Not So Blind



Matthew 9:27-31
27And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”
28When he entered the house, the blind men came 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, “According to your faith be it done to you.”
30And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.”
31But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.

At the beginning of Matthew, Jesus is introduced as the long promised King who would sit on the throne of King David. But that has been the only reference to Him fulfilling that capacity until we come to this brief story at the end of chapter 9. For the first time, Jesus is referred to as “Son of David” – by two guys who couldn’t even see Him!

Imagine being in the crowds as Jesus heals the sick, casts out demons, calms storms, and raises the dead, but unable to see any of these miracles. Everything these blind men knew about Jesus they knew because the events had been described to them and they could feel the excitement in the crowd as they happened. Yet they themselves had never “witnessed” a single one of these miracles. Yet they somehow come to the conclusion that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, the Son of David, who would come and sit on the royal throne forever. And of course, they want to be healed of their blindness. Clearly they had come into the presence of the Person who could do just that. There have been many who have made the contrast between those who are physically blind and those who are spiritually blind. Jesus has the power to remove both types of blindness but you have to love the irony of this story where the physically blind men can see something that others are missing.

For Jesus to be declared the Son of God was natural by this point. He has performed miracle after miracle, displaying His divine power over all things. But the title Son of David was both spiritual and political. This designation carries a punch with those who are following Him and those who would see Him dead. In that title He lays claim to something that bears historical greatness. Now He is dangerous! Perhaps this is why He warns the healed blind men not to share their story – which they promptly disregard.

This title – Son of David – carries with it so much about Jesus that we know to be true. He is True God and True Man. He is the King of the Universe. He is the promised Messiah. He is Sovereign God over us. It probably isn’t a term we use very much in our worship life or in our private prayer time – but maybe it merits some meditation.

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