According to Matthew’s Gospel, these two miracles occurred right after the miracles we read about yesterday. Perhaps within the space of only one hour, Jesus healed a woman who had bled internally for twelve years, raised a young girl from the dead, opened the eyes of two blind men and cast a demon out of a man who had previously been unable to speak! No wonder the crowds who were with Him that day marveled. Yet the Pharisees, unable to improve upon their old explanation, continued to accuse Jesus of using Satan’s power to cast out demons.
As we read yesterday’s two miracles, we learned that faith was a key ingredient in both instances. Today’s first miracle, the instant healing of two blind men, was also credited to faith. Jesus asked the blind men, “Do you believe I can make you see?” and they responded, “Yes, Lord, we do” (Matthew 9:28). What do you think would have happened if they had said, “No, Lord, we doubt it”? Obviously they would not have been healed, because Jesus then said, ” Because of your faith , it will happen” (Matthew 9:29, emphasis added). If they had not had faith, they would not have been healed, even though it was obviously God’s will for them to be healed, because they were healed.
This proves again that God’s will doesn’t always automatically come to pass. As I mentioned yesterday, this truth makes proud people angry, because they would rather put the blame on God, claiming that it’s not His will for them to be healed, rather than admit that their faith is weak or nonexistent. However, Jesus said, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matthew 21:22). There are scores of examples in the Bible of people doing just that and receiving healing.
The faith of the two blind men was not only evident by what they said, it was evident by what they did. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they followed along behind Him, shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” It wouldn’t have been easy to follow along behind Jesus without sight. Perhaps someone was guiding them. Notice also that, before crowds of people, they kept shouting to Jesus for mercy. They were obviously convinced He could open their eyes, and weren’t ashamed to publicly and repeatedly ask Him. They were bold and persistent in their faith, to the point of going right inside the house where Jesus was staying! They would not be denied! True faith is always determined, and when people have strong faith, they don’t quit.
Q. Nothing is mentioned in today’s reading about the man who was mute having any faith. Is there any indication of his faith in the story?
A. Yes. The man must have possessed some amount of faith, or he wouldn’t have cooperated with his friends who brought him to Jesus. It is also true that Jesus did sometimes heal people who apparently didn’t demonstrate any outward signs of faith. Those cases could be categorized as “gifts of healing” mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:9 (NASB). They operate as the Holy Spirit wills, and are sovereign acts of healing by God that don’t necessarily require faith on the part of the person being healed.
Application: You may not need to receive healing, but perhaps you are facing some other difficulty in which you could apply faith in God’s Word. If so, imitate the faith of the two blind men we just read about. Be bold and persistent, and your faith will bring the miracle you need!
