Matthew 9:27-33

Introduction

Good morning everyone. It’s a real joy to be with you this morning. Whether you are at our cove campus, watching online, in an overflow room or here downtown I am thrilled to have this time to open the Bible together.

If you have your Bibles with you go ahead and open up to Matthew chapter 9 and in a moment we will start in verse 27

This morning as we look at this passage together my hope is you and I would see the freeing power of faith.

Before we think about the freedom faith can bring it’s important to clarify what kind of faith we see in scripture and who that faith is in.

because it’s this kind of faith that brings real freedom in our lives.

It’s not faith in a system, or a way of life, it’s not faith in good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad, it’s not faith in a family memeber or a friend, it’s not faith in a lifestyle change, it’s not even faith in ourselves that brings the freedom our hearts and our souls most long for

no real faith, faith which brings freedom is faith in the person of Jesus Christ. It’s faith in Jesus that the Bible holds out for us as the faith which pleases God and the faith which brings real freedom in our lives.

Faith is describe best in

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

and it’s this kind of faith we will see today

let’s read

Matthew 9:27–33 ESV

And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When 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.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.” But they went away and spread his fame through all that district. As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.”

In the passage prior to this Jesus has just preformed to pretty amazing miricales. On his way to heal a 12 year old little girl for a relgious leader Jesus is touched by a women by all accounts who would have been unclean

She touches just his garments and we are told she is held. Remiding us all of how Jesus cares about indviuals and wants our faith to go public he does something which might seem reckless or irresponisble.

He stops everything and ask a question. He says “who touched me?” It’s what he’s always doing in the new testment and he still does in our lives today

as we pursue Jesus he ask fantastic questions of us to help us see more about the work he wants to do in us and he help us understand more of his chacther in those moments

moving from there he gets news Jarius daughter is dead.

for one a lifetime of sickness, for another she was just getting started. Yet faithful Jesus walks into her room speaks to her tenderly as a father would speak to a child and tells her to arise.

He reaises her from the dead

and it’s with those 2 stories as the backdrop for this story today. Jesus most likely on his way back to peters house is followed by 2 blind men

Something I don’t want us to miss this morning is this seems to be a different pattern then other healing miricales in the new testament.

often when Jesus encourters someone calling out for his compassion and his mercy he stops. We are told he sees them and has compassion on them

but here in Matthews gospel during his 9th healing miricale in this seciton he keeps moving.

This doesn’t stop the blind men from following Jesus however. It’s hear as Jesus continue sto move they have the right pray

they ask him to have Mercy on them. They are saying don’t give us what we deserve. Have mercy. Most likely this cry for mercy is a cry for Jesus to heal them. Some translations say have a heart for us.

They blind men are speaking to the Charcter of the one they reconginze as the son of God. They know there is something about his charchter they can cry out to. They bleive if Jesus has a heart for them they will be healed.

In the old testemant from the very beginning we see Gods heart for his people. Often God is refered to as the God of abraham, issac and Jacob. And just the fact he is their God can serve as a great encouragment. All three of these men at times made mess of their lives. Taking matter into their own hands and trying to be in control

and even in their sin and the mess they find themselves in God had mercy on them. It’s this same God that the blind men are pleading to have mercy on them

Later in exodus we are told even more about Gods Charcter.

As moses is cutting the tablets he broke out of anger these words are recorded about God.

Exodus 34:5–8 ESV

The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.

This is the God the blind men are crying out to. Merciful and grouis, slow to anger and abouding in steadfast love and faithfulness

it’s in their cry for mercy they are speaking to the heart of Christ for suffers and sinners.

and their next words in this prayer are so marvolous. THey say have mercy on us, o son of david.

This may not seem like a big deal to us reading the text a few thousand years latter but I don’t want us to miss the signifigance of what Matthew is telling us happened.

These 2 blind men are the first to recognize Jesus as the true son of david in the entire gospel of mattheew outside of the author himself. Matthew starts his gospel with this pharse in his genolgoy in matthew 1 but it’s not until matthew 9 we see anhyone rexonginze Jesus as the true son of david.

Isreal had been looking forward to the coming of this royal figure since the time of David. This is the eteranl son of david prophsied about in the Old testament. There had been people longing to see this day. To see this royalty in person

There was a hope this king would come and restore the fortunes and blessings isreal ahd expiernced under david. By this time there was hope that this royal figure would overthrow and defeat Rome

but as we know King Jesus came to do much more then overthrow rome. He came to overthrow the hearts of huminity. He came to defeat a greater enemy. The enemy of sin and death

and it’s here in matthews gospel in the 9th chapter 2 blind men are the first to truly see Jesus royalt.

There is so much for us in this.

As i’ve thought about this passage I’ve really enjoyed this idea. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I had. It caused me to ask this question:

Could it be where we are lacking, where we feel the weakest. The very thing in our lives that might bring the most pain and shame is the exact area of of life that allows us to see Jesus for who he truly is?

too even see jesus and expierence Jesus in was no one else is able to. Could it be the very thing that causes us to realy on God even more?

the fact that blind men where the first to see Jesus as the son of David, to see his true royalt gives me great encouragement. It wasn’t the disciples or the relgious leaders.

it was blind men who saw.

I get really excited for what this means for us. That if we would pay attention to the places we feel most lacking, most desperete, most bankgrupt. it’s those places that could serve as some of the greatest conduts for Gods mercy and grace in our own lives.

I’ve expierenced this in my own life. I really enjoy people. I hope you know that. It’s why Sundays is my favorite day of the week. It’s a time I get to be around Gods people gathered and worship Jesus.

When you walk into the room downtown or I run into you in huntsville I am pumped. and some have wondered if that’s how I have always been?

the answer is no. Before I became a christian I was empty. I was lonely. I felt so isolated. I wondered if I would ever be truly accepted or ever loved? I wondered if I would ever be enough or ever have friends.

and then when I was 15 years old Jesus saved me. I expirenced his uncodtional love and acceptence of me. I expirenced his friendship and it’s from his lvoe, his acceptence of me, his friendship that my love for people was birthed.

In the place I felt so inadequte and so ill-equppied is the place Jesus meet me. It’s a way I expierenced Jesus. It was in my lacking that he brough abudance.

it’s what he loves to do.

I think of the other suffering I’ve expirenced in my life and while I wouldn’t want anyone to walk through some of the things I’ve walked through I wouldn’t trade it. It has often been in my shame and pain I have expierenced the grace and mercy of Jesus in the most profound ways

maybe it’s something we have in common this morning. Maybe you are just becoming aware of it. Maybe tose places where you wonder why is this happening? You would ask a different question

Jesus how might I see you better through this?

because when we ask that question faith is birthed in our hearts in really special ways. Peter would write about this in 1st peter

1 Peter 1:3–9 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Gods mercy is what allows us to be born again. And it’s in this spirtual rebirth that our faith is tested, and that faith is more precious then any gold on the earth.

and I love what else this passage says. It says though you have not seen him you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory obtaining the outcome of your faith. The salvaiton of your souls

Sometimes peoples greatest objection to following Jesus is they can’t see him. These blind couldn’t see him yet their faith him in was real.

They “saw” him more clearly becasue of the gift of Faith god had given them.

may the same be true for us.

because as we saw at the beginning of this talk

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

May God grant us this kind of faith today.

because it’s this kind of faith we need for the journey. The blind men where on a journey. They entred the house with Jesus and he does what he often does.

He ask them a quesiton:

Do you beleive that I am able to do this?

This can seem suprising to us in some ways. They called out to him. They’ve risked a lot by calling him the son of david. They have followed him into his house and he askt them are you sure?

He is strenignthin their faith. He is strengthing their hearts. His question is not to raise doubt but instead his question just raises their confidence in him. It’s not the measure of their faith that is the quesion. Jeuss dones’t say how much faith do you have that I can do this?

he simply says do you believe I CAN DO this.

he is the object of their faith.

and thier simple response is profoundly beutiful.

They say “yes,Lord”

the yes puts them at the face of Jesus

but the Lord puts them at his feet.

This is where we must be when it comes to matters of Fatih. We must be in the presence of Jesus at his feet.

and then Jesus doesn something prfoundly beuatufl he touches their eyes.

He could have healed them with out even doing anything else. But he touches their eyes. This is as impressive as touching a leper

near eastern eye diseases were repulisve. There was a thought if someone had an eye disese and you touched it you would get it.

but instead of keeping a safe distance Jesus shows us just how intimately he is invovled with us.

We can be sure if we are oppressed with anything Jesus touches us at the point of our opression. He does not merely talk to us.

that’s the miricale of the incarnation. This doesn’t always means he brings the healing we want but he does always bring the healing we need the most.

It’s funny I don’t know why I keep getting the passages with people with eye conditnios but as someone with a cornea disease they alwasy minister to me in really special ways.

My eyes have been prayed over. They have been touched by some of the best sugerons and doctors but I haven’t seen the healing I wanted but I will tell you this I have been touched by Jesus in other amazing ways during this journey.

my dependnce on him has become greater. My hope in him has strengthed and my faith has grown in confidence becuase of who hie is.

I’m hopeful as you look at your life you can see the same thing.

what we really learn from this passage is where faith is Jesus is there also. that’s the gospel. In chapter 8 of matthew we never see a recored of faith

instead we see little faith yet in ever sitatiuon Jesus is there

And once again these men faith have put them face to faith with Jesus and he loves it when people think he can meet them in their place of opperssion

so he heals them

he says may it be done according to your faith

one paraphase of this passage is become what you belive. He helps their faith.

faith in Jesus is always about our belief becomign a very realy reality in our lives.

Jesus knows their faith. That’s a great comfort.

and they open their eyes and they see Jesus. That’s awesome. Men who have been blind who have been given the gift of faith and spirtual sight open their eyes for the first time in a long time and Jesus is right in front of them

and that’s what Faith always does. We can be sure that when our fatih is in Jesus we will see him at work. We may not see him right away but as we look back the evidence of him working for our good and his glory will be evident to all who look

after this he tells them to not tell anyone about this but they can’tn help themselves they tell everyone and his fame spread

this section of matthews healing miricales ends with a man who was demon ppressed. He couldn’t speak and yet Jesus comes to this man and cast out the demon.

the people are amazed but the pharisees start to slander Jesus. They say the only way he can do this is becasue he worships the prince of demons

when they say we havne’t seen anything like this in Isreal what’s happening is Jesus miricales are moving Isreal to the threshold of faith.

They know Jesus is a prophet brinign Gods word. Some are even to beleive Jesus is the messiah but the leadership is reject Jesus

They don’t deny the power of Christ they Jeust deny Jesus power comes from God.

and it’s hear matthew confronts readers with what some have called the 11th miricale of this passage. Faith and belief that Jesus is God

They can side with the leaders

or they can allow Jesus to heal their speechleness and confess him as Lord and become a miricale themselves

This shows Gods authrity over the effects of the curse in this world. Everything to blindness to death Jesus has authority over

and if he has authority over those things he has authoirty to bring spirtually dead people to life

the invitaiotn of the 10 miricales in matthews gospel are that we have to see ourselves in theses miricales and we are invited to see what faith and Jesus can do in our lives

We have to see ourselves as the unclean lepory isolated from community

we have to see ourselves as the mother in law lying sick with a fevor unable to what we lvoe to do

we have to see ourselves as the coward as the storms of life come

we have to see ourselves left for dead and oppressed by evil

we must see ourselves as spirtual parlized in need of forgivness

we have to see ourselves as the sick

the one desperete just to touch the cloak of jesus

the father depesrete for teh sick child and the dead child

we have to see ourselves as blind and mute

because of the curse of sin that we all have expirenced

and wehn we see ourselves as those people we realize just how bankrupt we are

and like the blind men we will cry out with whatever faith we have to Jesus

Son of David have mercy on us

and he can becasue he was faithful where we were faithless.

he came for sinners and suffers to make pay our penetly for sin on the cross and to show us his great love

and if we will have fatih in him

we will expierence his grace, his mercy and his forgivness

and it’s in those things our faith is strengthed.

but the cross isn’t just good for salvaiton it’s good for the saving our souls need everyday

we can be sure becasue of the death, berarly and resurrection of Jesus our fatih is not in vain

and Jesus continues to come to us and touch us in the places of our greatest oppressions. and when he touches us in those places may we find ourselves in front of his face and bowing at his feet.

may we expirence his mercy, his grace and his steadfast love in our lives

and may we realize the 11th miricale is the best. The miricale that sin and death have been defeated by Jesus and for those of us who repent and beleive this good news we are saved

we belong to Jesus. He makes us his kids and we are adopted into his family.

it’s when we are living out this idenity that our faith becomes more real.

Let’s pray

Reflection

think about your greatest source of shame, guilt or pain

if Jesus was here and asked do you believe I am able to do this?

what would your answer be?

if it’s no that’s ok he can handle our doubt

but my hope is many in this room. They would be given the gift of Faith and they could simple say

“yes lord”