In my distress I called to the Lord,
and He answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
and You listened to my cry.
Jonah 2:2 (NIV)
Series: The Gift of Faith
Rock bottom. Deep despair. Nowhere to turn and no way out. Have you experienced the blindness produced by devastating circumstances? Instigated perhaps by financial demise, a medical diagnosis, an addiction crisis, a relationship failure, or some other life-impacting catastrophe, these situations may result from our own choices, or tragically, completely out of our control. Our cries in these desperate moments are resoundingly similar: “God, help me!”
Sometimes, we may feel like our cries fall on deaf ears. Doesn’t God see? Doesn’t He know? Doesn’t He care? Why won’t He answer me? We are not alone in our pleas for help, nor in our confusion while we wait. Let’s turn to Matthew 9:27 (HCSB):
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, shouting, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
Jesus had just healed the woman with the issue of blood and had raised a little girl from her deathbed. Word about Jesus and the miracles experienced at His hand had spread. People sought Him, hopeful of engaging in their own miraculous encounters with Him. The two blind men were no exception. They were not only determined to find Jesus, but they also recognized the Kingship of Jesus. They directed their cries for mercy to the Son of David.
The title, “Son of David,” is a Jewish term referencing the Messiah. Several Old Testament prophecies tell us the Messiah would come from the lineage of David. This Messiah would deliver, heal, conquer, and save. He would set the prisoners free and restore sight to the blind. (See scripture references below.) We can assume these two men knew the Messianic prophesies, and they heard about the works of Jesus, concluding Jesus must be the One they have been waiting for! The Son of David! The Messiah!
We see these two men relentlessly following Jesus, shouting out to Him, begging for mercy, just as Jesus left the house of the little girl He healed. Jesus continued on His way to His next destination—the house of an unidentified person—with no acknowledgment of the blind men. There’s no indication Jesus heard the men’s cries or had any intention of healing them. Yet, the men persisted.
When He entered the house, the blind men approached Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they answered Him. Then He touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith!” And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus warned them sternly, “Be sure that no one finds out!” But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout that whole area. (Matthew 9:28-31 HCSB)
Once inside the house, the men approached Jesus again. It is here, in the home’s privacy, that Jesus responded to these determined souls. Jesus asked if the men believed He could heal them and the men affirmed their belief. Jesus touched them and confirmed that they would receive according to their faith, and their sight was restored.
Some suppose Jesus perhaps was not yet ready to minister to the masses and/or needed a time of rest, and so He did not heal these two men until they were under the cover of the house. This could also be the reason Jesus warned these two men not to share the news of their healing. Regardless, we can still glean truths about faith from this encounter.
The blind men believed Jesus was the Messiah, and they earnestly sought Him out, both publicly and privately. These men were not spiritually blind, only physically blind, and they refused to be denied. They continually shouted out to the Son of David, requesting mercy. Who knows how many times they repeated these words, passionately desiring the attention of and response from Jesus?
When the men were face to face with Jesus in the intimate setting of the home, this is where Jesus responded. The question Jesus asked allowed the men to outwardly express their faith in His ability to work this miracle in their lives. Jesus wasn’t demanding a certain amount of faith from these two men. He wanted to know they believed in Him and His power. Upon their response to Him, in His quiet majesty, Jesus touched them and declared it be done according to their faith.
I love this picture. Jesus wasn’t interested in the fanfare, the show, the shouts, the accolades, the crowds. He is a personal Savior, a loving Lord, a gracious Healer, and a faithful Friend. He desires to meet with each of us One-on-one and to dwell with us in the home of our hearts. It is in this place of private intimacy that He may challenge our beliefs, our faith, our trust.
We can blindly roam around in the dark like these two men did for who knows how many years before they met Jesus. Many of life’s events can overwhelm us with despair. When our hearts cry out, “Help me, Lord! Have mercy on me!” Do we believe He hears? Do we believe He is with us? Do we believe He has the power to do it?
May we, like these men, passionately pursue the presence of Jesus, believe in Him and His power, and receive all the blessings He has prepared for us, according to our faith in Him. May we believe, as Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:20-21 (HCSB):
Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Holding Fast to Hope,
Maryann
Scripture References: Jonah 2:2; Matthew 9:27-31; 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Psalm 22, 110; Isaiah 9:6, 35, 53, 61; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Ephesians 3:20-21
