As Jesus went on from the house where He had raised the girl from death, two blind men began following Him and crying out,
“Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
They could not see Jesus with their physical eyes. Yet the title they used for Him reveals something remarkable.
They called Him “Son of David.”
This was more than a reference to Jesus’ ancestry. It carried strong messianic significance. God had made promises concerning David’s throne and kingdom, and Israel had long awaited the promised King from David’s line.
Matthew has prepared us for this from the very beginning of his Gospel:
“Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.”
(Matthew 1:1)
What Matthew announced to his readers in chapter 1 is now being cried out by two blind men in chapter 9.
There is a beautiful irony here.
Their eyes could not see Jesus, yet they were beginning to see who Jesus was.
Throughout the Gospel, there will be people who can physically see Jesus and even witness His miracles, yet fail to recognize Him. These two men, however, cry out:
“Son of David!”
Their physical eyes are still closed, but their faith is already directed toward Christ.
“Have Mercy on Us”
Notice what they ask for.
They do not present their qualifications.
They do not say, “We deserve to be healed.”
They cry,
“Have mercy on us.”
The Greek expression is Eleēson hēmas — “Have mercy on us.”
This is the posture of a person who comes before grace.
The gospel does not begin with sinners proving that they deserve something from God. It begins with sinners coming empty-handed to Christ and depending upon His mercy.
Not:
“Lord, I deserve this.”
But:
“Lord, have mercy on me.”
“Do You Believe That I Am Able to Do This?”
The men continue following Jesus until He enters a house. There they come near to Him, and Jesus asks them:
“Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
The Greek is striking:
Pisteuete hoti dynamai touto poiēsai?
The focus of the question is not the strength of their faith.
Jesus does not ask:
“Is your faith strong enough?”
He asks:
“Do you believe that I am able?”
They answer simply:
“Yes, Lord.”
This shows us something essential about biblical faith.
Christian faith is not faith in faith itself.
It is not positive thinking:
“If I believe strongly enough, what I want will happen.”
Faith looks away from itself and rests upon Christ.
The power of faith is not found in faith itself, but in Christ, the One whom faith trusts.
“According to Your Faith”
Jesus then touches their eyes and says:
“According to your faith let it be done to you.”
This statement can easily be misunderstood.
It does not mean that faith functions like a spiritual force by which we create the reality we desire. Nor does it teach that a person with 50 percent faith receives 50 percent of a miracle.
Verse 29 must be read together with verse 28.
Jesus had just asked:
“Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
They answered:
“Yes, Lord.”
Then He said:
“According to your faith…”
Their faith had a specific object.
They believed that Jesus was able.
Their faith did not create Jesus’ power. Jesus was already powerful. Their faith rested upon the One who possessed the power to heal.
And their eyes were opened.
The Son of David Opens Blind Eyes
This miracle is therefore about much more than eyesight.
Isaiah had described the coming day of God’s salvation:
“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened.”
(Isaiah 35:5)
Now two blind men are crying:
“Son of David!”
And the Son of David opens their eyes.
Throughout Matthew 8–9, the authority of Jesus has been unfolding before us.
He has authority over disease.
He has authority over wind and sea.
He has authority over demons.
He has authority to forgive sins.
He has authority even over death.
And now He opens the eyes of the blind.
These miracles continually raise one great question:
Who is this Jesus?
The miracles are signs.
And the One to whom the signs point is Christ.
Their Eyes Open — and Jesus Gives a Command
After opening their eyes, Jesus sternly warns them:
“See that no one knows about it.”
Matthew does not explicitly explain why Jesus gave this command, so we should not insist on only one reason.
Yet the Gospels repeatedly show the danger of people becoming fascinated with Jesus merely as a miracle worker or misunderstanding His messianic mission according to their own expectations.
Jesus is indeed the Son of David, but He is the Messiah who is going toward the cross.
Then verse 31 begins with a contrast:
“But they went out…”
They spread the news about Him throughout the region.
Their excitement is understandable. They had been blind, and now they could see.
Yet their excitement did not cancel Jesus’ command.
Good intentions do not replace obedience.
To call Jesus “Lord” means that His word matters.
This does not mean Christians today should remain silent about Christ. After His death and resurrection, Jesus explicitly commands His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations.
The issue is not simply whether we speak or remain silent.
The issue is whether we follow the word of our Lord.
Seeing Jesus
There is something deeply moving about these two men.
Before their eyes were opened, they called Jesus:
“Son of David.”
Before their eyes were opened, they confessed:
“Yes, Lord.”
Their physical eyes were closed, but their faith was already reaching toward Christ.
Then Jesus opened their eyes.
But the Christian life does not end when our eyes are opened by grace.
The question becomes:
Whom will we look to with those opened eyes?
Faith is not merely receiving something from Jesus. Faith continues by following Jesus as Lord.
So perhaps the deepest question of this passage is not:
“Do I believe in miracles?”
It is:
“Do I truly see who Jesus is?”
And then:
“If I call Him Lord, am I willing to follow His word?”
The blind men could not see, yet they followed Jesus.
They could not see, yet they cried,
“Son of David!”
They could not see, yet they confessed,
“Yes, Lord.”
And Christ opened their eyes.
Faith is not closing our eyes and believing more strongly in ourselves. Faith is having our eyes opened to who Christ truly is.
댓글
댓글 쓰기