“As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. 29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; 30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.”31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.” Matthew 9.27-31
Twice now people have been healed because of their own faith in Jesus. It’s not their own faith in themselves, their abilities, talents or gifts. It’s faith in Jesus. But, let me emphasize what Jesus said, “According to YOUR faith let’s it be done to you.”
I’m guessing the blind men were Jewish, otherwise Matthew might have told us. It’s assumed they are Jews. One evidence of this is they call Jesus, Son of David, a strictly Jewish term and title for Messiah. When they see Jesus they say, “Have mercy on us…” Jesus goes indoors and the blind men follow. Presumably they were guided by the disciples of Jesus after he gives the “ok” nod to let them follow. They come to him and Jesus says, “Do you believe…?” They reply, “Yes, Lord.” Not only did they demonstrate their faith in finding and following Jesus, they verbally confessed, “Yes, Lord.”
Then Jesus does what only he is able to do — “He touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you.” And at that moment “their sight was restored.” Incredible miracle by Jesus. We’ve read this story so you might not be shocked by the outcome. You should be. Have you ever seen this done before or since in a hospital, doctors office or pharmacy? (Shout out to my pharmacist friend Dr. Brandon Ross!)
The only condition Jesus puts on the healing is this — don’t tell anyone. “Jesus warns them sternly, ‘See that no one knows about this.’” But they ignore him. And he knew it would happen. Because “they went out and spread the news about him all over the region.”
Why did Jesus heal these blind men if they were only going to disobey him? We could ask the same thing about ourselves, “Why would he forgive us for our sins upon the cross only for us to continue sinning and reject his love?”
The point of this miracle is three-fold —1) Our faith matters when it comes to healing, 2) our gratitude to Jesus’ grace doesn’t always match the gift, and 3) Jesus has the power to do that which we can not do ourselves.
If the world saw a preacher healing the blind today it would be front page news and so it was during Jesus’ time. It was a big deal then and still is today. But the God who came in the flesh Jesus isn’t finished with his work. He might not be walking the earth but his Holy Spirit is alive and well. He is here and he is near in 2020.
Do you need a miracle? Do you need healing? Are you down, depressed, isolated and alone? Call out to God. He who is able to give sight to the blind will unleash his love upon your heart this very moment.
”O Lord God, I am a sinner, saved by grace. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for allowing me to find rest in you. When I am weary, I fall at your feet. When I am hopeful, I sing praises. When I am alone, you walk beside me. Come now, Lord, heal our world. Help us cling to the one who clung to the cross on our behalf. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen