I Once Was Blind

The Gospel of Matthew I Once Was Blind - Matthew 9:27-31 June 28, 2026 If you have your Bibles, we'll be in Matthew 9:27-31 this morning. If you're joining us for the first time, we've been in Matthew 8-9 since April, covering Matthew's account of many of Jesus' miracles. Today, we continue that with Jesus healing two blind men. Of course, that got me thinking about my own dependance on these things [my glasses]. Fifth grade was a big year for me. I got glasses ... and braces. Yes, the same year. You know what I didn't get? A girlfriend. I guess short, thin, glasses, and braces was not boyfriend material. I kid. But, obviously, ever since then, I've needed to wear glasses. Over the past several years, it seems like my eyesight keeps getting worse and worse. With hours of independent research, I found out that this seems to be a common symptom of a serious condition ... you may have heard of it ... aging. Yeah. Apparently, I'm getting old. A couple of years ago, I had to get progressive lenses so I can see both far and near sighted with the same lenses. While I still struggle with my eyesight, I am grateful that I can still see. The two men we're going to meet this morning, will be given sight by the Great Healer Himself. But here's the reality, this account is less about the blind being able to see than it is about faith. Let's read our passage, and break that down a bit further. 27 AND AS JESUS PASSED ON FROM THERE, TWO BLIND MEN FOLLOWED HIM, CRYING ALOUD, "HAVE MERCY ON US, SON OF DAVID." 28 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." 29 THEN HE TOUCHED THEIR EYES, SAYING, "ACCORDING TO YOUR FAITH LET IT BE DONE TO YOU." 30 AND THEIR EYES WERE OPENED. AND JESUS STERNLY WARNED THEM, "SEE THAT NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT IT." 31 BUT THEY WENT AWAY AND SPREAD HIS FAME THROUGH ALL THAT DISTRICT. This really is quite remarkable. I can remember hearing about LASIK surgery for the first time many years ago, but what shocked me was hearing (and seeing - pun may be intended) that people still need to put glasses on to read. Seemed to me that the surgery would solve that problem, but evidently not. So, when we come around to passages like this and other healing passages, we must accept them for what they are: miracles. This is not the only account we have of Jesus healing the blind. Later in Matthew 20, along with the parallel accounts in Mark 10 and Luke 18, Jesus healed a blind beggar named Bartimeaus. It's probable that Jesus healed many other blind people as well during His ministry, especially in that region, where blindness was common - I read somewhere that one out of five people were affected with some sort of eye disease. Maybe worth noting, blindness, in the Bible, is often used symbolically to describe those who are lost, those who ignorant to the truth, and those who are unaware of their own sin nature. However, these two men were real people, who were really blind, so that doesn't exactly apply here, but we can learn about faith from these two men. Let's set the rest of our time up with our main idea: Faith in Jesus opens the eyes of those who trust Him. That's the first thing we see here, they found Jesus. Just like every "blind" person needs to find Jesus. For our time today, let's discuss ... OPENING OUR EYES TO SEE JESUS: First, * Pray on it! (vv.27,29) o I think we've seen plenty of evidence of the relationship between faith, prayer and healing from these chapters. o While we see direct communication between the needy and Jesus in these examples, they are really prayers. o Since we cannot physically approach Jesus today, we approach Him spiritually, through the act of prayer. o So, these can be seen as examples of the sort of prayers that we should be bringing to Him. o The prayer is found verse 27 is HAVE MERCY ON US! o The answer to this prayer is found in verse 29, when Jesus says: ACCORDING TO YOUR FAITH LET IT BE DONE TO YOU. o Faith can heal. * Of course, I must qualify this with the reminder that the Lord may not always provide physical healing. He may decide to give you peace. He may give you joy. He may be able to use you to bless others. * This is why we say frequently, trust Him with the results. o Recall James in his fifth chapter. What does he write about the prayer of faith? o Here's what he says in James 5:15: * AND THE PRAYER OF FAITH WILL SAVE THE ONE WHO IS SICK, AND THE LORD WILL RAISE HIM UP. AND IF HE HAS COMMITTED SINS, HE WILL BE FORGIVEN o In the next verse, he closed with the encouragement that the prayer of the righteous person is powerful. o I had someone stop by a couple of weeks ago. I had not seen this person in nearly a year. She's been struggling well before then, but decided in desperation (sounds familiar, right?), that she needed to stop in for prayer. I'm glad that she did. It was an honor to pray for her. However, this should be our first response, which is why I listed it here first. o Next, we ... * Walk by faith, not by sight. (v.27) o Of course, the wording here is influenced by 2 Corinthians 5:7 o These two men are not named, so we don't know much about them. o What we do know is that, according to verse 27 of our text, they followed Jesus. o Remember, they were blind. But they followed Jesus. * I can barely navigate to my bed when the lights go out! o They were guided - effectively - by their faith. o Unlike others that we read about in the Scriptures. * Like Thomas, who wouldn't believe that Jesus rose from the tomb, unless he was able to touch Him. * Or even Peter. Remember Jesus' response to Peter when Peter proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah? Jesus said blessed are those who believe and do not see! o Guess what?! We're part of that group. The blessed group! o What does it mean to walk by faith, and not by sight? * First, through obedience. * Second, by trusting Him. * Third, through perseverance. o These are all acts of faith. o Think about the examples from last week. * How long did the woman suffer? * How bad did it get for the girl? * Yet, they were healed through faith. o So, we walk by faith. Not in the things that seem, on the surface, to be impossible. o Next, * Be loud! (v.27) o I didn't want to use one of the same points that Pastor Pat used last week, so even though I'm saying "be loud," I'm really talking about boldness. o Notice in verse 27 that they approached Jesus "CRYING ALOUD" o That means exactly what it sounds like, but even a little more than that. It almost acts like a command. It's almost like they are telling Jesus: "Do it now!" "Do not delay!" o I have always struggled with this personally, as I don't like to "tell God" to do something, but really, there is so many examples of this type of prayer in the Scriptures. o Just open up the Psalms ... you don't have to get too far to see it. Here are a few examples: * Psalm 3:7 says: ARISE, O LORD! SAVE ME, O MY GOD! FOR YOU STRIKE ALL MY ENEMIES ON THE CHEEK; YOU BREAK THE TEETH OF THE WICKED. * Psalm 7:6 says something similar: ARISE, O LORD, IN YOUR ANGER; LIFT YOURSELF UP AGAINST THE FURY OF MY ENEMIES; AWAKE FOR ME; YOU HAVE APPOINTED A JUDGMENT. * Psalm 44:23 says: AWAKE! WHY ARE YOU SLEEPING, O LORD? ROUSE YOURSELF! DO NOT REJECT US FOREVER! o Boldness like this requires faith. o How bold are you in your prayers? Or. How loud are you? Cry out to Jesus in your time of need. o Next, * Confess that Jesus can do all things (vv.27-28, 31) o There are two confessions here - both related. o First, when they called Jesus "SON OF DAVID" they were confessing Jesus as the promised Messiah. o Back in 2 Samuel 7, a promise of a King that would rule forever would be fulfilled by the Messiah. o Back in Isaiah 29:18 and 35:5, we are told this Messiah would be a healer, even to the blind. o Matthew began this book identifying Jesus as the Son of David. o The angels referred to Jesus as the Son of David in the first chapter of this very book. o For Matthew's reader, and those that Jesus interacted with, Son of David was an understood Messianic title. o These men confessed Jesus as the Messiah. o This was a public confession, but they also confessed privately. o Look again at verse 28. When Jesus went into "THE HOME," He asked them if they believed that He could heal them, and they once again, confessed their faith in Him. o What is really important as well is that Jesus did not deny this title. This was who He was. However, His role on earth in His first coming was not to be a king or ruler, which is why in verse 30 He tells them "SEE THAT NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT IT." Many commentators believe that He was speaking about this title, as He was not there to rule. o One writer said it this way: ... because the title Son of David carries such a political force ... this title is not one Jesus wishes to pursue at this time. He has come to save His people from their sins (1:21) not to rule and reign as David's son and heir (Ps. 72). o So, we return to a simple question with major implications: do you believe that Jesus can do all things? o Finally, verse 31 tells us that we must ... * Share (v.30) o As noted, Jesus wasn't telling them not to share that they were healed - guess what? That would be obvious. They were blind, now they can see. o Jesus knew what they would say, and to whom they would say it. o When we have been touched by the Lord, healed by Him, we must share that experience with others. o What has Jesus done for you? o What has Jesus done for those that you love? o How has your relationship with Jesus impacted how you interact with others? o How has your faith helped you in times of your deepest need? o We all have an answer to these questions. We've all faced trials in our lives. We've all been tested. o So, why not share what you have experienced with others? Earlier we said: Faith in Jesus opens the eyes of those who trust Him. I don't think it is any coincidence that we've spent so much time in these chapters, so many of you are suffering right now, and time and time again, we are reminded to seek Him, ask boldly for healing, and to trust Him with the results, whatever that may be. His will be done. Never stop asking. With that in mind, let's ask Him once again. Let's pray. 2