves, must necessarily depend upon the eye-witness reports of others. In a sense, then, they stand in the same relationship to the miracles of Jesus as all whom Jesus blessed who have not seen, and yet believed. (Joh. 20:29) We stand in our own century, blinded by the intervening centuries necessarily relying upon the evidence provided us by those who saw Him. (1Jn. 1:1-4; 2Pe. 1:16) If these blind men believed, who had so little opportunity to know the evidence at first-hand, then this consideration, as McGarvey (Matthew-Mark, 85) notes, shows, on the one hand, the abundance of the evidence, and on the other, the obduracy of those who could see and still would not believe.

Lenski (Matthew, 378) affirms another purpose behind Jesus question:

to turn the thoughts of these blind men away from any political Messianic ideas regarding Jesus and to direct them to the divine power and grace found in him. The emphasis is not merely on do you believe but equally on the object clause, that I am able to do this. One who is able to restore sight by means of a touch and a word is far greater than any national king, however grand his reign may be.

Jesus had already given many evidences of His divine identity through His miracles, proofs upon which sturdy faith could be founded, With this progress in the development of His public image, He could begin to demand that that trust in Him be confessed.

They say unto him, Yea, Lord. They had already shown great faith and determination just to address Him as the Christ and persist in following this far. They had also shown great courage so openly to approach Him in these terms, since not everyone at this time acknowledged Jesus as Messiah and many never would. So it took great boldness of spirit to speak out and risk their future happiness with this Son of David, They may have been blind to this world, but they were not blind to spiritual reality. Now that Jesus puts this direct question to them regarding their personal conviction, they confess the persuasion of their heart.

Mat. 9:29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it done unto you. Jesus is saying: Since your confidence in my power to give you sight is unreserved, I will exert that power unreservedly and restore your vision! I will match your great faith with great power. He touched their eyes, not because this contact was necessary, since He had used other methods on other occasions. (Cf. Mar. 8:23; Mar. 8:25; Joh. 9:6-7; sometimes on other sicknesses, He spoke a word at a distance and made no gesture whatever) These blind men, who could see no other gesture of Jesus, can feel this touch and know that the power actually came from the Lord Himself. He permitted them to feel the surge of power that His will exerted: what a wonderful revelation of His identity so well suited to blind men!

Mat. 9:30 And their eyes were opened and the first person they saw was Jesus! In this splendid double blessing is revealed Jesus mercy that removes from their hearts the effects of what had probably seemed to these men an unyielding denial of their earlier pleas. In that instant of immediate, perfect sight, these two men now see justified all they had ever thought and said about Jesus: He is truly the Christ. But what are they to do about this new-found knowledge of which they themselves are now the witnesses? How can they show their gratitude enough?

And Jesus strictly charged them. The verb embrimomai, here translated stricrly charged, is an intriguing word which conjures up a surprising picture of Jesus at this point. Arndt and Gingrich (254) discuss the word:

In Aeschylus and others in the sense to snort. As an expression of anger and displeasure in Lucan . . . In Aquilas translation of Psa. 7:12(11); Symmachus on Isa. 17:13; LXX on Lam. 2:6. With the dative of person: to scold, censure . . Mar. 14:5; warn sternly Mar. 1:43; Mat. 9:30.

See also Hendriksen, John on Joh. 11:33. Since hardly anyone Jesus warned ever obeyed Him, He had good reason to be severe! Why should He begin so immediately and so vehemently to warn them? Could the Master see already rising in their breast that exuberance of praise that defied being limited?

See that no man know it. This is their only commission from Him who had restored them light and life, joy and usefulness, taken them from their dark world to revel in the color and beauty of all that pleases on this earth. Jesus could have required so much more of them, but He did not charge them a thing but their silence. (See on Mat. 8:4 and Mat. 9:27; other instances: Mat. 12:16; Mar. 3:12; Mar. 5:43; Mar. 7:36; Mar. 8:26, all of which occurred in Galilee or in Decapolis near the Lake of Galilee. As in the former instances (Mat. 8:4 and Mat. 9:26), Jesus words are directed to the persons principally involved. These men, then, are not to go around proclaiming the news of their healing. This is not a command for them to go into hiding, so that the facts could not be absolutely known, since, it is presumed, the family and immediate acquaintances would come to know what had been done for them. All that Jesus intended was the opposite of what the men eventually did!

The Lord wisely forbade them to speak openly about their marvellous cure, since He must keep His own movement well in hand. Should these healed men now begin broadcasting His excellencies, even as they had arrested attention by addressing Him as the long-expected Messiah, popular excitement could grow into a bloody uprising of nationalistic Judaism against Rome. Other reasons may have been:

Their ignorant concept of the Messiah, if broadcast, would stimulate others who shared that concept to try to force Him into their mold without ever understanding what kind of Christ He was. These busy babblers proved how little they really knew about the Christ whose Word is law! While walking the tight-rope between the various mistaken views of His ministry held by all who knew Him, Jesus knew that this was not the moment to proclaim His Messiahship openly, nor was it the moment to explain in detail to these beginners in faith the true nature of His Messiahship. It would but bring them more confusion. Hence, silence on their part was the only alternative open to them. If they really accepted Him as the mighty Son of David, they would have to trust Him to know what He was doing by requiring silence, where they certainly felt publicity to be in order.

A second reason for Jesus prohibition so passionately expressed here was the fear, fully justified by the subsequent events, that His ministry should be hindered and frustrated by excited crowds, spiritually unable or unwilling to grasp what He must reveal to them about the REAL Kingdom of the Son of David.

A third reason lay in the insight of Jesus Himself into His own capacity for temptation: few men can live with success. What a truly human temptation to bow the knee before Satan, in order to be able to claim even just this one kingdom of the world, over which He could be the Son of David (cf. Mat. 4:10; Mat. 16:23). The indignant earnestness with which He warns these blind men, then, means If you really respect me and appreciate what I have done for you, then do not destroy me by praising me. Praise is next to impossible to fight; accusations, yes, attacks, certainly, but sincerely meant adoration based on good evidence is useless to combat. But praise can destroy, however honestly meant, when it leads the person, who is the object of its worship, to be anything other than what is his best, his highest. Yes, Jesus had a superior character because He did not seek mens praise, but He also took pains to remove the temptation to enjoy it whenever it led Him away from that one goal, that one duty to establish Davids Kingdom by way of the cross.

Mat. 9:31 But they went forth and spread his fame in all that land. But they (hoi d) is an express contrast to the strict prohibition of Jesus, that preceeds this sentence. Matthew sees their action as contrary to what Jesus had told them to do. This action of theirs is disobedience for which they are greatly to blame. If they had had real respect for Jesus, as much as they had faith to be healed by Him, they should have respected His will in the matter. Despite their joy and devotion and perfectly understandable desire to praise Jesus before men, yet He had strictly warned them to be silent. The seeming unreasonableness of Jesus commands or statements, as man looks at them, can never be argued as a reason for refusing to render whole-hearted submission. That enthusiasm that bleats, But Jesus could not have meant what He said . . . is SIN! This is further proof of the fallacy of following the leadership of ones emotions entirely in reference to ones obedience to God. These blind men were much too exhilarated by their healing to believe Jesus had meant what He said. Joy felt because of Gods gracious blessing does not ever exempt anyone from obedience. (See Rom. 2:4-6; Luk. 6:35; notes on Mat. 5:45)

The fame that spread in all that land was shallow, ignorant praise for which neither Jesus nor those who understand Him could rejoice. Edersheim sagely sees that (Life, II, 50)

The acclamations of an excited Jewish crowd were as incongruous to the real Character of the Christ, and as obstructive to the progress of His Kingdom, as is the outward homage of a world which has not heart-belief in His power, nor heart-experience of His ability and willingness to cleanse the leper and to open the eyes of the blind.

Even, as then, to call Jesus the Son of David with the inadequate or entirely wrong meaning behind those words was damning Him with faint praise, so now, those, who praise Jesus without surrendering their hearts to Him, are but deceiving themselves, hoping to be part of His eternal kingdom, which, when viewed according to their concept, does not exist, any more than the kingdom of David as the Jews thought of it ever existed beyond the popular Jewish imagination of that era.

Mat. 9:32 And as they went forth, i.e. just as the two formerly blind men left the house in which Jesus had healed them. Behold, there was brought to him a dumb man possessed with a demon. Is there any connection between this latter appeal to Jesus and the case of the blind men? It may well be that these formerly blind men began to proclaim their healing right among the people standing around in the streets (cf. Mat. 9:33 b). Had the multitudes heard what the two blind men had called Jesus before their marvellous healing? Did these two men, now healed, and more convinced than ever that Jesus is truly the Son of David, repeat this wonderful title in their recitation of their healing? It might just well be that the solicitous friends of the dumb demoniac are among the first to begin making appeal to Jesus, having been excited to action by the joyous exclamations of the formerly blind.

A dumb man possessed with a demon. It is usually assumed by most commentators that the man was speechless because the demon had made him dumb, an assumption based on the observation that when the demon was cast out, the man regained the use of his speech, This conclusion is further strengthened by the fact that the effect of demon-possession was not always the same (See on Mat. 8:28 to Mat. 9:1). The evidences for the reality of this demon-possession as a real, supernatural cause for the phenomenon, mentioned by Lewis and Booth (PHC, XXII, 236, 237), are:

Something in the evident sense of oppression on the part of the sufferer that could not be classed as madness;

Something about the strange persistency of his inability to speak inexplicable on other grounds;

Something in the complete absence of anything in his physical makeup that would suggest failure there;

Something in the utter absence of failure in his mental faculties that could account for his condition.

There were none present who doubted the cause as being supernatural:

The multitudes accepted it as demon-possession, since they are recorded as being so greatly impressed with the casting out of the demon by Jesus.

These critical cynics, the Pharisees, did not doubt it, rather, they would have been only too glad to have been able to ascribe the poor victims condition to anything else than demonic possession, had they thought that they could have sustained their case. Rather than deny by superior evidence what the people commonly regarded as demon-possession, the Pharisees could only admit the facts as stated and deny the implication that Jesus was Master of Satan.

So all eye-witnesses concur that this was a true, significant case of demon-possession.

Mat. 9:33 And when the demon was cast out, the dumb man spake. It is easy to imagine the tension as Jesus commanded the demon to depart. All ears would be listening for the first words of this victim. Perhaps as he began talking, he alone spoke, since all would be listening to hear that voice so long silent. It was not long, however, that all remained silent, as their surprise, wonder and conviction drew forth from them shouts of praise and admiration for Jesus.

And the multitudes marveled, saying, It was never seen in Israel. This was probably not all that they were saying either. Were the crowds beginning to echo the words of the former blind men: Can this be the Son of David (Cf. Mat. 12:23 and the notes there; Joh. 7:31) Or are these words, the only ones written down, merely the reflection of discretion felt necessary by the multitudes in view of the menacing presence of the Pharisees? It would not do, after all, to offend these august gentlemen! But, as Matthew notes below, no discretion could hide this honest admiration nor prevent offense to the religious leaders.

It was never so seen in Israel. This was literally true, since there had never been in Israels long history such a vast collection of wonderful evidences of the presence of God with His people. This appraisal of this continuous succession of miracles is not only that of the crowds: it is the conclusion of Matthew too. He has been patiently recording one striking miracle after another (chapters 8, 9). But rather than cumber or mar his writing with his own views, he lets the spontaneous praise of these bystanders express the joy of HIS heart and pride in His Savior.

But even with this remarkable expression of astonishment of the multitudes, let it not be forgotten that even they too grew accustomed to them. McGarvey (Matthew-Mark, 86) is right to point out that

With every new variety of miracles there came fresh surprise among the people. After seeing a few sick persons cured, they naturally ceased being surprised at cures of sickness; but when they saw this dumb man restored to speech, they were almost as much surprised as if they had seen no previous miracles. The range of fresh miracles, however, necessarily had a limit, and therefore miracle working, as a means of impressing men, had to be of temporary duration. A permanent continuation of miracles would have robbed them of their value by making them common.

Mat. 9:34 But the Pharisees said, By the prince of the demons casteth he out demons. But the Pharisees as a phrase, stands in direct opposition to the response of the multitudes. Is it possible that Matthew is summarizing the general effect of these miracles of chapters eight and nine, and not merely the immediate effect wrought by the casting out of the demon? The striking similarity between the report of these two responses and the report later given (Mat. 12:22-24) would lead us to think that Matthews inclusion here refers only to this last section and not to the whole of the larger section. Be that as it may, it is nevertheless interesting that our author should conclude these two chapters with the polarizing of opinions into two fundamental groups; the multitudes of common people and those pillars of Jewish orthodoxy, the Pharisees. Why he should single out these latter, over against all other sects or groups in Judaism, is explicable since:

The Pharisees attitude toward Jesus was more pronounced: they busied themselves the most to frustrate the progress of His movement.

The Herodians could not be too excited about Jesus, since He had deliberately ignored the Herods, neither praising nor censuring them.

The Sadducees were too much interested in political maneuverings at Jerusalem to disturb themselves greatly about the spiritual emphasis of Jesus.

Why not the Zealots? Perhaps, they hoped yet to find in Jesus their revolutionary hero and leader, hence they too would not so accuse Him.

By the prince of demons casteth he out demons. This charge is almost funny, since it represents the best efforts of the concentrated attention of the Pharisees to arrive at an answer regarding Jesus miracles. These frustrated sectarians answered only the miracles connected with demon-possession, since they could not reply to any of the others. This charge arises out of sheer spite and jealousy. It had probably been years since multitudes of people had ever gotten this stirred up about a Rabbi and THIS Rabbi was no Pharisee!

In this age of scientific inquiry, it is well to ask why Jesus ministry appealed to a couple of old blind men, a few infirm people, some fishermen, tax-collectors and harlots, but was not received by the great body of religious authorities and acknowledged scholars in Israel, especially the Pharisees. Was it because His evidence did not meet the critical investigation of these erudite and reverend doctors? On the contrary, for in their own words of this text, they confess: He casts out demons. The FACT they could not deny upon the most minute investigation. Their only objection lay in the INTERPRETATION of the meaning of the phenomenon observed as fact. Why did they then attribute a different interpretation to the facts than did the common people?

They had a philosophical system that boxed God into dimensions they could control by manipulation of their theology. But Jesus brought Israel a picture of God that was larger than their system, unhampered by their theology, free of their prejudices. And worse yet, for them, His credentials were impeccablejust a little too perfect, since if He were right about Godif His religion were the only real onethen they were wrong and had been wrong for centuries. There could be only one who could produce such wonderful signs whereby the very elect themselves could be deceived into leaving the carefully handed-down traditions: Satan. These Pharisees could see clearly, as many church members unfortunately have never learned, that to come to God through Jesus Christ meant to confess their sins, their false theology, their selfish pride, their hypocrisy exactly as Jesus exposes them for what they really are. If Jesus is right, then all their righteousness is sin, their theology false, their pride unwarranted and their hypocrisy exposed. But these men had not the slightest intention to change or be changed: it was much easier to retaliate than repent!
The great guilt of this accusation lies in its typically Pharisaic attitude: there is no evidence here of any sympathy for the freed victim, no word of praise or thankfulness to God. We see only a determination not to admit the true force of Jesus miracles, if possible, even while admitting the facts of the case. Any conclusion is better than that which would glorify Jesus or support His movement!

Matthew, whose Gospel contains one of the finest refutations of this slander, must have included this incident without comment here to show how early the storm-clouds began to gather on the horizon of Jesus career. Jesus refusal to answer this calumny on this occasion may be interpreted as a tactic whereby He chose not to dignify their lie to the level of a serious charge that even needed refutation. Instead of accepting the obvious implications of His divine credentials, the Pharisees, emboldened by His meekness in refusing to defend Himself against defamation of this charge, and having nothing of real substance to urge against Him, repeated this libel until He had to answer it or default to them. For that fuller discussion of this charge and Jesus answers, see on Mat. 12:22-37.

This amazed wonder on the part of the common people, as well as the maliciousness of the Pharisees, is not so surprising, after all. This difference in reactions towards Jesus is perfectly to be expected due to the measurable difference in their sense of need. The deeper this sense of need is felt, the more appreciative the people felt toward Jesus. The more self-sufficient the beholder, the less Jesus would be needed or wanted. Woe to him who no longer feels his need for Jesus!

Matthews report of this contrast (Mat. 9:33-34) throws into crisis OUR conscience. As we serve Him our wills remain free, since even His message carried no conviction to the prejudiced mind. With Morgan (Matthew, 98) let us zealously inquire with what attitude we listen and study Jesus word, for it is very possible for prejudice and pride to blind us to the meaning of our King.

FACT QUESTIONS

In what general area did these two blind men live? Connect this section with what immediately precedes, showing where they probably lived.

What did the blind men call Jesus? Why use this term?

Describe Jesus method in dealing with these two blind men.

What had made the man, who appears in the second part of the text, dumb?

State what the Bible actually reveals about demon-possession.

What was the reaction of the crowds when Jesus evicted the demon? What were their actual words?

What explanation did the religious leaders give for Jesus power to cast demons out?

Although Jesus later gave full, detailed rebuttal of this charge made by the Pharisees, how did Jesus respond to the slander at the time?

What kind of opposition had the Pharisees brought Jesus during His ministry up to this time?

10.

What is proved about Jesus by the fact that He can heal the sick and cast, out demons?

11.

State at least two good reasons why Jesus required the blind men to be silent about their healing.

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(27) Two blind men.The two narratives that follow are peculiar to St. Matthew. The title by which the blind address our Lord as the Son of David, was that which expressed the popular belief that He was the expected Christ. It is used afterwards by the woman of Canaan (Mat. 15:22), and again by the blind at Jericho (Mat. 20:30-31; Mar. 10:47; Luk. 18:38-39).

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

53. NINTH MIRACLE CURING TWO BLIND, Mat 9:27-31 .

27. Departed thence Returned from the ruler’s house to his own sojourn. Two blind men The curing of the blind was a frequent miracle of our Lord, as narrated by the evangelists. From the sandiness of the soil irritating the eyes with flying particles, as well as from sleeping in the open air and exposing the eyes to the noxious night dews, the disease of blindness is much more prevalent in the East than among us. And as all our Lord’s miracles of mercy to the body were emblems of mercy to the soul, this frequent miracle beautifully illustrates the Gospel power of relieving the spiritual blindness of sinners. Thou Son of David They hereby acknowledged the royal lineage and consequent Messiahship of our Lord. The carpenter’s son was truly by birth a prince; his pedigree, as given by the evangelists, though doubtless seldom referred to or named by his lowly parents, was still on record.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

‘And as Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him, crying out, and saying, “Have mercy on us, you son of David.”

Not only is this a Messianic sign following closely on the previous one, and deliberately connected to it, but it is also a picture of what will follow the resurrection. Blind eyes will be opened to an acceptance of the Messiah. For it is those who ‘see’ who are blessed (Mat 13:16). And this will be because of the merciful response of ‘the Son of David’ (see above and introduction).

For parallel appeals for merciful action see Mat 15:22; Mat 17:15; Mat 20:30-31. It is made quite clear that the title Son of David is especially connected with exorcisms and the healing of the blind (Mat 12:23; Mat 15:22; Mat 20:30-31; Mat 21:9 with 14). This may well be because by the time of Jesus Solomon, the son of David, was famed for his powers of exorcism (see introduction under Titles of Jesus).

We need not assume that Jesus had ignored their pleas. He may well have been unaware of them (but see Mat 15:23. He may have had the purpose in it of being able to speak to them privately). Or He may not have wanted to respond in an open way to that designation at this point in His ministry. It could have raised false expectations. The detail then assumes an eyewitness, something quite common in Matthew’s Gospel. It is hardly likely to have been invented.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

The Restoring Of Sight To Two Blind Men.

The raising of the Ruler’s daughter from the dead is now followed by a further Messianic sign, the opening of the eyes of the blind (see Mat 11:5). In this incident there are two blind men who are healed. Rather than dismissing Matthew’s tendency to notice what others do not we should recognise from this that Matthew appears especially to have noticed examples of companionship (even in the case of the asses later). Perhaps it was because as an ex-public servant he had known what it was to long for genuine companionship.

These two men began by calling on Jesus as ‘the Son of David’. While this was not a Messianic title in wide use it is clear from the Psalms of Solomon that it was used by some as a Messianic title. And as we have seen in the introduction, there may be good cause for seeing it as especially connected with Solomon, the son of David. For in most of its uses in Matthew it is connected either with the healing of the blind or the exorcising of evil spirits. And Solomon, the son of David, was especially connected with the latter in Jewish tradition. Thus it indicated here that present among them was one who was recognised as being in the line of David and Solomon, the Messianic king and the Wise One who could cast out evil spirits and heal even the blind. But actual examples of the healing of the blind are never mentioned in either the Old Testament or Jewish literature. It was to be a Messianic function (Isa 35:5).

Note too the emphasis on their faith. This is the fourth mention of faith in this section (compare Mat 8:10; Mat 9:2; Mat 9:22). It is being made clear that Jesus responds to faith.

The suggestion that Matthew is simply repeating, with alterations, the story in Mat 20:29-34 is laughable when we consider how Matthew condenses his material to save space. The stories are clearly referring to different incidents, and in view of the fact that Jesus must have healed hundreds of blind people (e.g. Mat 15:30) for they were common in Palestine), it simply indicates that even scholars can sometimes be ‘blind’. The superficial similarities are easily explicable. The truth is that men do tend to go around in pairs, as in fact the Apostles did, especially men who live in a world of their own like blind men do, and who beg in the same places. The title ‘Son of David’ is regularly connected with the blind. Indeed there would appear to have been an expectation that the Son of David would open the eyes of the blind, possibly based on Isa 35:5 (see Mat 12:22; Mat 20:30; Mat 21:14 with 9). But anyway the differences between the accounts are too significant to ignore.

Analysis.

a And as Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him, crying out, and saying, “Have mercy on us, you son of David” (Mat 9:27).

b And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him (Mat 9:28 a).

c And Jesus says to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Mat 9:28 b).

d They say to him, “Yes, Lord” (Mat 9:28 c).

c Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you” (Mat 9:29).

b And their eyes were opened. And Jesus strictly charged them, saying, “See that no man know it” (Mat 9:30).

a But they went forth, and spread abroad his fame in all that land (Mat 9:31).

Note that in ‘a’ they followed Him and called out loudly for mercy, and in the parallel they spread abroad His fame. In ‘b’ the blind men came to Him ,and in the parallel their eyes were opened. In ‘c’ He asked whether they believed and in the parallel He responded to their belief. Central in ‘d’ was their bold statement of faith in Him, ‘Yes, Lord’.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Further Miracles of That Day.

v. 27. And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed Him, crying and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.

There was no respite for the Lord since His power over diseases was now generally known. Waiting at the door were two unfortunates with an affliction very common in the East, especially in Egypt, Palestine, and Arabia. They were blind from disease. The stories they had heard of the healing power of Jesus and the words which they had had occasion to listen to from His own mouth, had given them the conviction that this man must be the promised Messiah. For while they followed after Him, they cried loudly, calling Him the Son of David, and beseeching Him for help. Note: The opinion was generally held in Judea at that time, that the Messiah should be the Son of David, Joh 7:42. Jesus was openly acknowledged as coming from this family. Mat 12:23; Mat 15:22; Mat 20:30-31; Mat 21:9-15; Mat 22:41-45. The fact that these blind men thus publicly invoked Him amounted to a distinct profession of the Messiahship of Jesus. For that reason also the pleading cry: Have mercy on us! No grumbling against fate, no demanding of a just alleviation of an unmerited punishment; only mercy they beg.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

Mat 9:27. Thou son of David, &c. Son of David was one of the names then ascribed by the Jews to the Messiah. See ch. Mat 12:23.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Mat 9:27-28 . ] , , , , Euth. Zigabenus. Matthew alone records the two miracles, Mat 9:27-34 , but it is rash to regard them (Holtzmann) as a literary device in anticipation of Mat 11:5 . The title “son of David” is surely conceivable enough, considering the works already done by Jesus, and so cannot serve as a ground for regarding the healing of the blind man here recorded as a variation of Mat 20:29 ff. (Wilke, Bleek, Weiss, Keim).

. as Mat 9:9 .

. ] in which Jesus resided. Comp. Mat 9:10 .

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

VII
The cure of the blind men and of the dumb demoniac: or, the fame and the defamation of the defamation of the miracles of Jesus. The healing agency of the Lord, the earnest of coming salvation, in view of the hardening and the blasphemy of His enemies.

Mat 9:27-34

27And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.21 28And when he was [had] come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able todo this? They said [say, ] unto him, Yea, Lord. 29Then touched he their eyes,saying, According to your faith be it unto you. 30And their eyes were opened; andJesus straitly charged [threatened]22 them, saying, See that no man know it23 31But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.

32As they went out,24 behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with adevil.25 33And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled,saying, It [he] was never so seen in Israel. 34But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

General Remarks.These two miracles are recorded by Matthew alone. They are here related, partly because they formed the close of a glorious day, and partly because in them the power of Christ appears in a new light. The distinguishing feature in the case of the two blind persons consisted in their invoking Jesus as the Son of David, or the Messiah; so that their supplication almost amounted to a distinct Christian profession. The opposite characteristic marked the case of the dumb demoniac, who was not dumb from any organic defect, but rendered such by the evil spirit of whom he was possessed. He was a demoniac without appearing to be such, since his condition remained concealed under a dumbness which originated either in unconquerable melancholy, or in malicious stubbornness. The dumb person was prevented by the demon from speaking, and the omniscience of the Saviour appeared in His immediately recognizing the source of the evil. The miracle was in so far extraordinary, as its only basis was the faith of those who brought the demoniac to the Lord; while, at the same time, the malice and blasphemy of the Pharisees served to confirm the power of the evil one over his victim. Thus the first of these miracles was, so to speak, enacted on the threshold of the kingdom of heaven; the second, at the gate of hell.

Mat 9:27. Two blind men.Blindness is a very common affliction in the East, especially in Egypt, Arabia, and Palestine. It was caused by the strong reflection of light, by lightning, dust, hot days, cold nights, frequent sleeping in the open air, etc. The persons here spoken of were not blind by nature, but by disease. In John 9 the contrary was the case, and is so expressly stated.

Son of David.The designation of the Messiah. See Mat 12:23; Mat 15:22; Mat 20:30-31; Mat 21:9; Mat 21:15; Mat 22:41-45.

Mat 9:28. Into the house;i.e., His dwelling at Capernaum. The circumstance, that the blind men followed Him thither, seems itself miraculous. They found their way in the train of Christ, as if some glimmer of light had already been granted. Similarly, the persistence with which they openly ascribed to the Lord a Messianic title which He had not yet publicly assumed, was a signal manifestation of their faith. They were not healed by the way, partly because Jesus would try their faith, and partly because as yet He would not in public reply to the address of Messiah.

Mat 9:29. [According to your faith be it done to you.An important word, which shows the relation of mans faith to Gods grace. Faith is the hand which takes what God offers, the spiritual organ of appropriation, the , the connecting link between emptiness and Gods fulness. It is the bucket let down into the fountain of Gods grace, without which the man could not draw up out of that fountain; the purse, which does not itself make its owner rich, but which yet effectually enriches him by the treasure which it contains.P. S.]

Mat 9:30. Their eyes were opened,i.e., they received their sight. A common Hebrew expression, as in 2Ki 6:17; Isa 35:5, etc.

Straitly [sternly] charged [threatened] them.Properly, He threatened them, full of indignation, . They had already publicly invoked Him as the Son of David, and He had holpen them. Accordingly, they would be still more prone to proclaim Him as Messiah, which might have led the people of Galilee into rebellion against their temporal rulers, and to a carnal movement, which was quite contrary to the purposes of Jesus. Hence the Lord now threatened them with all earnestness, although without succeeding in imposing silence upon hem. In all probability the fame of this miracle spread far beyond Capernaum. Hence the title, Son of David, became now generally known, and Jesus felt all the more inclined soon to leave the district.26

Mat 9:33. It [He] was never so seen, .Meyer: It, i.e., the expulsion of demons. Rettig, Fritzsche: He has never so appeared or shown Himself. (The common explanation is, that stands for or , against which, see Meyer.) If it were necessary to limit the word it to that one peculiar kind of expelling demons, we should feel constrained to adopt the explanation proposed by Rettig and Fritzsche. But this does not seem requisite in view of the emphatic meaning attaching to the word . The Jews would necessarily connect the idea of appearing with the appearance of the Messiah. Hence the expression would imply: never before has the appearance (of the promised deliverance) been so fully realized. This also throws light on the expression, in Israel, which evidently implies that this had been the brightest Messianic appearance as yet vouchsafed to the theocracy. Perhaps the statement was intentionally couched in indefinite language from fear of the powerful party of Christs enemies.

Mat 9:34. Through the prince of the devils, , …Afterward he is designated more particularly in Mat 12:24. The particle indicates intimate connection and fellowship. He is in league with Satan and his power, to which the lower demons are subject. As mention is not made of any reply by the Lord, we conclude that on this occasion the Pharisees had uttered the sentiment behind the Lord, but in the presence of those who acknowledged His power.

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. This is the first instance in which the Lord performed a miracle when invoked in His character as the Messiah. The expressions employed in the text are very remarkable. Jesus first asks, Believe ye that I am able to do this?not, that I am the Messiah; and then adds, According to your faith be it unto you! But on this very account He insisted the more earnestly that the secret should be kept. He could not, indeed, prevent that the cure of the blind men should openly appear, nor that they should ascribe it to His power. But He sought to prevent their publishing in what name and character He had performed it. The patent secret of His dignity was now bursting forth with increasing clearness. Hence also the reviling and the blasphemy of His enemies.
2. The healing of the dumb demoniac affords a glimpse into a class of sufferings which are apparently physical and organic, but whose seat is really in the soul. The Spirit of Christ alone was able to light up this darkness, and thus to remove their affliction.
3. The blasphemy of the Pharisees gradually develops: 1. They blaspheme in their own minds; 2. then behind the Lord; 3. at last they venture openly to confront Him with their daring charge.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

How the two blind persons represent to us the work of evangelists. I. They resemble evangelists,a. in that they openly invoke the Lord as Messiah; b. in that, in their blindness, they follow in His train to the house; c. in that they have faith and constancy, are tried and approved; d. in that they obtain help on making confession of faith. II. They differ from evangelists in wanting full obedience; and although their joy may plead their excuse, yet their spiritual sight was evidently still weak, though their bodily sight had been restored them.Christ appearing as the Master in the carefulness of His dealings with sinners.The light of the eye: I. a natural gift of God; II. a miraculous gift of the Lord; III. a symbol of the spiritual gift of God.They brought to Him. Persons in such a state of depression must be brought to the Lord by their believing friends.How the Master immediately descries the secret evil under which the demoniac labored.If there be but a spark of faith, the Lord can remove the most desperate case of spiritual bondage.Let us never lose sight even of those who suffer under melancholy and obstinate self-seclusion.The highest achievements of faith always evoke the greatest revilings of unbelief.It is a mark of the spirit of Satan to decry what the Lord achieves as the work of Satan.There is always some patent self-contradiction about blasphemies.The triumphs of the Lord in view of His enemies: the first manifestation of heaven and hell upon earth.Christ lifting the veil of revelation in a twofold manner: by healing the blind in His character as Messiah; and the dumb, by unmasking and overcoming the demon who caused his disease.At the threshold of Christs abode, precipitate evangelists and dumb demoniacs may meet.Christ between precipitate professors and the obstinately dumb. 1. He bids the former be silent, and the latter speak; 2. He is obeyed by the latter, rather than by the former.Christ healing us by removing our morbid sensations; more especially, a. excitement, in its imaginary heights; b. depression, in its dark depths.The miracles of grace extend from the gates of heaven to those of hell.Demoniac sins which we consciously commit, such as blasphemy, are infinitely more dangerous than demoniac sufferings, when we are deprived of liberty.Christ first removes the storm at sea, and, last of all, the dark intricacies of settled melancholy.

Starke:Faith of the heart and confession of the mouth always go hand in hand, Rom 10:9-10.True faith is not deterred by delays.According to thy faith shall it be unto thee.Envy and reviling are not far removed from each other, 2Co 12:20.

Gerlach:Christ Himself teaches us (Joh 9:39) to regard the healing of the blind as an emblem of inward illumination, or of the conversion of the heart.

Heubner:One deliverance after another.One work of love leads to another.Believe ye?a question always addressed by the Lord to us when we seek help.The deaf and dumb, the picture of a sinner whom the evil spirit within suffers not to confess his misery, or to pray.Should we be moved by the judgment of schools, or parties, in opposition to true religion, when Jesus Himself experienced such contradiction from the learned?

Footnotes:

[21] Mat 9:17.[The original reverses the order: Have mercy on us, Son of David.]

[22] Mat 9:30.[. Lachmann, Tischendorf, and Alford (in the 4th ed.) adopt the passive form , which is quite unusual, but supported by Codd. (Sinait.), B., C. Angelo Mais ed. of the Vatican Cod. (B) reads , but Buttmanns ed.: . The verb (from the radix comp. fremo and the German brummena heavy murmuring sound) signifies in general the utterance of vehement emotion either of wrath and indignation, or (as in Joh 11:33) of grief; then threatening admonition, as here. Chrysostom in loc.: , . Meyer in loc. explains the indignant threat in this case from the fear of its uselessness, comp. Mat 9:32. Lange renders the : bedrohte; the Vulg.: comminatus est; Luther and de Wette: bedruete; van Ess: befahl ihnen ernstlich; Wiclif: thretened; Tyndale, Cranmer, Geneva: charged; Rheims: threatened; the C. V.: straitlyi.e., strictly, rigorouslycharged; Conant: sternly charged. The authorized version renders the word (which occurs five times in the N. T.), by three different verbs, viz.: straitly charged, Mat 9:30; Mar 1:43; murmured, Mar 14:5; groaned, Joh 11:33; Joh 11:38.P. S.]

[23] Mat 9:30.[Dr. Conant and the N. T. of the Am. Bible Union render : Take heed, let no one know it. So should be translated before the imperative, as is done by the Author. E. V. in Mat 16:6.P. S.]

[24] Mat 9:32.[More correctly: And as they were going out, .P. S.]

[25] Mat 9:32.[Lange: einen dmonischen Stummen, or a dumb demoniac, i. e., a man who had become dumb in consequence of the possession. The Author. V. makes the false impression that he was dumb before.P. S.]

[26] Mat 9:30-31.[Alford remarks on , or as he reads with Lachmann: The purpose of our Lords earnestness appears to have been twofold: (1) that He might not be so occupied and overpressed with applications as to have neither time nor strength for the preaching of the Gospel; (2) to prevent the already excited people from taking some public measure of recognition, and arousing the malice of the Pharisees before His hour was come.No doubt the two men were guilty of an act of disobedience in thus breaking the Lords solemn injunction: for obedience is better than sacrifice; the humble observance of the word of the Lord, than the most laborious and wide-spread will-worship after mans own mind and invention. Trench (Notes on Miracles of our Lord, Lond, 6th ed., p. 198) considers it characteristic that all the Romish interpreters excuse or rather applaud these men for not strictly adhering to Christs command; while the Reformed, whose first principle is to take Gods Word as absolute rule and law and to place obedience above sacrifice, consider this publishing of the miracle against the express admonition a blemish in the faith of these men. I add the brief but excellent note of Wordsworth on Mat 9:31 : Glory is not to be obtained by seeking for it, but by declining it. Sequentem fugit, fugientem sequitur gloria.P. S.]

Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange

Concerning this miracle, I beg the Reader particularly to observe, that the cry of those men was evidently the cry of faith: for the name by which they distinguished Christ, Thou SON of David! was the known character in which the Jews were taught to expect Christ. And the opening of the blind eyes was to be a token of his mission. Isa_35:5; Isa_42:7; Isa_61:1 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Chapter 39

Prayer

Almighty God, our words are too poor for thy praise: thou knowest what our hearts would give if they could, thou dost accept the purpose as a temple and the intention as a great reality. Thou dost turn our water into wine, and our two mites of poverty thou dost account more than the gold of the rich. Thou shalt calculate for us, we will no longer reckon for ourselves. Do thou fill our hearts with a desire to praise thee, and turn our whole life into a glad and industrious service, so that whilst the days linger, we may be found doing thy will upon earth, with all the purpose with which thou dost inspire our heart. Now and again we are lifted above the dust and cloud, up where no earth-wind blows, even to heaven’s gate there we see somewhat of the other light, compared with which the light of our sun is but a dim flame. Keep us there in all elevation of feeling and sacredness of desire appropriate to such nearness to thyself, and then as to our daily activity and service, help us to toil amongst men with Christ’s own devotion, piteousness, and infinite charitableness of heart: may the morning find us busy, may the eventide find us seeking only honourable rest, may we be numbered amongst those servants who have the blessedness of being found waiting or working when their Lord comes!

We have brought our weekly hymn to thy house, loud and sweet, cheerful with a great gladness, bright with a heavenly hope. Thou hast done great things for us whereof we are glad: every night thou hast blessed us with the benediction of sleep, every morning thou hast sent the sunbeam to awaken us again to a sense of responsibility and to the engagement of service. All the week long thou hast beset us behind and before and laid thine hand upon us, thou hast sustained our hearts by the infinite comfortableness of thy grace; we are here today a band of men whose hearts God has touched our life would rise to thee like a flame seeking the skies, our whole purpose would be undivided in intensity and in love, and all the while we would be seeking to renew our strength by no trick or cunning of our own, but by diligently waiting for the Lord until it doth please him to appear.

Thou hast given us glad promises, thou hast sounded a trumpet amongst us; yea, a silver trumpet, and every note of it is a note of hopefulness. Thou hast promised that the earth shall be better lighted, that the heavens shall be filled with a greater glory, that all human hearts shall unite in offering praise unto the living one, and that the Cross of Christ, bare, bleak tree, blighted by all the cold and bitterness of winter, shall bloom into a tree, the leaves of which shall be for the healing of the nations, and all nations shall gather themselves under its grateful shade. Pluck thou the prey from the hand of the enemy, reclaim the heritage of the heathen and make it as the garden of heaven. Clothe thy ministers with power, touch their tongues anew with tuneful eloquence and make their hearts burn with all the love of Christ.

We come to thee through the dear Cross of one Jesus of Nazareth, Son of Mary, Son of Man, Son of God, the Man with the great heart, the Christ of Heaven, the Anointed of Eternity, the Lamb that taketh away the sin of the world. O, take it away soon, take it away altogether, shut it up in its appropriate hell, and burn it with unquenchable fire. Reign in us, thou Holy Spirit, rule us continually, give us new thoughts, new emotions, clothe our will as with the garment of obedience, bring us evermore into the attitude of worship and homage before the throne of light.

Comfort those who are bowed down, with the solaces of heaven. Touch the heart that is wounded and give a portion of sweetness to the life that has long been accustomed to the bitter cup. Lighten the burden of the heavy-laden, relight the lamp of those whose hope is dying. Bless our friends who are in the sick chamber, waiting for health, or tarrying till their immortality in heaven begins. Behold our loved ones on the sea, and give them safe outgoing or incoming. Remember all those whom we love on foreign shores, in colonial lands, and in distant countries unite us all by the subtle and inviolable fellowship of Christian love, and may we, when all earthly separations are closed for ever, meet in the brotherhood of heaven! Amen.

Mat 9:27-31

The World Through Which Christ Passed

What a world our Lord Jesus Christ passed through! He was always surrounded by the deaf, the dumb, the blind, the poor, the broken-hearted, the weary, the hungry, and those that had no helper. Herein was the realization, and most vivid and happy fulfilment of prophecy: it was foretold of him that he was to be the Apostle to the meek, the captive, the broken-hearted, and the mourning. Every man creates his awn world. You can find a tolerably comfortable world if you please. Shut yourself up in your own parlour, enjoy your own honey, warm yourself by your own fire, shut out safely all the cries of distress that are ringing in the world, and you will come to the conclusion that life after all is tolerably happy and comfortable. There are men who do this. When they hear complaints, they say they are exaggerated; when their eye reluctantly alights upon the newspapers containing reports of human distress and poverty, they call such reports romances, or they blame the poor for their poverty, the sorrowing for their distress, and the lonely for their helplessness. Every man, let me repeat, creates the world through which he passes. There are some of us near whom no poor man would ever come, if he could help it; he would give us room enough on the broad highway. There are others who are always surrounded by crying, distressful, sad-hearted, grief-stricken folks, so that life is spent in a kind of multitudinous hospital. You can go through life comfortably if you like, or you can acquaint yourself with the world’s woe and the world’s bitter grief.

What a wonderful world Jesus Christ developed! You would not have known that there were so many sick folks in the town if he had not come. The oldest inhabitant was surprised by the distress, helplessness, and sadness of life hidden in the town in which he had lived full seventy years and more. When Jesus Christ entered into the town, all its distress was in a flutter of expectancy. When the Saviour came into any city, the blind heard his footfall, the deaf saw signs in the air that indicated the presence of the Beneficent One all the sadness of the town moved itself in a new prayer, and tried with feeble trembling hand to relight its little lamp of hope.

How is it when you go into any circle, neighbourhood, or town? All its fashion dresses itself, every looking-glass in the neighbourhood is made to do hard duty; or all the letters or all the music of the town may be moved to expectation but no cripple cares for your coming, no deaf man says, “To-day I shall hear,” no blind man gets his sight through your coming. We create, I would say again and again, our own society. The priest goes to the other side when he sees the half-murdered man, the Levite follows his chief; the Samaritan lingers in that unroofed church that he may redeem a life from destruction, and in this way sing his morning psalm and breathe his daily prayer.

You think the world is not a bad place to live in, after all. You say you have found life tolerably comfortable; you think that a great deal too much is made of the shady side of life. Who are you what right have you to speak upon this subject? I could put my ringers in my ears and run through a crowd of people crying with pain, and say at the end of my running, “I heard nothing of it; everything was quiet when I passed through.” We do not diminish the world’s distress by shutting our window, brightening our fire, and drawing around us all the comforts of our own luxurious abode. The distress is still there, it is crying in the night wind, shuddering in the snow, praying to the black night.

Every preacher creates his own congregation. “Like priest, like people,” is a proverb not without its application even in this sense. The congregation and the minister are one in height, in the very shape of their head, in the breadth of their shoulders, in the tone of their mind, in their look, in their fire they are one. There are men we could not hear; they are not our shepherds. There are other men whom we could hear always, because they are our kith and kin from before the foundation of the world. As truly as a man calls around him his own companions, acquaintance and friends, as truly as a minister makes his own congregation in due time, so true is it in the deeper and more tragical sense that every heart makes the world in which it lives. If we were more sympathetic, our doorstep would be crowded with those who need sympathy, but in proportion as we are severe, misanthropic, unsympathetic, unrighteous in judgment, shall we drive away the world’s distress from our neighbourhood and sight, and shall come to believe in the long run that the distress we do not see therefore does not exist.

We sicken at the sight of all this sorrow which is narrated in the holy gospels. Nearly every verse has in it something about the dumb possessed with devils, a man sick of the palsy, a little child dead, a poor woman stealing a blessing from the Physician as he goes down to raise the little one from her fatal slumber, a blind man crying and saying, “Thou Son of David, have mercy on me!” a leper with his hand upon his lip, saying, “Lord, if thou wilt thou canst make me clean.” O, it is heart-rending! Who would not rather read a stirring novel about something that never did occur? When the multitude became hungry, the disciples said, “Send them away.” That is our short and easy cure for human malady send it away. Jesus said, “No, never send anybody away that really needs your help.” Instead of sending them away, Jesus said, “Cause them to sit down on the green grass, and bring out of your little store all that you have, and do not let a single person go away until the last crumb is eaten,” and the last crumb is never eaten in the house of Christ; so long as he is at the table there is bread enough and to spare; so long as he spends your pound a week, working man, you will find in it no end of shillings; so long as he keeps your house, poor widow woman, there will be coal in the grate, there will be bread in the cupboard, and there will be oil in the cruse. “I have been young,” said the Psalmist, “and now am old, yet have I never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” We want a change, we are tired of seeing sad and tragical sights. I, for one, am often tired of the vision; I am weary, I long to plunge my eyes into the snows of the Alps, or into the deep greens of the rich valley pastures. It would do the eyes good. Jesus Christ never tired; he went about doing good. He tired every helper; He never exhausted his own sympathy.

Let us now hear the blind men. We have considered the leper’s brief prayer, “Lord, if thou wilt thou canst make me clean.” The blind men are quite as terse and as direct in their supplications. They cried and said, “Thou Son of David, have mercy on us!” How the right prayer rises from the heart when it is in its own proper mood, Let the heart grapple with the great problems of life and destiny. Snub your impertinent intellect when it undertakes to deal with the universe; let the heart have full swing. “With the heart man believeth unto righteousness.” With the intellect he may believe unto temporary conviction; but with the heart he believes unto righteousness, completeness of sympathy, and reality and joyousness of religious obedience.

Wonderful is this way of putting the case on the part of the blind men. They said, “Have mercy on us!” The heart never said, “Be just to us;” the heart has no weights, and scales, and standards, and tapes of measurement. No broken-hearted sufferer ever came to Christ and said, “Be just to me.” That is a most remarkable circumstance in the development of human necessity and in the utterance of human want. The blind men might have said, “We have heard that you have cured a leper; now be impartial in your administration of the affairs of the universe; deal with an equal hand; if you have cured one man, you ought to cure another: we will charge you with partiality if you do not cure us as you have cured the leper, and raised the ruler’s dead child, and healed the woman who touched the hem of your garment. Be just to us.” The cry is still for mercy. We must come to Christ not with claims but with prayers.

This reference to mercy is a religious reference. It goes back to the roots and causes of things. Blindness is a symptom the disease is in the heart. Lameness, deafness, paralysis these are accidents, attendant phenomena, mere symptoms of something within, and you may as well repair your roof in order to heal your sick child as you may attend to some outward symptom to heal the life. There is but one cure; the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth from all sin. You must be born again. The work is inward, vital, complete. Do not fret your energy and waste your time by attempting to deal with symptoms, but get to the root and cause of the fatal malady. Blindness is the symptom, sin is the disease; there is only one disease, and its bad name is sin. When sin is destroyed, health will be re-established and sadness will vanish like the last night, taking with it all its blackness, and dampness, and misery.

Those men were not as blind as they looked. They were blind in the body, but their eyes within were bright as lamps, keen, piercing, far-seeing; they had the vision of faith. There is no other vision that will last a man’s lifetime; that vision sees in the dark, sees through mountains, pierces the screen of night it is the true vision. Those blind men had seen Christ a long time with the vision of their hearts. There is an unconscious preparation for great events; those great events seem to come to us suddenly, but in reality they are the culmination of long and subtle processes. One ought to have overheard them talking about the new man, the great Healer, the King of men. How they discussed together their manner of approach, what they would say to him, how they would bring the case under his notice, how they corrected one another as to their views and estimates of the yet unknown Healer, how Jesus Christ came suddenly for he always comes suddenly, though he has been ten thousand ages on the way; when we hear the crush of his chariot wheel, it will startle us like thunder at midnight. They went forward, and probably did not say one word of all they had prepared. The heart must be extemporaneous in its utterances, the heart cannot have its little piece of paper or string of parchment; a thousand preparations will be made for Christ, and yet when he does come the heart will answer him spontaneously, and there is a spontaneity that is better than the most elaborate preparation.

Now let us hear Christ himself upon the subject: “Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.” We find the vessel, he finds its heavenly contents. If we have no vessel, we cannot catch the rain; if we have no goblet of faith, we cannot catch the wine of grace. We must be cooperative in this matter; there is a human side as well as a side divine in all this great mystery of human healing and human growth. Jesus Christ, as we have often had occasion to point out, gave people the impression that they had cured themselves. I have never seen Jesus Christ put the crown upon genius, beauty, power, but I have been present on a thousand coronations, when he encircled the brows of modesty with the choicest garlands of heaven.

There is a great law here, which the Church would do well to ponder. It is the law which expresses the solemn and gracious fact that our faith is the measure of our progress in divine things. If the healing had not been wrought in the case of these blind men, the fault would have been with the men themselves. This is the true reading of our Saviour’s word, namely, “According to your faith, be it unto you.” If your faith is equal to the occasion, you shall have what you need; if your faith fall below the occasion, you will be as blind as ever. You may touch the right Christ, but if you touch him with a cold hand, you will receive nothing in return. Not only must we go to the right altar, we must go in the right spirit. The true spirit is shown in the conduct of the woman “If I may but touch his garment I shall be whole.” How is it that the Church is not succeeding today? Because the Church has intelligence, but not faith. How is it that the Church is empty today, and Christ forsaken? Because his Church has taken to argument, analysis, metaphysical disquisition, controversial statement, high and dry systematic divinity, and has lost faith. Why is this the devil’s carnival, why is this the saturnalia of the pit? Because we, as a Church, are clever, but not inspired. We have taken to reckoning religion, and laying a line upon it, and dividing it into fragments and sections; we have taken to a species of religious architecture, giving elevations, and side views, and sections, and detailed drawings, as if the Church were a trick in masonry instead of a glowing and living faith.

The Church will always go down in proportion as its faith declines. For God’s sake do not be clever have faith in God. Lord, increase our faith! If ye had faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye would say to this mountain, “Depart,” and the mountain would, so to say, take to its feet and move off. We now have theories of inspiration, theories of the atonement, theories of justification by faith. Do you mean to tell me that Christ’s great work for the human family requires a volume of five hundred pages to make it clear? Then is the salvation of the world impossible. The atonement is a flash of the mind, a passion of the heart, one transient glimpse of an infinite tragedy, one touch of hot heart-blood. It is not a five-hundred-page octavo in which theology perpetrates its miserable legerdemain, and creates night for the satisfaction of throwing up rockets in its face. Lord, increase our faith! take us away from the so-called fact-world, with its misnamed realities, and lead us into the invisible temple, the hidden sanctuary, the house in the clouds, and show us there thy grace; then send us down all the mountain steep to find the lunatic and heal him, the blind and give him sight, the deaf and give him hearing. The Church will one day take its cleverness up to some Moriah, draw its glittering knife and slay the enemy, and then the Church will put on her beautiful garments, and neither be ashamed of the mystery of faith nor of the obedience of love.

“And Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.” Mark the wisdom of this arrangement. Whatever is done to a mere individual, or to an individual merely as such, is not worth talking about. You have had your eyes opened; that is of no consequence to the universe; do not speak about that. Do not talk with a provincial accent; speak the universal language. If your heart has been blest, tell us; if your skin has been cleansed or your ears have been unstopped, keep the little news to yourself. Jesus Christ was not a mere miracle-monger, Jesus Christ was not a creator of little anecdotes, Jesus Christ was himself the gospel. Jesus Christ never said about the beatitudes, “See that ye tell no man.” When he said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven,” he did not add, “See that ye tell no man.” “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted see that ye tell no man. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God see that ye tell no man.” Keep your individual romances to yourself; they are not worth talking about; if you have a gospel, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Understand the difference between a miracle and a gospel, and you will understand how it was that Jesus Christ never cared about his miracles being talked about; but when he came to his gospel, the earth was too small a stage and time too mean a theatre in which to declare the infinite love and bid the universe hear. The gospel is the common speech of the race. Mere eye-opening or unstopping of the ear is a case that may occur here and there; the symptom is personal and the circumstances are narrow, but the healing of the heart is a matter in which the whole race is interested. The whole head is sick and the whole heart is faint. If you can find a man who can cleanse us and make us pure and happy, tell us his name. Talk of individual cases to individual sufferers, but speak the universal language to the universal heart.

Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker

XXVII

OUR LORD’S GREAT MINISTRY IN GALILEE

Part II

Harmony -pages 89-45 and Mat 9:27-34 ; Joh 5:1-47 ; Mat 12:1-21 ; Mar 2:23-3:19 ; Luk 6:1-16 .

This is a continuation of the great ministry of our Lord in Galilee and the next incident is the healing of the two blind men and the dumb demoniac. It will be noted that our Lord here tested the faith of the blind men in his ability to heal them, and when they were healed he forbade their publishing this to the people, but they went forth and told it and spread his fame in all the land. It was “too good to keep.” Immediately after this they brought to him one possessed with a demon and dumb, and he cast out the demon. This produced wonder among the common people, but brought forth another issue between our Lord and the Pharisees. Tins is the third issue with them, the first being the authority to forgive sins at the healing of the paralytic; the second, the eating with publicans and sinners at the feast of Matthew; the third, the casting out of demons by the prince of demons, which culminated later in the unpardonable sin.

The next incident in our Lord’s ministry is his visit to Jerusalem to the Feast of the Passover (see note in Harmony, p. 39), at which he healed a man on the sabbath and defended his action in the great discourse that followed. In this discussion of our Lord the central text is Joh 5:25 and there are three things to be considered in this connection.

THE OCCASION

The scriptural story of the circumstances which preceded and called forth these utterances of our Saviour is very familiar, very simple, and very touching. A great multitude of impotent folk, blind, halt, withered, were lying in Bethesda’s porches, waiting for the moving of the waters. It is a graphic picture of the afflictions and infirmities incident to human life; the sadness of ill-health; the unutterable longing of the sick to be well; the marvelous power of an advertised cure to attract to its portals and hold in its cold waiting rooms earth’s despairing sufferers, so grouped as to sicken contemplation by the varieties and contrasts of all the ills that flesh is heir to.

Blindness groping its way trying to see with its fingers; deafness vainly and painfully listening for a voice it cannot hear listening with its eyes; lameness limping along on nerveless, wooden feet; blistered, swollen tongues, dumb and senseless, appealing to fingers for speech and to nostrils for taste; the pitiful whining of mendicancy and vagabondage and raga timidly dodging from an expected blow while begging alms; the hideousness of deformity, either shrinking from exposure or glorifying to make conspicuous its repulsiveness, while a side-light reveals, crouched in the misty background, Sin, the fruitful mother of all this progeny of woe.

Ah I Bethesda, Bethesda, thy porches are the archives of unwritten tragedies! If the hieroglyphics inscribed by suffering on thy cold stone pavements could be deciphered, the translations age by age, would be but a repetition of sorrow’s one prayer to pitying heaven: Oh heaven! have compassion on us! Oh heaven I send a healer to us.

It was a sad sight. Now, among the number gathered about that pool was a man who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. His infirmity was impotence lack of power. His physical and his mental powers were prostrated, paralyzed. His affliction was so great that it prevented him from availing himself of any chance of being cured in this pool, and he was tantalized by lying in sight of the cure, continually seeing cures performed on others, and never being able to reach it himself. Such a case attracted the attention of Jesus. He came to this man and propounded an important question: “Do you want to be healed? Are you in earnest? Do you really wish to be made whole?” The man explains the circumstances that seemed to militate against his having a desire to be made whole: “I have not continued in this condition thirty-eight years because I did not try to help myself. I would be cured if I could be, but I cannot get down there into that water in time. Somebody always gets ahead of me. There is nobody to put me into the pool. My lying here so long and suffering so long, does not argue that I do not wish to be healed.” Now, here is the key of the passage. Without employing the curative powers of the water, without resorting to any medical application whatever, by a word of authority, Jesus commanded him to rise up: “Be healed and walk.” Now, do not forget that it was by a simple command, an authoritative voice, that that cure was consummated.

The time was the sabbath. There were certain bigots and hypocrites who imagined that they were the conservators of religion, and the only authoritative interpreters and expounders of the obligations of the Fourth Commandment: “Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.” They preferred two charges against the Lord Jesus Christ. The first charge was that he had violated the sabbath in performing that cure on the sabbath day. He worked on the sabbath day, whereas the commandment said that there should be a cessation from work on that day. And the second count in the charge was that he had caused another to work on that day, in that he made this man take up his bed and walk. Now, that is the first controversy. It is a controversy with reference to the violation of the Fourth Commandment. Jesus defended himself: “My Father worketh on the sabbath day. You misunderstand that commandment. It does not say, ‘Do no work,’ but that commandment says, ‘Do no secular and selfish work.’ It does not gay, ‘Do no work of mercy.’ It does not say, ‘Do no work of necessity.’ And as a proof of it, God, who rested upon the day originally and thereby hallowed it, himself has worked ever since. True, he rested from the work of creation, but my Father worketh hitherto and I work.” His defense was this: That they misunderstood the import of the commandment, and that what he did had this justification that is was following the example of the Father himself. Now comes the second controversy. Instantly they prefer a new charge against him, growing out of the defense that he had made. The charge now is a violation of the First Commandment, in that he claimed God as his father, his own father, and thereby made himself equal with God, which was blasphemy.

The keynote grows out of his defense against this second charge not the charge about the violation of the sabbath day, but the charge suggested by his defense the charge that he made himself equal with God. His defense is this: “I admit the fact. I do make myself equal with God. There is no dispute about the fact. But I deny the criminality of it. I deny that it furnishes any basis for your accusation.” And then he goes on to show why. He says, “As Son of man, in my humanity I do not do anything of myself. I do not put humanity up against God. As Son of man I never do anything unless I first see my Father do it. Then, if my Father doeth it, I do it. In the next place, everything that the Father doeth I see. He shows it to me.” What infinite knowledge; what intimacy with the Father! Why does he show it? “He shows it to me because he loves me. Why else does he? He shows it to me in order that he may induce all men to honor me as they honor him, and therefore he does not himself execute judgment upon anybody. He hath committed all judgment to me. He hath conferred upon me all authority and all power. And whoever hears my voice and believeth in me hath eternal life and shall not come unto condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.” Thus he claims omniscience that he sees everything that the Father does. He claims omnipotence that he does everything that his Father does. He claims supreme authority that he exercises all the judgment that is exercised upon this earth and in the courts of heaven and in the realms of woe. He claims that he does this because, like the Father, he hath life in himself underived life, self-existence. Now, that brings us to the key verse: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour cometh and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live.” Hence the theme of this passage is “The Voice and the Life.”

Everyone that hears the voice of the Son of God, from the moment that he hears it, is alive forevermore; is exempt from the death penalty; is possessed of eternal life and shall not receive the sting of the second death and shall stand at the right hand of the Father, happy, saved forever!

THE EXEGESIS

The meaning of this passage is easily determined. We have only to compare this verse with a statement of the context. Let us place them side by side: “The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming [not “now is,”] in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” Here are two things set over against each other. One present, the other future. Two kinds of dead people: Those who are alive and yet dead, and those who are dead and in their tombs. The dead who are alive may now hear and live. The dead in their graves cannot hear until the resurrection. It follows that the first is spiritual death and the second physical death. The dead soul may now hear and live; the dead body not now, but hereafter. As there are two deaths, there are two resurrections. Spiritual resurrection is now resurrection of the body is not now. And the meaning is that the death in each case is broken by the voice. The voice gives life now to those “dead in trespasses and sins.” “You hath he quickened.” The voice raises the dead in the tombs at the second coming.

I have already called attention to this fact, that that impotent man was healed, not by the application of any medicine; that he was healed by a word of authority. He spoke and it was done. The thought that runs all through this passage, that indeed is the essence and marrow of it, is that the voice which confers life is a voice of command, is a voice of authority, is a divine voice, speaking from the standpoint of sovereignty and of omniscience and of power, and commanding life, and life coming in a moment, at the word. That is the thought of it. The dead shall hear his voice. The dead shall hear his voice when he says, “Live,” and, hearing, shall live. I want to impress that idea of the voice being a voice of command, a voice of authority and of irresistible power.

Let me illustrate: John, in the apocalyptic vision, sees the Son of God, and I shall not stop to describe his hair, his voice, his girdle, his feet, or his manner. He is represented as opening his lips and a sword coming out of his mouth a sword!

The word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. The command that issues from the lips of Jesus Christ is irresistible. No defensive armor can blunt the point of that sword. No ice can quench the fire that is in it. No covering can protect from it. It reaches into the joints and into the marrow, and it touches the most secret things that have been hidden even from the eyes of angels.

Let me illustrate again: Once there was chaos, and chaos was blackness wave after wave of gloom intermingled with gloom. Suddenly a voice spoke, “Let there be light,” and light was. What means were employed? No means. Only the voice. He spake and it stood fast. It was the voice of authority. It was the voice of God. It was the voice of commandment, and nature obeyed her God. Read Psa 28 . A mountain is described in that psalm a mountain covered with tall cedar trees and then it says God spoke and the mountain trembled and the cedar trees snapped in twain and skipped like lambs, carried away, not on the breath of the wind, but on the voice of God.

Take but this case: Job had some ideas about salvation. God spoke to him and after asking how much knowledge he had, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the world? What do you know about the heavenly bodies? What do you know about the giving of color, and the father of the rain, and in what womb the hoar frost and the ice are gendered? What do you know? Then what power have you? Can you feed the young lions when they lack? Can you drag out Leviathan with a hook? Can you pierce Behemoth with a spear when he churneth the deep and maketh it hoary?” Now comes the climax: “Have you a voice like God? If you think you have, rise up and speak; and speak to all the proud, and by your voice cast the proud down and bind their faces in secret. Then I will confess that your right hand can save you. But if you have no such knowledge; if your knowledge is not infinite; if your power is not infinite; if you cannot bind the sweet influences of the Pleiades or loose the bands of Orion; if you cannot abase the proud by a word, then do not attempt to say you save yourself.”

Notice again: A man had one of his senses locked up the sense of hearing. He had an ear, but it could not hear, and be came to Jesus. There he is, the deaf man. Jesus spoke one word, Ephphatha. What does it mean? “Be open.” And the ear opened.

Occasionally now for the benefit of the gullible and the credulous some man will claim to have such vast powers as that he shall put his hand upon the sick and they shall be made whole for two dollars a visit! But the whole of it is a fraud.

Here is one who spoke to an ear whose power of hearing was destroyed, and to give hearing to that ear meant creative power, and he simply said, “Be open,” and it was open.

Take another case: A centurion comes upon the recommendation of the Jews to Jesus. He says, “Lord, I have a servant very dear to me and he is very sick. He is at the point of death. But I am not worthy that you should come to my house. You just speak the word and my servant shall be healed. I understand this; I am a man of authority myself. I have soldiers under me and I say to this one, Do that, and he doeth it. And I say to another, Do this, and he doeth it. Now you have authority. You need not come. You need not go through any movements of incantation. Speak the word and my servant will be healed.” Jesus says, “He is healed.”

Take another case: In Capernaum was a nobleman. He had one child, just one, a little girl twelve years old and she died. His only child is dead, and he comes to Jesus, and Jesus follows him, comes into the house, pushes people aside that are weeping there and wailing, walks into the room of death, takes hold of that dead girl’s hand, and he says, “Talitha Cumi damsel, arise.” And at the word of the Son of God, the dead girl rose up and was well.

Take another. He is approaching a city. There comes out a procession, a funeral procession. Following it is a brokenhearted widow. On the bier is her son her only son. The bier approaches Jesus. He commands them to stop. They put it down. He looks into the cold, immobile, rigid face of death, and he speaks: “Young man, I say unto thee, arise.” And at the voice of the Son of God he rises.

Take another. In Bethany was a household of three, but death came and claimed one of the three, and the sisters mourned for the brother that was gone. And he was buried four days; he had been buried, and decay and putridity had come. Loathesomeness infested that charnel house, and the Son of God stands before that grave, and he says, “Take away that stone.” And there is the presence, not of recent death, as in the case of that girl on whose cheek something of the flush of life yet lingered; not like the young man of Nain, who had not been buried. But here was hideous death. Here was death in all of its horror and loathesomeness. The worms are here. And into that decayed face the Son of God looked and spoke, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he rose up and came forth. He heard the voice of the Son of God, and he lived.

Take yet another, Eze 37 . There is a valley. That valley is full of bones dead men’s bones dead longer than Lazarus dead until all flesh is gone, and there is nothing there but just the dry, white bones. And the question arises, “Can these dry bones live?” And there comes a voice, “O breath, breathe on these slain.” And at the voice they lived. That is why I said that the voice of this passage is the voice of authority. It is a voice of power. It is an irresistible voice. And whoever hears it is alive forevermore.

It is winter, and winter has shrouded the world in white and locked the flow of rivers and pulsation of lakes; stilled the tides which neither ebb nor flow, and there comes a voice, the voice of a sunbeam shining, the voice of a raindrop falling, the voice of a south wind blowing, and winter relaxes his hold. Cold winter is gone and the waters flow, and the juices rise, and the flowers bud and bloom, and fruit ripens and the earth is recreated. That represents the voice of God.

THE DOCTRINE

Now, what is the doctrine? The doctrine of this passage is that Jesus Christ is God Almighty manifest in the flesh the self-existent, eternal, immutable, all-powerful God. That his word is authoritative; that his word conveys life; and that he speaks that word when, where, bow, and to whom he wills. He is the sovereign.

If there are many lepers in Israel he may speak to Naaman, the Syrian, only, “Be thou clean.” If there are many widows in Israel he may speak to the widow of Sarepta alone, “Be thou saved from famine.” If there are a multitude lying impotent around this pool he may speak to this one only and say, “Rise up and walk.” He is a sovereign. The election is his.

I can no more tell to whom he will speak than I can count the stars, or the leaves, or the grains of sand. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. I know to whom I speak. I do not know to whom Jesus shall speak.

But I can tell the evidences from which we may conclude that he has spoken when he does speak, and that is the great point here. It is the ringing trumpet note of the Eternal God. How may we know that we hear him? Paul says in his letter to the Thessalonians, “This gospel came unto you, not in word only, but in power.” In power I If, then, we hear the voice of Jesus, there will be energy in it. There will be vitality in it. There will be life in it. It will not be mere sound, but Bound embodying life. And how is that power manifested? It is manifested in this, that if we hear him we feel that we are singled out from all the people around us. We feel that we are cut out from the crowd. We feel that his eye is on us. We feel that we stand before God in our individuality alone. If we hear his voice, it discovers our heart to us. It shows us what we are. And not only that, but if we hear his voice there is a revelation to us of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. What says the Scripture? “If our gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost in whom the god of this world hath blinded the eyes of them that believe not, but God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined into our hearts, revealing the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Now look back to that first scripture, “Let there be light, and light was.” God, who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness, hath shined into our hearts, into the chaos and gloom and blackness of our hearts, and by that shining he has revealed to us his glory. Where? In the face of his incarnate Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Continuing his discourse, Jesus refers to John as a witness and he says that his witness was greater than that of John, because his works bear witness of him. He then asserts that they had never heard God’s voice nor did they have his Word abiding in them; that they were destitute of the love of God; that they sought not the glory of God; that they were convicted by the law of Moses because it testified of him and they received not its testimony. This he said was the reason that they would not believe his words. The reader will note how tactfully our Lord here treats his relation to the Father in view of the growing hatred for him on the part of the authorities at Jerusalem (see note in Harmony, p. 41).

On his way back from Jerusalem to Galilee he and his disciples were passing through the fields of grain and the disciples, growing hungry, plucked the heads of grain and rubbed them in their hands, which they were allowed to do by the Mosaic law. But the Pharisees, in their additions to and expositions of the law, had so distorted its true meaning that they thought they had ground for another charge against him. But he replies by an appeal (1) to history, the case of David, (2) to the law, the work of the priests, (3) to the prophets, and (4) to his own authority over the sabbath. This fourth issue with the Pharisees is carried over into the next incident where he heals the man with a withered hand on the sabbath day. Here he replied with an appeal to their own acts of mercy to lower animals, showing the superior value of man and the greater reason for showing mercy to him. Here again they plot to kill him.

When Jesus perceived that they had plotted to kill him, he withdrew to the sea of Galilee and a great multitude followed him, insomuch that he had to take a boat and push away from the shore because of the press of the crowd. Many were press- ing upon him because of their plagues, but he healed them all. This is cited as a fulfilment of Isa 42:1-4 , which contains the following items of analysis: (1) The announcement of the servant of Jehovah, who was the Messiah; (2) his anointing and its purpose, i. e., to declare judgment to the Gentiles; (3) his character lowly; (4) his tenderness with the feeble and wounded; (5) his name the hope of the Gentiles.

After the great events on the sea of Galilee our Lord stole away into the mountain and spent the whole night in prayer looking to the call and ordination of the twelve apostles. Then he chose the twelve and named them, apostles, whom both Mark and Luke here name. (For a comparison of the four lists of the twelve apostles see Broadus’ Harmony, p. 244.)

QUESTIONS

1. How did our Lord test the faith of the two blind men whom he healed?

2. What was our Lord’s request to them and why, and what was the result and why?

3. What was the result of his healing the dumb demoniac and what the culmination of the issue raised by the Pharisees?

4. What were the great events of our Lord’s visit to Jerusalem to the Passover (Joh 6:1 )?

5. What was the occasion of his great discourse while there?

6. Describe the scene at the pool of Bethesda.

7. What was the time of this incident and the issue precipitated with the Pharisees?

8. How did Jesus defend himself?

9. What was new charge growing out of this defense and what our Lord’s defense against this charge?

10. How does Jesus here claim omniscience, omnipotence, and all authority?

11. What was the bearing of this upon the key verse (Joh 5:25 ) of this passage?

12. Give the exegesis of Joh 5:25-29 .

13. What was the main thought running all through this passage? Illustrate by several examples.

14. What was the doctrine here expressed and how does the author illustrate it?

15. What were the evidences of the voice of the Son of God?

16. How does Jesus proceed to convict them of their gross sin and what the charges which he prefers against them?

17. Show how tactfully Jesus treated his relation to the Father and why.

18. State the case of the charge of violating the sabbath law in the cornfields and Jesus’ defense.

19. How does he reply to the same charge in the incident of the man with a withered hand and what the result?

20. Describe the scene that followed this by the sea of Galilee.

21. What prophecy is here fulfilled and what was the analysis of it?

22. What the occasion here of all-night prayer by our Lord?

23. What the order of names in the four lists of the twelve apostles as given by Mark, Luke, and Acts?

Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible

27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.

Ver. 27. Two blind men followed him ] Misery makes unity. These two could the better agree to go together, because their cases were alike. Hooper and Ridley left jarring when they both were in prison.

Thou Son of David ] Thou that art a true man, as we are; and seemest to say unto us, as David did to the men of Judah, “Ye are my brethren, my bone and my flesh,” 2Sa 19:12 ; “Have mercy on us.” So the Church in Isaiah, when invaded and infested by the Assyrian, cries out, “The stretching out of his wings doth fill thy land, O Immanuel:” q.d. O thou that art also a man, and hast the heart of a man in thee, see to our safety. Necessity makes men beg many times of mere strangers, yea, of deadly enemies; as the Israelites did of the Egyptians, as Benhadad did of Ahab, and as the poor Jews of the Assyrians, Lam 5:6 . How much more boldly should we beg of Christ, our near kinsman! &c.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

27 31. ] HEALING OF TWO BLIND MEN. Peculiar to Matthew .

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

27. ] . is too vague to be taken as a fixed note of sequence; for may mean the house of Jaeirus, or the town itself, or even that part of the country, as Mat 9:26 has generalized the locality, and implied some pause of time.

] . Euthym [108] It is remarkable that, in all the three narratives of giving sight to the blind in this Gospel, the title Son of David appears.

[108] Euthymius Zigabenus, 1116

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

Mat 9:27-31 . Two blind men . This miracle-narrative and the next paratively colourless and uninteresting. They bring under notice two new types of disease, blindness and possession accompanied with dumbness. The interest in both cases, however, lies not so much in the cures as in the words spoken.

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

Mat 9:27 . : blindness common from limestone dust in the air and changing temperature. ., Messianic appellation, first time addressed to Jesus, a point of interest for the evangelist; not welcome to Jesus, who feared the awakening of false expectations. Therefore He took no notice of them on the way to His house, whither He retired after the last incident.

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mat 9:27-31

27As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28When He entered 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.” 29Then He touched their eyes, saying, “It shall be done to you according to your faith.” 30And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them: ” See that no one knows about this!” 31But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout all that land.

Mat 9:27 “two blind men followed Him, crying out” It was characteristic in the Synoptic Gospels’miracle accounts that Matthew always records two persons whereas Mark and Luke only record one (cf. Mat 8:28; Mat 20:30). The exact reason for this is uncertain. It has been speculated that Matthew wanted two witnesses to fulfill OT witness requirements (cf. Num 35:30; Deu 17:6; Deu 19:15).

“Have mercy on us, Son of David” This OT title is also used in Mat 1:20. It apparently had Messianic implications going back to 2 Samuel 7 (cf. Mat 1:1; Mat 12:23; Mat 15:22; Mat 20:30; Mat 21:9; Mat 21:15). Exactly what these people understood by these titles is uncertain, but surely it was a sign of their faith, not a full theological understanding of the person of Christ. The Jews of Jesus’ day expected the Messiah to be a healer from Isa 35:5-6.

Mat 9:28 “Yes, Lord” This is the title “kurios.” It was used in the sense of “sir” or “mister” or it could have been a full theological title of Jesus’ Deity. Here it seems to be used more in the popular sense although these blind men’s use of the title “Son of David” implied some theological understanding. Jesus took them off away from the crowd because He did not want to broadcast their healing (cf. Mat 9:26; Mat 9:30; Mat 8:4).

Mat 9:29 “He touched their eyes” It is amazing how many accounts of the healing of blind people are recorded in the Gospels. However, they are performed with great variety. Here Jesus touched their eyes, apparently to increase their faith. Restoring sight to the blind was one of the prophetic evidences of the Messiah (cf. Psa 146:8; Isa 29:18; Isa 35:5; Isa 42:7; Isa 42:16; Isa 42:18; Mat 11:5).

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

Son of David. The second of nine occurrences in Matthew. See notes on Mat 1:1; Mat 21:9; Mat 22:42. See App-98.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

27-31.] HEALING OF TWO BLIND MEN. Peculiar to Matthew.

Fuente: The Greek Testament

Mat 9:27. And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.

No sooner does Jesus move than fresh candidates for his bounty appear: the blind seek sight from him. Two sightless men had become companions in affliction, they may have been father and son. They were in downright earnest, for they followed him, crying, and saying, Have mercy on us. Persevering, vehement, yet intelligent was their appeal. They were of one mind in reference to Jesus, and therefore they went one way, and used one prayer, to one and the same person. Our Lord is here called by his royal name: Thou Son of David. Even the blind could see that he was a kings son. As Son of David, he is entreated to show mercy, and act according to his royal nature. It is mercy which gives us our faculties, and mercy alone can restore them. This prayer suits us when we perceive our own darkness of mind. When we cannot see our way into truth, let us appeal to the Lord for gracious instruction, ever remembering that we have no claim except that which originates in his mercy.

Mat 9:28. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.

They had a specific faith as to the matter about which they prayed; for our Lord put it plainly, Believe ye that I am able to do THIS? They had also a clear view of the character of him to whom they applied; for they had already styled him Son of David, and now they called him Lord.

Mat 9:29. Then touched he their eyes, saying, according to your faith be it unto you.

Again he arouses their faith; and this time he throws the whole responsibility upon their confidence in him. According to your faith be it unto you. He touched them with his hand; but they must also touch him with their faith. The word of power in the last sentence is one upon which he acts so continually, that we may call it, as to many blessings, a rule of the kingdom. We have the measuring of our own mercies; our faith obtains less or more according to its own capacity to receive. Had these men been mere pretenders to faith they would have remained blind. If we will not in very truth trust our Lord, we shall die in our sins.

Mat 9:30. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.

They both saw the double miracle was wrought at the same moment. Comrades in the dark, they are now companions in the light. Singular that for two souls there should thus be one destiny! It was a singular double fact, and deserved to be made widely known; but our Lord had wise reasons for requiring silence He straitly charged them. He left them no option: he demanded complete silence. He that opened their eyes closed their mouths. Jesus did not desire fame, he wanted less crowding; he wished to avoid excitement; and therefore he was express and peremptory in his order: See that no man know it.

Mat 9:31. But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame on all that country.

They most industriously published what they were bidden to conceal till all that country rang with the news. In this they erred greatly, and probably caused the Saviour so much inconvenience by the pressure of the crowd, that he had to remove from the town. We may not hope that we are doing right if we disobey our Lord. However natural disobedience may appear to be, it is disobedience, and must not be excused. Even it the results turned out to be advantageous, it would not make it right to break the command of our Lord. Silence is more than golden when our King commands it. He doth not seek applause, nor cause his voice to be heard in the streets that he may be known to be doing a great work. His followers do well to copy his example. We do not wonder that our Lords name became famous when there were such persons to advertise it. How earnestly and eloquently would the two formerly blind men tell the story of how he opened their eyes! We are not forbidden, but exhorted to make known the wonders of his grace. Let us not fail in this natural, this necessary, this useful duty. More and more let us spread abroad his fame.

Mat 9:32. As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.

As a pair of patients leave the surgery, another poor creature comes in. Note the behold. The case is striking. He comes not freely, or of his own accord: they brought him: thus should we bring men to Jesus. He does not cry for help, for he is a dumb man. Let us open our mouths for the dumb. He is not himself, but he is possessed with a devil. Poor creature! Will anything be done for him?

Mat 9:33. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.

Our Lord does not deal with the symptoms, but with the source of the disorder, even with the evil spirit. The devil was cast out; and it is mentioned as if that were a matter of course when Jesus came on the scene. The devil had silenced the man, and so, when the evil one was gone, the dumb spake. How we should like to know what he said! Whatever he said it matters not; the wonder was that he could say anything. The people confessed that this was a wonder quite unprecedented; and in this they only said the truth: It was never so seen in Israel. Jesus is great at surprises: he has novelties of gracious power. The people were quick to express their admiration yet we see very little trace of their believing in our Lords mission. It is a small thing to marvel, but a great thing to believe. O Lord, give the people around us to see such revivals and conversions, as they have never known before!

Mat 9:34. But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.

Of course, they had some bitter sentence ready. Nothing was too bad for them to say of Jesus. They were hard pressed when they took to this statement which our Lord in another place so easily answered. They hinted that such power over demons must have come to him through an unholy compact with the prince of the devils. Surely this was going very near to the unpardonable sin.

Mat 9:35. And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

This exposition consisted of readings from Mat 9:27-35; and Mat 20:29-34.

Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible

Mat 9:27. , blind men) Many blind men received faith, and afterwards sight. without doubt they sought for sight, more especially on the ground that, being alive at that time, they might see the Messiah; and they did see Him with joy incredible.- , have mercy upon us) An expressive formula, containing a confession of misery, and a prayer for free mercy. Even those who are without have employed this form of prayer.[428]- , son of David) that is, Christ. See ch. Mat 1:1 and Mat 22:42.[429]

[428] For instance, the woman of Canaan, the father of the lunatic, the ten lepers, etc.-V. g.

[429] It was distressing to them, that, though living at that very time, in which the Son of David, who had been so long looked for, was living in the world, they were yet not permitted even to see Him.-V. g.

Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament

Mat 9:27-31

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

Mat 9:27-31

27 And as Jesus passed by from thence, two blind men followed him.-Matthew is the only one that gives a record of this miracle; the remainder of chapter nine records things peculiar to Matthew. The blind man at Jericho (Mat 20:29-34) and the man born blind (John 9) were distinct from this miracle. Probably as Jesus and his disciples left the house of Jairus, these “two blind men followed him.” Blindness was common in that eastern country; blindness was one of the very common afflictions of the natives of Palestine; the blear eyes, often crusted round with dried secretion and fly-infested, make some of the most sickening sights that may be seen in a Syrian village today. This common affliction in Palestine was thought to be due to ophthalmia, caused partly by the sun glare and partly by lack of cleanliness. These two blind men cried out as they followed Jesus, saying, “Have mercy on us, thou son of David.” They present a contrast between their conduct and Jairus’; he was quiet and reverential, but these two then cried aloud with importunity like Bartimaeus, “Have mercy on us, thou son of David.” “Son of David” was a designation frequently used of the Messiah. (Mat 12:23; Mat 15:22; Mat 20:31; Mat 21:9; Mat 21:15; Mat 22:44-45.) Blind men had doubtless heard of the miracles that Jesus had already performed, and may have just learned of his raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead. Jesus did not speak of himself as the “son of David.”

28, 29 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him.-“The house” was the house to which he returned from Jairus’ house; it may have been Matthew’s house or Peter’s house, or some other which Jesus made his usual place of abode at Capernaum. It is to be observed that all that Matthew records here occurred at Capernaum. These blind men followed Jesus into the house; the failure to notice them at first was probably designed to strengthen their faith, and to avoid the excitement which another public miracle would produce. Before healing the blind men Jesus asked them, “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” The emphasis here may be placed on “believe,” as Jesus wanted to show them his power as proof of his claim to be the Messiah. They had shown faith by following Jesus, but he demanded an expression of their faith, hence the question. Jesus replied, “According to your faith be it done unto you”; that is, let it be done to you according to your faith. He touched “their eyes” as he said this to them. Touching their eyes was a natural and kindly act, like taking the hand of one prostrate with fever. His touch also would show that the miraculous power emanated from him. “According to your faith” is an important expression, which shows the relation of man’s faith to God’s grace. This is a general principle upon which God bestows his spiritual blessings upon man; we will receive them according to our faith.

30, 31 And their eyes were opened.-They received their sight; Matthew uses a common Hebrew expression here. (2Ki 6:17; Isa 35:5.) We notice here the ease with which Jesus restored sight to the blind; it was with a mere touch of his infinite power. It was instantaneous; there was no gradual process of healing as is usual in cases of man’s healing the afflicted. They received the faculty of sight as proof that they had faith in his ability to help them and that it was not misplaced. We have no means of determining whether this physical blessing was attended with any spiritual blessing. Jesus “strictly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.” Some think that “strictly charged” involved the idea of anger or great displeasure in case of disobedience (Mar 1:43); others say that he “sternly” charged them not to make any report of what he had done for them. We do know that Jesus commanded strict silence on their part as to what he had done for them. He had just given a similar command concerning the daughter of Jairus (Mar 5:43); he did not want the report of his miracles of healing published so that multitudes would beseech for help and he would not have sufficient time to preach and teach his disciples. His mission to earth was not merely to heal diseases, but to preach the gospel.

But they went forth, and spread abroad his fame in all that land.-It would seem strange that they would be so disobedient to his command; we can hardly believe that they rebelliously disobeyed his command; they probably thought Jesus’ command not to tell it was due to his modesty, and that common gratitude on their part demanded that they give credit or honor to whom honor was due. We cannot believe that they were so ungrateful that they would willfully disobey his command, for one who had power to restore sight would have power to punish for disobedience. Jesus was not seeking any notoriety as a “divine healer”;his miracles were to confirm his claim that he was the Messiah. However, their failure to obey his command cannot be put to their credit; good impulses should never be held to justify positive disobedience.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

the Merciful Deliverer

Mat 9:27-34

It is thus that the Master speaks to us: Believe ye that I am able to make you happy, though you are cut off from the light and gladness of the world? Believe ye that I am able to enrich you in poverty, strengthen you in weakness, and raise you even out of death itself, so that the barren rod may bear blossom and fruit? Believe ye that I am able to give a knowledge of God which eye hath not seen nor the heart of man conceived?

It may be with a trembling faith that we answer, Yea, Lord. But how blessed is the soul that dares to say Yea to the Masters challenge. Understand that there is no limit to what He will do for you, if only you will trust Him. The measure of His giving is according to the measure of your faith, and the measure of your faith will be according to the measure of your abandonment to Him. Spread abroad His fame. Pharisees hate Him, but demons flee.

Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary

Chapter 20

Believe ye that I am able to do this?

And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country. As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils. And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

(Mat 9:27-38)

In the passage before us two blind men and one who was possessed by an evil spirit and could not speak were healed by the Word of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the power of his touch. The two blind men who were healed came to the Lord Jesus seeking mercy. These two men, who had been companions in misery, were about to be made companions in mercy. The things written in these verses of Scripture are here recorded by divine inspiration to teach us about the mercy, grace, and compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ and about our responsibilities before him. Notice what Matthew tells us about these men.

They were blind. All men are spiritually blind. They were earnest. They meant business. They were determined to give the Son of God no rest until he gave them rest. They followed the Savior through the streets and on into the house, crying for mercy. They believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. They believed him to be the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of David. They acknowledged and confessed him as Lord. And they believed he was able to give them their sight. They believed him! They believed him to be both omnipotent and merciful. They sought the right thing Mercy! They cried, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. All who seek for God to deal with them on the basis of what they deserve shall have what they deserve everlasting ruin. But all who seek mercy shall obtain mercy (Jer 29:13-14). They obtained the thing they desired. Their eyes were opened.

The two blind men came seeking the Lord; but the poor demon-possessed man who could not speak was brought to the Master (Mat 9:32). Notice the word behold. This is a striking case. This man was not himself. A demon had taken possession of him. He does not cry for help. He does not come to Christ. But someone cared enough for his wretched soul to bring him to Christ. Let us do the same. Some will come to the house of God because God creates in them a need to be in the place of worship. But multitudes will never come until gracious souls go out and bring them into the house of mercy.

The Experience of Grace

The experience of grace is vividly portrayed in these three men. The examples are set before us, one immediately following the other, to teach us that the experience of grace is as varied and diverse as the recipients of grace. All three of these men needed mercy. All three obtained mercy. All three obtained mercy through Christ the Mediator. But they did not obtain it the same way. Mercy came to the blind men only after they actively, earnestly sought it. But mercy came to the dumb, demon-possessed soul by such immediate power that he never even thought about it before he had obtained it.

Salvation is the same wherever it is found. It is the same in the experience of all who are saved. Every true child of God has experienced the same salvation. All are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. But we do not all experience grace the same way. Pauls experience was not the same as Lydias. Both experienced the same grace, but not the same way. The experience of grace is not always the same. Our needs are the same, the grace is the same, and the results are the same; but the experience is not the same. Yet, all who are saved have a common salvation (Jud 1:3). We have a common Savior. We are born into a common family. We have a common Father, a common hope, a common blessedness, and a common inheritance.

We must never try to put God in a box of our own making, imagining that he must work in the way we think. As the wind bloweth where it listeth (Joh 3:8), the God of all grace works as he will. And we must never attempt to determine the validity of one persons experience of grace by comparing it with our own or anothers.

A Gift and A Responsibility

Faith is frequently found where it is least expected by us. Who would have thought two blind men, or that poor demon-possessed wretch would have believed on Christ? The multitudes marvel, but believed not (Mat 9:33). The Pharisees blasphemed (Mat 9:34). But these three needy souls believed and obtained mercy. The two blind men could not have seen the miracles the Lord Jesus had performed. They were blind. But having heard the common reports of Christ, they believed him. And believing him, the eyes of their understanding were enlightened. It is written, Faith cometh by hearing (Rom 10:17).

The Word of God teaches us, with unmistakable clarity, that faith is the gift of God. Faith in Christ is not something we muster up in ourselves by the exercise of our freewill. Faith is something God the Holy Spirit gives to and produces in chosen, redeemed, called sinners (Joh 1:12-13; Rom 9:16; Eph 2:8; Col 2:12). It is a gift which God sovereignly gives to some and withholds from others (Joh 10:25-26). It is a gift that God works in sinners by the preaching of the gospel (Rom 10:17). And the object of God-given, saving faith is the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scriptures also tell us that faith in Christ is the commandment of God (1Jn 3:23) Being Gods commandment to us, it is the responsibility of all who hear the gospel to believe on his Son. Many appear to be incapable of seeing that both these facts are true. When we assert that faith is Gods gift and Gods operation we are denounced by some as hardshells and hyper-calvinists. When we declare that it is the responsibility of sinners to trust Christ we are denounced by others as Arminians and freewillers, teachers off duty faith, and accused of teaching that faith is a work of man.

I will leave it to others to beat the winds they blow. The Word of God is crystal clear. If any sinner believes God and is saved by his grace, it is because God gives him faith in Christ (Eph 2:8-9). If any abide under the wrath of God, it is because they do not believe on the Son of God (Joh 3:36).

Another thing clearly set before us in these miracles performed by our Savior is the fact that there is a direct correlation between our faith and Gods work. Our Lord asked the blind men, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched him. Their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you (Mat 9:28-29). Spurgeon wrote, He touched them with his hand; but they must also touch him with their faithIf we do not in very truth trust our Lord, we shall die in our sins. How thankful we are that it is not always true, but frequently the measure of our mercies is our faith, or our lack of faith in our God (Isa 48:18-19; Mar 6:5-6; Joh 11:40). We must never blame on Gods sovereignty that which is the result of our own shameful unbelief. I often wonder what God might do, if we simply believed him.

Inexcusable Disobedience

“And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country” (Mat 9:30-31).

The Lord Jesus commanded these men not to tell anyone what he had done for them. We are not told why he did this. It is obvious that our Master was not like the self-serving, glory seeking preachers of our day. He did not seek and did not want worldly fame. And he who is God our Savior is under no obligation to give us the reasons for that which he does or commands us to do. Our Saviors language was clear and emphatic. In fact, it was a stern command. But they disregarded his command. He left them no option: he demanded complete silence on their part.

Such disregard for the word of our God is utterly inexcusable. I am sure these men convinced themselves that their disobedience was really what the Master wanted them to do; but they were dead wrong. We are never doing right if we disobey Christ. Even if the results turn out to be advantageous, disobedience is not to be excused. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice (1Sa 15:22). In all things it is our responsibility to submit to and obey the revealed will of God.

I have no doubt that these men did not disobey the Savior contemptuously. They were, I am sure, filled with gratitude and joy, and desired to give him glory for the wondrous work of mercy he had performed for them and in them. Their love for Christ was the thing that moved them to speak forth his praise. But our affections, emotions, and thoughts are not to be our guide, or the rule of our behavior. Our only guide, our only rule is and must be the revealed will of God our Savior. And his Word is his revealed will.

Omnipotent Mercy

When the Lord Jesus cast the devil out of the man in Mat 9:32-33, The Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils. Then, we read in Mat 9:35, And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. That was our Saviors answer to their blasphemous slander. He simply ignored them and went on doing what he was sent of the Father to do. We would be wise to follow his example. Nothing is ever gained, and much lost, by answering the slanderous accusations of men.

We see in the miracles that are described in this passage that none are beyond the reach of Christs omnipotent mercy. We must never despair of anyones salvation, merely because he lives in unfavorable circumstances. Grace is stronger than circumstances! We must never despair of any because they are blind, or because they are under the yoke of Satan, or because they obstinately refuse to come to Christ. Our Lords arm is not shortened that it cannot save. His omnipotent arm of mercy can both break the power of Satan and break the power of mans obstinate rebellion (Psa 110:3).

Matthew tells us that the Lord Jesus healed every sickness and every disease. None were too loathsome for him to touch. None were too far gone for him to cure. The Son of God is indeed The Great Physician. All physical healing is his work. We use medicine, doctors, and hospitals, just as we look both ways before crossing a busy street. But we look to our God for life and health.

The healing of our souls is altogether his work, too. As we read the succession of miracles performed by our Savior in this chapter, remembering that all the maladies and woes of Adams fallen race are the result of sin, we ought to be moved to adore and praise him who came into this world to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. How thankful we ought to be for our all-glorious Christ who came here to destroy the works of the devil! He is the Balm of Gilead. He is the Sun of Righteousness who has risen with healing in his wings. With his stripes we are healed. There is no disease of soul he cannot, or will not completely cure (1Co 6:9-11; 1Co 1:30-31).

Moved with Compassion

Mat 9:36 shows us that the Lord Jesus is a Savior full of compassion for needy souls. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd(Mat 9:36). I cannot imagine why anyone would feel obliged to try to make this say less than it does. We have here a great display of our Saviors great compassion. We ought to rejoice in it and pray for grace to emulate his compassion. When our Savior saw the lost multitudes before him, he was overcome by sympathy. What he saw with his eyes affected his heart. His whole being was stirred by the sight of perishing souls. He was moved with compassion on them!

What are our thoughts when we see the lost multitudes around us? Multitudes are seen on every side, Muslims and Jews, Papists and Protestants, intellectuals and scoffers, who are spiritually blind, ignorant, unconverted, lost, and perishing! They are as sheep without a shepherd, unfed, unfolded, unguarded. What will become of them? Do you feel their destitution? Do you long to see their destitution relieved? These are serious questions; and they ought to be honestly answered. Those who are unmoved by perishing souls do not have the mind of Christ (1Co 2:16).

Great Harvest

Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few, pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest (Mat 9:37-38). There is a great harvest of souls to be gathered by grace for which we are responsible. The harvest of souls to be gathered out of all the earth is a great multitude, which no man can number. They are Gods elect, Christ redeemed ones; and they must and shall be gathered. The Lord of the harvest is the triune God. He owns the field and controls it. The plants to be gathered are his; and the laborers are his.

Our Savior here calls faithful gospel preachers laborers because the faithful performance of their work involves arduous labor. Gods servants labor in the Word and in the doctrine, labor in prayer and the study of Holy Scripture, devoting themselves to the work as workmen that need not be ashamed, for the glory of Christ and the salvation and edification of Gods elect. But such laborers, men who are willing to spend and be spent for Christ, are in every place and generation few.

Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest. None but God himself can send them forth. Man-made preachers are not just useless; they are in the way. Only God can, by the power and grace of his Spirit, gift a man for the work of the gospel ministry, incline his heart to the work, and enable him to perform it faithfully.

Yet, it is the responsibility of every believer to make Gods harvest a matter of prayer and personal concern. Our Savior says to his disciples, Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest. You may not be called and gifted of God to perform the work of a pastor, evangelist, or missionary; but there are many things you can and should do. You can give generously to support the preaching of the gospel. You can bring people to hear the gospel preached. You can distribute tapes and literature proclaiming the gospel. And you can pray. Pray for those God has sent forth as laborers in his vineyard. Pray that he will raise up and send forth others. And pray that he will give his church a time of reaping.

Our Lord Jesus asked the blind men, and I put the question to myself and to you, Believe ye that I am able to do this? Do we believe that he is able to heal the blind, free the possessed, and gather in his lost ones scattered through all the earth? This much I know If we believe him, we will act accordingly.

Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible

The King’s Touch healing the Blind

Mat 9:27. And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.

No sooner does Jesus move than fresh candidates for his bounty appear: the blind seek sight from him. Two sightless men had become companions in affliction; they may have been father and son. They were in downright earnest, for they “followed him, crying, and saying, Have mercy on us.” Persevering, vehement, yet intelligent was their appeal. They were of one mind in reference to Jesus, and therefore they went one way, and used one prayer, to one and the same person. Our Lord is here called by his royal name: “Thou Son of David.” Even the blind could see that he was a king’s son. As Son of David, he is entreated to show mercy, and act according to his royal nature. It is mercy which gives us our faculties, and mercy alone can restore them.

This prayer suits us when we perceive our own darkness of mind. When we cannot see our way into truth, let us appeal to the Lord for gracious instruction; ever remembering that we have no claim except that which originates in his mercy.

Mat 9:28. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.

They were most eager for the boon. They gave him no leisure: they pressed into the house where he had sought privacy and rest: they came to him, even to Jesus himself. The Lord would have them express their faith, and so he makes inquiry of them as to what they believe about himself. Jesus makes no inquiry about their eyes, but only about their faith: this is ever the vital point. They could not see, but they could believe; and they did so. They had a specific faith as to the matter about which they prayed; for our Lord put it plainly, “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” They had also a clear view of the character of him to whom they applied; for they had already styled him “Son of David”, and now they called him “Lord.”

Mat 9:29. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

Again he arouses their faith; and this time he throws the whole responsibility upon their confidence in him. “According to your faith be it unto you.” He touched them with his hand; but they must also touch him with their faith. The word of power in the last sentence is one upon which he acts so continually, that we may call it, as to many blessings, a rule of the kingdom. We have the measuring of our own mercies; our faith obtains less or more according to its own capacity to receive. Had these men been mere pretenders to faith they would have remained blind. If we will not in very truth trust our Lord, we shall die in our sins.

Mat 9:30. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.

They both saw: the double miracle was wrought at the same moment. Comrades in the dark, they are now companions in the light. Singular that for two souls there should thus be one destiny! It was a singular double fact, and deserved to be made widely known; but our Lord had wise reasons for requiring silence. He “straitly charged them.” He left them no option: he demanded complete silence. He that opened their eyes closed their mouths. Jesus did not desire fame; he wanted less crowding; he wished to avoid excitement; and therefore he was express and peremptory in his order: “See that no man know it.”

Mat 9:31. But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.

They most industriously published what they were bidden to conceal, till “all that country” rang with the news. In this they erred greatly, and probably caused the Saviour so much inconvenience by the pressure of the crowd, that he had to remove from the town. We may not hope that we are doing right if we disobey our Lord. However natural disobedience may appear to be, it is disobedience, and must not be excused. Even if the results turned out to be advantageous, it would not make it right to break the command of our Lord. Silence is more than golden when our King commands it. He doth not seek applause, nor cause his voice to be heard in the streets that he may be known to be doing a great work. His followers do well to copy his example.

We do not wonder that our Lord’s name became famous when there were such persons to advertise it. How earnestly and eloquently would the two formerly blind men tell the story of how he opened their eyes! We are not forbidden, but exhorted to make known the wonders of his grace. Let us not fail in this natural, this necessary, this useful duty. More and more let us “spread abroad his fame.”

Fuente: Spurgeon’s The Gospel of the Kingdom

two: Mat 11:5, Mat 12:22, Mat 20:30, Mar 8:22, Mar 8:23, Mar 10:46, Luk 7:21, Joh 9:1-12

Thou: Mat 12:23, Mat 15:22, Mat 20:30, Mat 20:31, Mat 21:9, Mat 21:15, Mat 22:41-45, Mar 10:47, Mar 10:48, Mar 11:10, Mar 12:35-37, Luk 18:38, Luk 18:39, Luk 20:41, Joh 7:42, Rom 1:3, Rom 9:5

have: Mat 17:15, Mar 9:22, Luk 17:13

Reciprocal: Isa 35:5 – the eyes Mat 1:1 – the son of David Luk 4:18 – and

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

9:27

These blind men must have heard this report referred to in the preceding verse. Son of David means he was descended from David in the blood line. Many people in. Palestine were familiar with the prediction in the law that the Messiah was to come through that line. Their addressing him with this title not only acknowledged him to be possessed with miraculous power (others had possessed that), but that he was the fulfiller of the law and the prophets.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

THERE are four lessons in this passage, which deserve close attention. Let us mark them each in succession.

Let us mark, in the first place, that strong faith in Christ may sometimes be found where it might least have been expected. Who would have thought that two blind men would have called our Lord the “Son of David”? They could not, of course, have seen the miracles that He did. They could only know Him by common report. But the eyes of their understanding were enlightened, if their bodily eyes were dark. They saw the truth which Scribes and Pharisees could not see. They saw that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. They believed that He was able to heal them.

An example like this shows us, that we must never despair of any one’s salvation, merely because he lives in a position unfavorable to his soul. Grace is stronger than circumstances. The life of religion does not depend merely upon outward advantages. The Holy Ghost can give faith, and keep faith in active exercise, without book-learning, without money, and with scanty means of grace. Without the Holy Ghost a man may know all mysteries, and live in the full blaze of the Gospel, and yet be lost. We shall see many strange sights at the last day. Poor cottagers will be found to have believed in the Son of David, while rich men, full of university learning, will prove to have lived and died, like the Pharisees, in hardened unbelief. Many that are last will be first, and the first last. (Mat 20:16.)

Let us mark, in the next place, that our Lord Jesus Christ has had great experience of disease and sickness. He “went about all the cities and villages” doing good.

He was an eye-witness of all the ills that flesh is heir to. He saw ailments of every kind, sort, and description. He was brought in contact with every form of bodily suffering. None were too loathsome for Him to attend to. None were too frightful for Him to cure. He was a healer of every “sickness and every disease.”

There is much comfort to be drawn from this fact. We are each dwelling in a poor frail body. We never know what quantity of suffering we may have to watch, as we sit by the bedside of dear relations and friends. We never know what racking complaint we ourselves may have to submit to, before we lie down and die. But let us arm ourselves betimes with the precious thought that Jesus is specially fitted to be the sick man’s friend. That great high-priest to whom we must apply for pardon and peace with God, is eminently qualified to sympathize with an aching body, as well as to heal an ailing conscience. The eyes of Him who is King of kings used often to look with pity on the diseased. The world cares little for the sick, and often keeps aloof from them. But the Lord Jesus cares specially for the sick. He is the first to visit them, and say, “I stand at the door and knock.” Happy are they who hear His voice, and let Him in!

Let us mark, in the next place, our Lord’s tender concern for neglected souls. “He saw multitudes” of people when He was on earth, scattered about “like sheep having no shepherd,” and He was moved with compassion. He saw them neglected by those who, for the time, ought to have been teachers. He saw them ignorant, hopeless, helpless, dying, and unfit to die. The sight moved Him to deep pity. That loving heart could not see such things, and not feel.

Now what are our feelings when we see such a sight? This is the question that should arise in our minds. There are many such to be seen on every side. There are millions of idolaters and heathen on earth,-millions of deluded Mahometans,-millions of superstitious Roman Catholics. There are thousands of ignorant Protestants near our own doors. Do we feel tenderly concerned about their souls? Do we deeply pity their spiritual destitution? Do we long to see that destitution relieved? These are serious inquiries, and ought to be answered. It is easy to sneer at missions to the heathen, and those who work for them. But the man who does not feel for the souls of all unconverted persons, can surely not have “the mind of Christ.” (1Co 2:16.)

Let us mark, in the last place, that there is a solemn duty incumbent on all Christians, who would do good to the unconverted part of the world. They are to pray for more men to be raised up to work for the conversion of souls. It seems as if it was to be a daily part of our prayers. “Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.”

If we know anything of prayer, let us make it a point of conscience never to forget this solemn charge of our Lord’s. Let us settle it in our minds, that it is one of the surest ways of doing good, and stemming evil. Personal working for souls is good. Giving money is good. But praying is best of all. By prayer we reach Him without whom work and money are alike in vain. We obtain the aid of the Holy Ghost.-Money can pay agents. Universities can give learning. Congregations may elect. Bishops may ordain. But the Holy Ghost alone can make ministers of the Gospel, and raise up lay workmen in the spiritual harvest, who need not be ashamed. Never, never may we forget that if we would do good to the world, our first duty is to pray!

Fuente: Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels

Mat 9:27. And as Jesus passed by from thence. Probably as He left the house of the ruler, certainly while on a journey.

Two blind men followed him. Peculiar to Matthew. Blindness was common in the East, and it was natural that the sufferers consorted. To follow Him, they need only let the crowd take them along.

Crying out and saying, Have mercy on us, thou son of David. Blind men naturally use their voices a great deal. The title, Son of David, applied to Christ by all the blind men whose recovery is mentioned by Matthew, certainly implied His Messiahship.

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament

Section 1. (Mat 9:27-34.)

The King indeed.

(1) In all that we have hitherto had before us, the Lord has not once yet been owned as Son of David; nor, since the day of the magi, as the King. The question is first as to His higher title. The Father’s voice is the first to own Him as the Son of God; and this is surely in due order. Afterwards, and as taught of Him, the Baptist does so (Joh 1:33-34); but it is not Matthew who records this, nor have we heard it yet in Matthew upon the lips of men. The devils own it and tremble. Men call Him Master (i.e. Teacher) and Lord: and this He accepts, taking naturally and as of full right the highest place. Of Himself He ordinarily speaks as Son of man, a title which prophecy had given Him indeed, but with some indistinctness, and which claimed more than might at first sight appear: for why should one who was simply and only that, assume what is universal among men, as if it were unique in Him? The grace and tenderness of the title are what strike us most.

With all this, we have not heard Him here as yet openly claim to be the Christ or King. He seems to wait for human lips to pronounce this, and indeed pointedly asks the disciples the question at a later time, who do they say that He, the Son of man is? And when Peter answers, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” He refers this acknowledgment of Him to the Father’s revelation of Him (Mat 16:16). In none of the synoptics does such a confession come before this but in John; Andrew owns Him at the beginning to be Messias (Joh 1:41), and to the woman of Samaria (Joh 4:25-26) He openly declares Himself. Still, upon the whole, we may say, He waits for faith to acknowledge Him, and always, in connection with the Kingdom, His divine Sonship is the first question. The manifestation of Himself in this way is now complete, and now we have the testimony, humble enough though it be, to the King of Israel.

Two* blind men appeal to Him on His way from the ruler’s house, as Son of David: a testimony confirmed by Him with the miracle by which they receive their sight, when once it is seen that it is faith that speaks in it. Blindness indeed was upon Israel, for which there could be no remedy until in the sense of it they should cry to Him. Here, as with the leper, He heals by touch, and forbids them to make it known: an injunction which could not have been; as at a later time, because of His rejection by the people, for as yet the decisive rejection had not come – He was Himself going to send out a testimony far and wide among them. One would say that it must have been because the testimony to the Son of David was peculiarly liable to abuse among a carnal people who could be attracted by miracles and the display of power, while their hearts were far away from God. For this reason the acknowledgment of the Son of God must come before that of the Son of David. The latter title indeed He Himself never uses, though He could not but own it, where as here true faith expressed itself in it.

{*This “two” of testimony to Him is comparatively common in Matthew: as in the case of the two demoniacs previously, where Mark and Luke have only one; and the two other blind men at Jericho, still in the other Gospels only one.}

(2) Linked directly with this miracle we have another. A dumb demoniac is brought to Him, and when the demon is cast out, the dumb speaks. Here again surely, we have Israel’s miserable enslavement to the prince of this world, which they showed in their rejection of the true King. The dumb will speak, only when the demon is cast out, and then it will be indeed to the praise of their Deliverer. But now the miracle is only provocative of blasphemy from the Pharisees, which they repeat more boldly at an after-time, and which then brings out the Lord’s warning words as to blasphemy against the Spirit. It was a sign of hearts that were hardening themselves against all that divine love could do.

But it was yet to be seen whether Israel as a whole were going with such leaders. The pity of the Lord is only roused by it now to more importunate appeal to the people to whom He had come, – His people and the sheep of His pasture, – to listen to His voice.

Fuente: Grant’s Numerical Bible Notes and Commentary

The ruler, and others who came to Christ for cure and healing, believed him to be a man unto whom Almighty God had communicated divine power.

But it is observable, that these poor blind men did believe him to be the Messiah, by their calling him the Son of David; and according to their faith, so was their success: their faith capacitated them for a cure.

But why did our Lord enjoin the blind men silence, and straitly charge them to tell no man of the cure? Herein the great modesty and humility of Christ appeared, in avoiding all ostentation and commendation; as also a due care of his own safety, lest the publishing of his miracles should create him untimely danger from the Pharisees.

Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament

Mat 9:27-30. And when Jesus departed thence Namely, from the rulers house; two blind men, who probably had heard of his being there, and waited for his coming out; followed him As he went through the streets, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us The title which they here give him, shows that they believed him to be the Messiah; for, at this time, it was not only universally understood that the Messiah would be a descendant of David, but son of David was one of the names then ascribed to him by the Jews; see Mat 12:23; and Mat 22:42-45. As these men were blind, they could have no evidence of Christs miracles from their senses. They believed them, therefore, on the testimony of others who had seen them. Viewed in this light, their persuasion of Christs power to cure them was an exercise of faith highly commendable in them, and which reflected great honour upon Jesus, as on the one hand it showed their sincerity and freedom from the prejudices which blinded the minds of the generality of the Jews; and, on the other, the truth and notoriety of his miracles. It was, therefore, for the glory of God and for the edification of others, that the strength of their faith should be discovered. This was done by their persevering to importune him to have mercy upon them, notwithstanding he seemed at the first to refuse them, and by the answer which they returned to his question concerning their faith. Then When their faith was thus sufficiently manifested, he touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you And immediately on his speaking these words, their eyes were opened. Such is the mighty power of the prayer of faith, and such is the honour wherewith Christ often crowns it! And Jesus straitly charged them, &c. The word , thus translated, is rendered by Phavorinus, to charge, to command, to appoint with authority: by Hesychius, to command, or charge with a threat. It signifies a rational, not a passionate earnestness and vehemence. Hammond. Christs command of silence, says Baxter, (namely, concerning the miracle,) was partly to give us an example of avoiding ostentation and hypocrisy, and to be content with the approbation of God alone. Of other reasons why he forbade his miracles to be divulged, see note on Mat 8:4. These men, however, were so overjoyed on account of the miracle which Christ had wrought for them, and so full of gratitude to him for the restoration of their sight, that they could not forbear speaking of it wherever they came; by which means his fame was spread abroad in all that country. It had been expressly foretold by the prophet, that the Messiah should open the eyes of the blind; (see Psa 146:8; Isa 35:5; Isa 42:7;) and this is the first instance recorded by the evangelists in which Jesus proved himself to be the Messiah, by fulfilling those predictions.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

LIX.

HEALING BLIND MEN AND A DUMB DEMONIAC.

(Probably Capernaum.)

aMATT. IX. 27-34.

a27 And as Jesus passed by from thence [If construed strictly, this phrase means, as he departed from Jairus’ house. But the phrase is indefinite], two blind men followed him, crying out, and saying, Have mercy on us, thou son of David. [This, among the Jews, was a common and thoroughly recognized name for the expected Messiah.] 28 And when he was come into the house [possibly Peter’s. But the place is not important. The house is mentioned to show that the blind men persistently followed Jesus until he stopped], the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. [In the earlier stages of his ministry Jesus had worked his miracles with little or no solicitation; but now, as the evidences of his power were multiplied, Jesus demanded a fuller expression of faith; for faith was the fruitage for which the miracles were wrought.] 29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. 30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus strictly [sternly] charged them, saying, See that no man know it. 31 But they went forth, and spread abroad his fame in all that land. [Jesus might well speak severely when charging his beneficiaries to be silent, for apparently no one of them ever obeyed him.] 32 And as they went forth, behold, there was brought to him a dumb man possessed with a demon. 33 And when the demon was cast out, the dumb man spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. [Some regard this demoniac as being the victim of combined physical and spiritual maladies, but it is more likely that the dumbness was [357] caused by the demon, since in some instances they deprived men of reason ( Mar 5:15), and in others they threw men into convulsions or distortions– Mar 9:18, Luk 13:11, Luk 13:16.] 34 But the Pharisees said, By the prince of the demons casteth he out demons. [If we are correct in our chronology, Jesus had already fully answered this charge. See pages 300-302. If he repeated any part of this answer at this time, Matthew is silent as to it.]

[FFG 357-358]

Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)

THE BLIND MEN HEALED

Mat 9:27-31. And two blind men followed Him coming out from thence [i.e., from Jairuss house], saying, Have mercy on us, O Son of David! And the two blind men came to Him, having come into the house [i.e., doubtless Peters house, which was His home], and Jesus says to them, Do you believe that I am able to do this? They say to Him, Yea, Lord. Then He touched their eyes, saying, Be it done unto you according to your faith. And their eyes were opened. And Jesus charged them saying, See that no one know it. And they having gone out, published Him in all that country. They evidently did wrong. However, the miracle was so great and stupendous, those men, who had lived long and weary years groping their way in rayless midnight, now flooded with the effulgent glory of perennial noonday, meeting their old friends, panic-stricken and electrified on all sides to find them seeing clearly, walking over precipices, up and down craggy steeps, and over housetops, and performing all sorts of gymnastic legerdemain, illustrating to the world the perfection of their sight, O how hard it was for them to keep the secret as to the Authorship of the paradoxical miracle! Here, again, you see clearly the great law of the redemptive scheme, appertaining both to soul and body, Be it done unto you according to your faith. This miracle Jesus wrought in the city of Capernaum, the center of His evangelistic work in the North, and whither all Galilee, and myriads from Judea, and all surrounding heathendom, constantly poured in, listening spellbound to His wonderful preaching, and so electrified by His miracles that the Jews were incessantly on tiptoe to crown Him King, having endured the galling yoke of Roman despotism thirty-two years, and looking to the Messiah to come, break that yoke, and set them free, Himself, their coronated King, sitting down on the throne of David and Solomon. The momentary probability of an effort on the part of the Jews to crown Him King was the reason why, when among the Jews, He charged them not to publish His mighty works, lest a popular revolution should expedite His death before He had finished His work.

Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament

Mat 9:27-31. Two Blind Men Healed.Mt. only; perhaps a doublet of Mat 20:20-34, with reminiscences (in Mat 9:30 f.) of Mar 1:43-45. See MNeile, 128f. Son of David first appears as a Messianic title in Ps. Sol. 17:23, but becomes frequent after A.D. 100.

Mat 9:30. Jesus strictly charged them: the verb is that used in Mar 1:43; Mar 14:5, Joh 11:33, and connotes a rush of deep feeling.

Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible

Verse 27

Son of David; one of the titles by which the Jews were accustomed to designate the Messiah. (Matthew 21:9.)

Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament

9:27 {6} And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, [Thou] Son of David, have mercy on us.

(6) By healing these two blind men Christ shows that he is the light of the world.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

The healing of two blind men 9:27-31

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

This is the first time in Matthew’s Gospel that someone called Jesus the "Son of David" (cf. Mat 1:1; Mat 12:23; Mat 15:22; Mat 20:30-31; Mat 21:9; Mat 21:15). This was a messianic title, and the blind men’s use of it undoubtedly expressed their belief that Jesus was the Messiah. The Gospel writers recorded that Jesus healed at least six blind men, and each case was different (cf. John 9; Mar 8:22-26; Mat 20:29-34, Mar 10:46-52, and Luk 18:35-43). Blindness was a common ailment in Jesus’ day, but the Gospel evangelists also used it to illustrate lack of spiritual perception.

"The use of the Davidic title in address to Jesus is less extraordinary than some think: in Palestine, in the time of Jesus, there was an intense messianic expectation." [Note: Hill, p. 180.]

Ironically these physically blind men saw who Jesus was more clearly than most of their seeing contemporaries. Isaiah had prophesied that Messiah would open the eyes of the blind (Isa 29:18; Isa 35:5-6). Frequently in the Synoptics the desperately needy cried out to Jesus calling Him the Son of David. [Note: Dennis C. Duling, "The Therapeutic Son of David: An Element in Matthew’s Christological Apologetic," New Testament Studies 24 (1978):392-410.] There seems to be a relationship between the depth of a person’s felt need and his or her willingness to believe in Jesus.

Probably Jesus did not heal these men outdoors for at least two reasons. He had already done two miracles outdoors before many witnesses that day and may have wanted to keep the crowd under control (cf. Mat 9:30). Second, by bringing the blind men indoors He heightened their faith since it involved waiting longer for a cure. Jesus’ question furthered this aim (Mat 9:28). It also clarified that their cries for help came from confidence in Him rather than just out of desperation, and it focused their faith on Jesus and not just God.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

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