Authority over Disabilities

As we come to the end of chapter nine, we see the final two miracles of Jesus in this section. Matthew in declaring the authority of Jesus has given us nine miraculous acts that show the authority that Jesus has over everything from fevers to furious storms. Whether it is a devil, a disease or a disaster, Jesus has authority over it. The last two miracles we see in this section have to do with disabilities. We will see two blind men and one mute man healed.

The individuals in our text today should be of great interest to our current world. These men were disabled. There is a mindset with many in our world today that the disabled should not exist. You may think that’s a strong statement. You may say “I don’t hear anyone saying that Pastor.”

Please understand those who think this way are not that bold. The mindset is revealed in more subtle ways. If you don’t believe what I’m saying is true, all you have to do is look at the facts. We now have a thing called genetic screening. Doctors can look at the genetic makeup of an unborn child and let the parents know if there is a danger of their child having specific diseases. The country of Iceland has almost completely eradicated children with Down Syndrome. A study I read said that only one to two babies a year are born with Down Syndrome in Iceland. This is due to genetic screening and parents deciding a child with Down Syndrome isn’t worth having.

The Bible in no way dehumanizes people who have disabilities.

In Exodus 4:11 God said “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

In Luke 14:13-14 Jesus says “But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

In Leviticus 19:14 God says, “You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.”

If we shouldn’t curse them then it would follow that we certainly shouldn’t kill them. God assumes there will be disabled people in this world, and He is very concerned with the way we treat them.

Someone may argue that we shouldn’t bring people into this world who will only suffer. My friend there are things you aren’t thinking of.

You aren’t thinking of the glory of God. Jesus said of a man born blind that his blindness was for the glory of God. Jesus healed that man and people were pointed to the glory of God.

When Christ came, He came healing the lame, healing the blind, healing the deaf, healing the paralyzed. Think of all the glory God receives through the healing of the disabled. Do you want to rob God of that glory?

You aren’t thinking of the power of God. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” It is in our weakness that we experience the power of God. The Bible doesn’t herald the strong. The Bible heralds the weak. The Word of God reminds us that the weakest woman and the weakest man can have victory because of the power of Jesus.

You aren’t thinking of the prophecy of God. Isaiah 35:5-6 prophesying of the coming of Jesus said “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

The Bible assumes that when Jesus comes into the world there will be disabled people. Part of the proof that Jesus is the Messiah is the healing of these disabled people. When Jesus returns there will be disabled people as well. The Bible teaches that when Jesus returns, we shall be as Jesus is. Every disabled believer will be healed when Jesus returns.

This morning as we look at this text, I want to show you three things:

1. Jesus opens the eyes of the blind (27-31).

2. Jesus loosens the tongue of the mute (32-34).

3. Jesus exposes the heart of His enemies (35).

1. Jesus opens the eyes of the blind (27-31).

A. Their diligence (27-28).

These men were blind, but they were not deaf. They had heard the stories of Jesus. Folks were talking about all the wonderful works Jesus was doing.

There’s a Man who is preaching like you’ve never heard!

There’s a Man who is healing leprosy!

There’s a Man who is healing the paralyzed!

There’s a Man who is healing fevers!

There’s a Man who is calming storms!

There’s a Man who is casting out demons!

There’s a Man who is healing the crippled!

There’s a Man who is healing women with issues of blood!

There’s a Man who is resurrecting the dead!

They couldn’t see but thank God they could hear. In Jesus day blindness was common. Many children were blinded at birth. In our day we don’t see that as often because of medical advances. When a child is born today one of the things we do first is put eye drops in their eyes. This prevents a lot of blindness.

Blindness was common and it was also common for people with the same disability, such as blindness, to congregate together. These two men were likely close friends. Their misery brought them together.

Not only was blindness common, but disability was common in general in Jesus day. We are a blessed people. We obviously have people with disabilities, but medical advancement has brought healing to many in our day. Because disabilities are not as common for us as they were in Jesus day we seem to have more compassion toward those with a disability.

We have designated parking places

We have the Americans with Disabilities Act.

We have restrooms furnished for those with disability.

In Jesus day, for the most part people had grown desensitized toward those with disability. There were many people who were disabled, and it seems they were not treated well. Remember the paralyzed man who was being taken to Jesus? The crowds would not move for him. His friends had to climb on the roof of the house and let him down (Luke 5:19). Normally if we see a handicapped person struggling, we would stop to help them. In Jesus day many believed the handicapped were cursed by God and felt no need to help them (John 9:2).

They were held in disdain, but they were diligent.

They were disabled but they were diligent.

They were at a disadvantage, but they were diligent.

Look at verse 27. They are following Jesus. They are crying out to Jesus. When Jesus arrives at the home He is going to rest in, they follow Jesus inside the house. They’re not like the woman with the issue of blood. They’re not trying to be discreet. They want Jesus to know they are there. It’s likely they had someone leading them. They’re blind. How else would they follow Jesus? This adds to their diligence. They’re not letting whoever it is that is leading them to give up.

B. Their doctrine (27).

These men know something about God. Look at what they are saying.

“Thou Son of David”. This is the first time someone calls Jesus by this name other than Matthew in his genealogy (Matt. 1:1). What does that title mean? It recognizes that Jesus is the Heir to the royal throne. He is the King. He is the Ruler of Israel. This is a Messianic title.

“Have mercy on us”. They recognize the character of Christ. They recognize the King of Kings is a merciful King. They recognize they need mercy.

These blind men saw more than the religious leaders saw. They may not have had physical sight, but they spiritual sight. In one sense these men had already been healed. Their spiritual blindness had been removed. Ephesians 1:18 describes saved people in this way “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened;”

Acts 26:18 describes the process of Jesus saving a soul with the words “To open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light…”

God had opened the spiritual eyes of these men and that’s why they believed that Jesus is the merciful King of Kings. They knew Jesus was the Messiah and they also knew that Isaiah said of the Messiah

“In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.” Isa 29:18

C. Their deliverance (28-30).

Jesus asks them a question. “Do you believe I can do this?”

It sure seems like they do. They have followed Him down the street. They have followed Him into the house. They are crying out for deliverance. Jesus question is a legitimate question. Faith is necessary. If we want to see the kingdom of God, faith is necessary. Faith in what?

Faith in ourselves?

Faith in technology?

Faith in others?

No. It’s faith in Christ we need.

Arch Bishop Trench in 1902 wrote

“Faith is the bucket let down into the fountain of God’s grace without which the man could never draw water of life from the wells of salvation. For the wells are deep and, of himself, man has nothing to draw with.”

How do we reach God? We reach Him through faith. We believe the Word of God. We believe the testimony of Scripture. We believe in the Person of Jesus Christ. By faith we are saved!

It’s not easy to believe. Jesus makes powerful claims. But these men believed. Not a single person had ever been healed of blindness before this. Read your Bible and you will see it’s true. No one in the Old Testament had ever been healed of blindness. The only thing these men had to hold on to was the testimony of Scripture. Isaiah said the blind would see. They had never heard of a single person being healed of blindness but they believed the Word of God!

Listen friend, there are things we have never seen but have been promised. We can trust that they are true!

We have never seen a glorified saint, but we shall!

We have never seen streets of gold, but we shall!

We have never seen cherub shouting “Holy, Holy, Holy” but we shall!

These men told the Lord they believed, and Jesus touched their eyes. Because they had faith in Christ, Christ healed them. Their eyes opened.

From blind to seeing in a moment.

From darkness to light in a moment.

Could you imagine that? I remember when I had Lasik surgery on my eyes. My eyesight had been terrible my entire life. After the surgery I could see clearly without glasses. It was like a whole new world to me.

I can’t imagine the change these men experienced. They were completely blind and in a moment they could see clearly.

As I thought about these men my mind went to the Apostle Paul. He was struck with blindness on the Damascus Road. He was a Christ hater. He was a blasphemer. He was spiritually blind. On the road to Damascus Jesus struck him with physical blindness for three days. The scales fell off his eyes finally. He was a new person. The Lord opened his eyes to the truth of the gospel.

He could now see Jesus for who he is.

He could see himself as a sinner.

He could see the value of the cross and the resurrection.

He could see others as in need of the gospel.

That’s what’s important folks. Have we been healed of our spiritual blindness? You see the world in a completely different way when you are saved.

2. Jesus loosens the tongue of a mute (32-33).

A. The disobedience of the blind men.

Jesus told the men not to tell anyone what He had done. Why would He do this? Probably because the more people heard of Jesus the greater the tension would be between Him and the religious leaders. Jesus was working on a timetable. He had a specific time that He was going to the cross.

These men couldn’t help themselves. They didn’t listen to Jesus. They immediately began telling people. To be fair, it would be difficult for them to keep this hidden from people who knew them. They were no longer blind.

They looked differently.

They no longer needed assistance from others.

As well, they were excited that they could see.

Not only did they tell people about Jesus, but they also brought someone to Jesus. They went and got a man who couldn’t speak. They probably knew the guy. Here’s the interesting thing. They couldn’t see but they could speak. He could see but he couldn’t speak. You put these guys together and they can function. Maybe that’s how they knew one another. Perhaps at times he was their eyes and they were his lips.

It seems they wanted this man to experience healing in the same way they did.

B. The devil in the mute.

The Bible says it was a devil that was keeping this man from speaking. That doesn’t mean that if someone can’t speak it’s because they have a devil. But in this case that was the problem.

The devil has a hold of many a tongue today. With some he is cursing God. With others he is keeping them from praising God.

The inability to speak is a difficult thing. Language is one of the main things that distinguishes us from the rest of creation. The ability to communicate in detail is a wonderful gift from God.

This man couldn’t speak a single word. He could only grunt and point.

Imagine not being able to say “I love you” to your family.

Imagine not being able to say, “Glory to God!”

The blind men couldn’t see, this man couldn’t sing. Why are these men grouped together?

Remember the prophecy Isaiah gave. In Isa 35:5-6 he grouped the blind and the mute together. He said

“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

then shall the lame man leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.”

These men are together because they fulfill the prophecy of the coming Messiah. The devil unknowingly assists the Lord in the fulfillment of this prophecy. He took this man’s speech, setting the stage for prophecy to be fulfilled.

C. The devil is cast out.

With great ease Jesus cast the devil out of this man. The man immediately begins to speak. The people stood amazed. They had never seen anything like this in Israel. If this had never happened in Israel, then certainly it hadn’t happened anywhere else in the world. Israel worshipped the One True God.

Listen to me friends, the devil doesn’t stop many tongues from speaking. He does great work with the tongue. He has a hold of most of the tongues in this world. It doesn’t take long to determine where a person is spiritually if you listen to them speak.

The devil inspires profanity.

The devil inspires racial slurs.

The devil inspires dirty jokes.

The devil inspires lies and gossip.

One of the great proofs that a person has been saved is the change in their speech. Jesus said it Himself. He said by our words we are justified or condemned. What a blessing it is when Jesus saves a soul! When Jesus saves a soul, He breaks the power of Satan. He sets us free from the power of sin. When you get saved your speech will change.

Has Jesus loosened your tongue? Has He set you free from ungodly speech?

3. Jesus exposes the heart of His enemies (34).

A. The charge of Jesus enemies.

The Pharisees couldn’t deny what Jesus had done. It was clear to everyone watching He had cast a devil out of this man. One of two things had to be true for Jesus to be able to do this:

1) He has power over the devil.

2) He is in league with the devil.

They chose to believe He was in league with Satan. They were telling people Satan was deceiving them. Satan wanted them to believe Jesus was the Messiah because He wasn’t. To believe in a false Messiah would be idolatry and that would condemn all who believed in Jesus. That was the argument of the Pharisees.

They could not have said a more blasphemous thing. They were saying the worst thing you can possibly say about God. They were saying God is a devil. It doesn’t get anymore blasphemous than that.

What they said was completely illogical.

Jesus met every Scriptural requirement of the Messiah.

Jesus worked powerful miracles before their eyes.

Jesus was holy & humble, two things the devil is not.

B. Those who are determined not to believe cannot be convinced by fact or reason.

The heart is the problem. There is enough proof in Christianity for the world to be saved. There is enough reason in Christianity to satisfy any seeking soul. The problem is the heart.

Look at our world today. We are living in a time where Christians are being called evil.

We’re evil because we believe a baby in the womb is a human being that should be protected.

We’re evil because we believe marriage is between a man and a woman.

We’re evil because we believe that God created us as either male or female.

We’re evil because we believe Christ is the only way.

Christian principles are now called evil. Listen to me folks, the problem is not Christians. They called Jesus evil. The problem is people are lost.

The Pharisees were more blind than those two blind men.

The devil had a hold of the Pharisees tongue in a greater way than he did the mute.

The Pharisees were in spiritual blindness and controlled by the devil himself. Jesus healed the blind man and delivered the mute to expose those who were truly blind and held captive by the devil.

The devil had the Pharisees eyes and he had their tongue!

C. It is our responsibility to faithfully preach the gospel and pray for those who are blind to the truth.

There’s a lot of Pharisees in our world. There are a lot of people who are hostile to the gospel. But there are also people like these blind men in our world. There are people like this mute in our world. There are people who want to see the truth. There are those who are tired of being a slave to the devil. We find these folks by preaching the gospel.

Jesus is still opening blinded eyes and He is still casting out devils. He is doing it through the preaching of the gospel. As we preach some will get mad and some will get saved.

Jesus has authority over physical disability. But more than that, Jesus has authority over spiritual disability. He can change any heart. It is far greater to be delivered from spiritual disability.

Someone says to the blind believer “I feel sorry for you. You have missed so much in this world!”

The blind believer says, “I’ve missed nothing!”

I have never seen a sunset, but I will see the Sun of Righteousness rising with healing in His wings.”

I have never seen the ocean, but I will see the sea of glass before the throne of God!

I have never seen a starry night, but I will see the Bright and Morning Star!

I have never seen a rainbow, but I will see the rainbow around God’s throne.

Jesus power over spiritual disability ensures that those who bow to Him will be eternally delivered from every physical disability.

What a wonderful message of hope we have in the gospel. The blind will see. The deaf will hear. The mute will speak. The lame will walk. All because of Christ. Let’s not let the enemies of Christ keep us from sharing the hope of Christ.