Do You Believe? Matthew 9:27-31
“27) As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28) When 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.” 29) Then He touched their eyes, saying, “It shall be done to you according to your faith.” 30) And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them: “See that no one knows about this!” 31) But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout all that land.” Matthew 9:27-31
As Jesus passed on, two blind followed Him crying out “Have mercy on us, “Son of David!” It intrigues me that Jesus did not immediately stop and heal them. He allowed them to do some research into His identity. They asked Him for mercy as they called Him the “Son of David!” This was a Jewish reference to the Messiah.
It seems that He initially ignored them as He passed on and settled into the house. Why? Was Jesus insensitive to them? Not at all! I believe Jesus was allowing them to wrestle through the evidence.
It is often our trials that motivate us to seek God. Faith should not be easy. Jesus wants us to seek Him! After a lapse of some time, they showed up at the house where Jesus was staying. It is not easy for blind people to find their way around, but they persisted until they stood in His presence.
This is the point at which Jesus gave them His attention. I am not an advocate of “easy believing” or “convenient faith!” Their actions in seeking Jesus proved their faith.
Notice the question Jesus asked them; “Do you believe I am able to do this.” They had undoubtedly heard the story of Him raising the daughter of the synagogue official from the dead and healing the woman that suffered from a hemorrhage. They may have heard other stories about Him as well. They concluded that He was the Messiah and therefore could heal blindness as well.
He then touched their eyes, saying, “Be it done to you according to your faith.” I often hear people conclude that healing is based on the amount of our faith. But Jesus was not measuring the amount of their faith, He was assessing their true view of His identity. Did they really believe He was the Messiah?
Though they were physically blind, they could see spiritually. They pondered the stories and concluded that Jesus was indeed the Son of David. They did not have faith in faith, they had faith in the true identity of Jesus Christ. That is where the healing came from.
It intrigues me that Jesus warned them not to tell anyone, but they did just the opposite. They openly shared their story. Were they being disobedient?
Maybe, but there may be a deeper meaning to the warning of Jesus. He may have been saying, “You can share the story of your healing, but don’t spread the news of my true identity.” People need to do their own research and wrestle through to their own conclusions about the true identity of Jesus Christ!
According to Matthew 8:27, the disciples were wrestling with the question of the true identity of Jesus. After witnessing Jesus calm the storm they expose their thinking process; “27) And the men marveled, saying, “What king of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?””
By the time we get to Matthew 9:27, the evidence was piling up exponentially. We can now ask, “What kind of man is this that has authority over leprosy, time and space, the weather, demons, paralysis, a chronic hemorrhage, the dead and physical blindness?”
The same is true for each of us today. We need to wrestle with the evidence and arrive at our own conclusion about the true identity of Jesus Christ. Then each of us has a decision to make. We must either accept Him as your Savior and Lord or reject Him.
No one can make that decision for you. You cannot surf on other peoples faith. It has to become personal.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
