Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

By David R. Ferguson     In Matthew 9:27-31, we read of yet another great miracle on a day comprised of several astonishing miracles Jesus performed in the city of Capernaum so very long ago. As Matthew puts it, 27 As Jesus went on from there, two men who were blind followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28 And after He entered the house, the men who were blind 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 for you according to your faith.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows about this!” 31 But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout that land.     From the moment He stepped off the boat that morning, Jesus had been going nonstop performing miracles, and this wasn’t even the last one He would do that day! He had already cured a paralyzed man; a woman with a blood issue that had lasted for 12 years was healed when she touched the hem of His robe; and He had just raised a 12-year-old girl from the dead. All these things had happened that day before He was accosted by these two blind men seeking His aid.     Some people naturally wonder why Jesus seemingly ignored the pleas of these two blind men as they cried out to Him. Jesus didn’t stop and heal these men, but instead He entered the house where He was staying without addressing the men. Although we aren’t told specifically why Jesus didn’t speak with these men initially, there are several possibilities that aren’t unreasonable. The first of these could be that Jesus may have been exhausted and simply hadn’t heard them initially as they cried out to Him since there were also many other people following Jesus that day. It may have been that Jesus wanted the men to repeat their request. This is the message Jesus taught in His Parable of the Persistent Widow. God loves His children, and He desires to hear from them often. And yet another reason Jesus didn’t respond immediately to these two blind men may be tied in with His command to them to “See that no one knows about this.”     It wasn’t yet time for Jesus to be crucified for the sins of mankind, and the cry these men made of “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” was not just a call for help, it was also a battle cry. The title “Son of David” is a Messianic title, and one the Jews used in their zeal to for a King to throw off their Roman overloads militarily. This wasn’t the mission of Jesus, and He didn’t need any trouble with the Romans. It’s my opinion that Jesus waited until the men followed Him inside the house to heal them for this very reason.

- David R. Ferguson preaches for the Mentor Church of Christ in Mentor, OH. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://mentorchurchofchrist.com/ or davidferguson61@yahoo.com