An expository sermon on Mathew 9:27 - 33

1. Jesus heals the blind
and dumb
Mathew 9:27-33a

2. INTRODUCTION to the topic and contextual background
God created a perfect world which is to be
under the dominion of man. Unfortunately
because of sin, the beauty of God’s
creation became corrupted and man’s
dominion over it removed. The Bible
promised that one day God will restore it
to its perfect state and man’s dominion
over it. For the Jews this would become a
reality with the coming of the “Messiah,”
the destroyer of sin and death, the
Righteous ruler.
Through the miracles of Jesus Christ we are given a preview of the coming
reign of Jesus Christ on earth. As Matthew continues to present the third set
of miracles that demonstrate Jesus’ claim to messiahship.

3. HEALING THE TWO BLIND MEN
And as Jesus passed on from there, two
blind men followed Him, crying out, and
saying, “Have mercy on us, Son of
David!” And after He had come into 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.” Then He touched their
eyes, saying, “Be it done to you
according to your faith.” And their eyes
were opened. And Jesus sternly warned
them, saying, “See here, let no one
know about this!” But they went out, and
spread the news about Him in all that
land. (9:27-32)

4. I - THE CONDITION OF THE MEN
Blindness was common in ancient times, as it still is in most
underdeveloped parts of the world. The fact that Jesus healed more cases of
blindness than any other kind of disease reflects its pervasiveness. Unsanitary
conditions, infectious organisms, blowing sand, accident, war, malnutrition, and
excessive heat all combined to make blindness a constant danger. Many
infants were born blind because of various diseases suffered by the mother
during pregnancy, and many others became blind a few days after birth by
being exposed to venereal disease, especially gonorrhea, as they passed
through the birth canal.
It was not uncommon for blind people to associate with others who
were blind, and it is possible that these two blind men had been companions in
darkness for many years.

5. II - THE CRY OF THE MEN (vs. 27)
Kraz (from which comes crying out) - basically carries the idea of shouting or
screaming with great intensity, The word is used of the unintelligible babbling of
a deranged person such as the demoniac of Gadara. (Mark 5:5) It is used of
the Lord Himself on the cross (Mark 15:37). It is used in Revelation 12:2 of a
woman screaming in the pains of childbirth. The two blind men were crying out
to Jesus in great anxiety and desperation and were determined to be heard
over the noise of the crowd, knowing He was their only hope of deliverance
from their afflictions. What they said as they cried out indicates they had both:
a.) The right knowledge about Jesus - The fact that the blind men addressed
Jesus as Son of David indicates they acknowledged Him as the Messiah,
because Son of David was one of the most common Jewish titles for the
promised Deliverer. It was a royal title, denoting His lineage from the family of
the great King David and His right to reestablish and rule over the coming
kingdom of God. Every Jew who heard the blind men call Jesus the Son of
David recognized it as a clear confession of their belief in His messiahship.
(Luke 1:32,33, 2 Sam. 7:12-14a, 16)

6. b.) The right attitude toward Jesus - The cry of the blind men also reveals they
had the right attitude toward Jesus. They pleaded, have mercy on us, by which
they may have acknowledged their need not simply for physical help but for
forgiving mercy. It seems reasonable to suggest that they felt a spiritual need
that only Jesus could meet, and they came to him in hungering humility.
These two men came to Jesus not only with a right understanding of His great
worthiness but also with a right understanding of their own great unworthiness.
That is the attitude of heart that the Lord honors and accepts. Again it is made
clear that the person who comes before God declaring his own goodness is
rejected by Him, whereas the one who mourns over his sin and humbly cries
out, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” is justified by the Lord.
It is interesting that Jesus at first showed no response to the pleas of the two
blind men. They continued to cry out as the entire crowd moved along with
Jesus and the disciples, and He let them keep pouring out their hearts as they
persistently demonstrated their determination. He tested their faith, letting it run
to the extremity that proved its sincerity.

7. III - THE CONFRONTATION OF THE MEN (vs.28)
It was not until after He had come into the house (No mention here as to which
house Jesus went, it was possibly Peter’s, where Jesus probably made His
home while He was in Capernaum) that the blind men came up to Him. They
somehow managed to keep up with Him and then followed Him into the house
where He was staying.
Each of the healings recounted in chapter 9 involved such persistence. In each
case Jesus led the persistent seekers to affirm faith in Him. Now He asks the
two blind men pointedly, Do you believe that I am able to do this? The question
seemed stranged considering that he already knew their faith. His asking them
about their faith must therefore have been for the purpose of drawing out a
more complete public confession.
The Gospels makes it clear that faith was not necessarily present in all healing
but But faith is always involved in salvation, and Jesus prompted the two blind
men to openly confess their trust in Him surely for the sake of the their spiritual,
not their physical, restoration.

8. IV - THE CONVERSION OF THE MEN (vs. 29)
Without the drama so common with self-
proclaimed faith healers, Jesus simply
touched their eyes, saying, “Be it done to
you according to your faith.” According
to your faith signifies that the extent of
Jesus’ ministry to these men was based
on the measure of their personal faith in
Him. Faith is the means by which men
receive the salvation God graciously
gives. In light of their confession and of
Jesus’ specific mention of their faith, it
seems certain that more than their eyes
were opened. Their trust in Jesus Christ
likely brought salvation as well as
healing. He gave them spiritual life as
well as physical sight.

9. V - THE COMMAND TO THE MEN (vs. 30)
Embrimaomai (sternly warned) - is an intensified form of an already strong
verb and could even carry the idea of scolding (see Mark 14:5).
Jesus’ reason for this command was not, to keep His miracle-working power
from becoming known. Nor was the command given to keep this particular
miracle from becoming known for some reason.
Obviously Jesus had another reason for commanding the men’s silence. The
best explanation seems to be that He did not want His messiahship proclaimed
prematurely. He did not want to stir up premature opposition or encourage
revolutionary Jews to begin rallying around Him. It could be also that Jesus did
not want people to come to him just because they get something out from him
(John 6:26) Or it could be that Jesus wanted people to draw their own personal
conclusions about him. (Mathew 11:3-5) Jesus was concerned that especially
the Jews, as God’s chosen people, accept His messiahship on the basis of His
fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, not simply on mere verbal claims.

10. VI - THE CONTRARINESS OF THE MEN (vs. 31)
Despite Jesus’ strict command to the
contrary, the two men immediately went out,
and spread the news about Him in all that
land. Most believers need to say more about
the Lord, not less. But for His own important
reasons at this time, Jesus had ordered
these two men to say nothing about what He
had done for them; and yet they disobeyed.
Because it was disobedience of the Lord,
what they did was wrong; but it was a kind of
sin that only a grateful, overflowing heart
could commit. The men could not resist the
overwhelming desire to tell everyone of their
wonderful deliverance and of the Lord who
delivered them.

11. VII - THE COMMITMENT OF THE MEN
& THE HEALING OF THE DUMB MAN (vs. 32, 33)
The two men themselves came across another needy person as they were
leaving and immediately brought him to Jesus for healing. If this was the case,
they evidenced genuine commitment to Christ by bringing others to Him.
The dumb man may have been a friend of the two blind men, who perhaps had
acted as their eyes while they acted as his voice. In that case, the first thing
they did after being healed and saved themselves was to bring their friend to
Jesus for healing and salvation.
Kophos (dumb) often included the idea of deafness because inability to speak
is frequently caused by inability to hear. As with blindness, deafness was
common in the ancient world. In this man’s case, however, dumbness was
caused by being demon-possessed, Nothing is said of this man’s faith, and no
intimation is given of his salvation. As far as we know, he made no profession
of faith in Jesus and received nothing from Him except physical healing.

12. CONCLUSION
The primary focus of the passage is on the two blind men, and their story gives
a beautiful analogy of the pattern of salvation. Their physical blindness is a
picture of spiritual blindness.
First of all, they acknowledged their need. Second, the blind men
acknowledged Jesus as the Son of David, Messiah, just as the saved person
must acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior.
Third, they came seeking God’s mercy, knowing that what they needed they did
not deserve. Fourth, they trusted in Jesus for healing, just as the lost must trust
in Him for salvation. On the basis of their faith they were converted.
Fifth, by disobeying the Lord, they displayed the well-meaning weakness that
often follows conversion. But, sixth, they were also useful to the Lord, because
they brought others to Him.