Matthew 9:27

And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(27) Two blind men.—The two narratives that follow are peculiar to St. Matthew. The title by which the blind address our Lord as “the Son of David,” was that which expressed the popular belief that He was the expected Christ. It is used afterwards by the woman of Canaan (Matthew 15:22), and again by the blind at Jericho (Matthew 20:30-31; Mark 10:47; Luke 18:38-39).

Benson Commentary

Matthew 9:27-30. And when Jesus departed thence — Namely, from the ruler’s house; two blind men, who probably had heard of his being there, and waited for his coming out; followed him — As he went through the streets, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us — The title which they here give him, shows that they believed him to be the Messiah; for, at this time, it was not only universally understood that the Messiah would be a descendant of David, but Song of Solomon of David was one of the names then ascribed to him by the Jews; see Matthew 12:23; and Matthew 22:42-45. As these men were blind, they could have no evidence of Christ’s miracles from their senses. They believed them, therefore, on the testimony of others who had seen them. Viewed in this light, their persuasion of Christ’s power to cure them was an exercise of faith highly commendable in them, and which reflected great honour upon Jesus, as on the one hand it showed their sincerity and freedom from the prejudices which blinded the minds of the generality of the Jews; and, on the other, the truth and notoriety of his miracles. It was, therefore, for the glory of God and for the edification of others, that the strength of their faith should be discovered. This was done by their persevering to importune him to have mercy upon them, notwithstanding he seemed at the first to refuse them, and by the answer which they returned to his question concerning their faith. Then — When their faith was thus sufficiently manifested, he touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you — And immediately on his speaking these words, their eyes were opened. Such is the mighty power of the prayer of faith, and such is the honour wherewith Christ often crowns it! And Jesus straitly charged them, &c. — “The word ενεβριμησατο, thus translated, is rendered by Phavorinus, to charge, to command, to appoint with authority: by Hesychius, to command, or charge with a threat. It signifies a rational, not a passionate earnestness and vehemence.” — Hammond. Christ’s command of silence, says Baxter, (namely, concerning the miracle,) “was partly to give us an example of avoiding ostentation and hypocrisy, and to be content with the approbation of God alone.” Of other reasons why he forbade his miracles to be divulged, see note on Matthew 8:4. These men, however, were so overjoyed on account of the miracle which Christ had wrought for them, and so full of gratitude to him for the restoration of their sight, that they could not forbear speaking of it wherever they came; by which means his fame was spread abroad in all that country. It had been expressly foretold by the prophet, that the Messiah should open the eyes of the blind; (see Psalm 146:8; Isaiah 35:5; Isaiah 42:7;) and this is the first instance recorded by the evangelists in which Jesus proved himself to be the Messiah, by fulfilling those predictions.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

9:27-31 At this time the Jews expected Messiah would appear; these blind men knew and proclaimed in the streets of Capernaum that he was come, and that Jesus was he. Those who, by the providence of God, have lost their bodily sight, may, by the grace of God, have the eyes of their understanding fully enlightened. And whatever our wants and burdens are, we need no more for supply and support, than to share in the mercy of our Lord Jesus. In Christ is enough for all. They followed him crying aloud. He would try their faith, and would teach us always to pray, and not to faint, though the answer does not come at once. They followed Christ, and followed him crying; but the great question is, Do ye believe? Nature may make us earnest, but it is only grace that can work faith. Christ touched their eyes. He gives sight to blind souls by the power of his grace going with his word, and he puts the cure upon their faith. Those who apply to Jesus Christ, shall be dealt with, not according to their fancies, nor according to their profession, but according to their faith. Christ sometimes concealed his miracles, because he would not indulge the conceit which prevailed among the Jews, that their Messiah should be a temporal prince, and so give occasion to the people to attempt tumults and seditions.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And when Jesus departed thence - The scene of this miracle was near Capernaum. The blind men probably followed him with their cry for aid immediately on his leaving the house of Jairus.

Thou Son of David - By the Son of David the Jews meant the Messiah. He was the descendant or Son of David by way of eminence, Isaiah 9:7; Luke 1:32; Revelation 22:16. See the notes at Matthew 1:1. This was therefore a profession of belief, on the part of these blind men, of the Messiahship of Jesus, and, at the same time, the expression of a belief that, being the Messiah, he could heal them.

Have mercy on us - That is, show compassion toward us in our affliction, and restore to us the blessing of sight.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

Mt 9:27-34. Two Blind Men and a Dumb Demoniac Healed.

These two miracles are recorded by Matthew alone.

Two Blind Men Healed (Mt 9:27-31).

27. And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him—hearing, doubtless, as in a later case is expressed, "that Jesus passed by" (Mt 20:30).

crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us—It is remarkable that in the only other recorded case in which the blind applied to Jesus for their sight, and obtained it, they addressed Him, over and over again, by this one Messianic title, so well known—"Son of David" (Mt 20:30). Can there be a doubt that their faith fastened on such great Messianic promises as this, "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened," &c. (Isa 35:5)? and if so, this appeal to Him, as the Consolation of Israel, to do His predicted office, would fall with great weight upon the ears of Jesus.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

See Poole on "Matthew 9:31".

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And when Jesus departed thence,.... From the house of Jairus, to another in the same city;

two blind men followed him: very closely, by the direction of others, having heard of the miracle just now performed by him; and from thence concluded he was able to restore them to their sight;

crying and saying, with great faith and fervour, with much importunity, and frequently repeating the following words,

thou son of David, have mercy on us. Whence it appears, that they firmly believed, and were fully persuaded, that he was the true Messiah; for "the son of David" was a known character of the Messiah among the Jews: nothing was more common than to call him by this title, without any other additional epithet; see Gill on Matthew 1:1, and since it had been prophesied of the Messiah, that he should "open the eyes of the blind", Isaiah 35:5 they might be greatly encouraged to hope and believe they should obtain mercy from him in this respect.

Geneva Study Bible

{6} And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.

(6) By healing these two blind men Christ shows that he is the light of the world.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Matthew 9:27-28. Δύο τυφλοί] μαθόντες, περὶ ὧν ἐθαυματούργει, καὶ πιστεύσαντες, αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν προσδοκώμωνον Χριστόν, Euth. Zigabenus. Matthew alone records the two miracles, Matthew 9:27-34, but it is rash to regard them (Holtzmann) as a literary device in anticipation of Matthew 11:5. The title “son of David” is surely conceivable enough, considering the works already done by Jesus, and so cannot serve as a ground for regarding the healing of the blind man here recorded as a variation of Matthew 20:29 ff. (Wilke, Bleek, Weiss, Keim).

παραγ. as Matthew 9:9.

εἰς τ. οἰκίαν] in which Jesus resided. Comp. Matthew 9:10.

Expositor's Greek Testament

Matthew 9:27-31. Two blind men.—This miracle-narrative and the next paratively colourless and uninteresting. They bring under notice two new types of disease, blindness and possession accompanied with dumbness. The interest in both cases, however, lies not so much in the cures as in the words spoken.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

27. Song of Solomon of David] See note ch. Matthew 1:1. The thought of the kingdom of heaven had been closely linked with the reign of a Son of David, but doubtless with many Jews the glory of the Asmonean dynasty (the Maccabees) and the established power of the Herods had tended to obscure this expectation. To have clung to it was an act of faith.

27–31. A Cure of two Blind Men

Peculiar to St Matthew. Archbp. Trench alludes to the fact that cases of blindness are far more numerous in the East than in Western countries. “The dust and flying sand enter the eyes, causing inflammations.… the sleeping in the open air, and the consequent exposure of the eyes to the noxious nightly dews, is another source of this malady.”

Bengel's Gnomen

Matthew 9:27. Τυφλοὶ, blind men) Many blind men received faith, and afterwards sight. without doubt they sought for sight, more especially on the ground that, being alive at that time, they might see the Messiah; and they did see Him with joy incredible.—ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, have mercy upon us) An expressive formula, containing a confession of misery, and a prayer for free mercy. Even those who are without have employed this form of prayer.[428]—υἱέ Δαυὶδ, Song of Solomon of David) that is, Christ. See ch. Matthew 1:1 and Matthew 22:42.[429]

[428] For instance, the woman of Canaan, the father of the lunatic, the ten lepers, etc.—V. g.

[429] It was distressing to them, that, though living at that very time, in which the Son of David, who had been so long looked for, was living in the world, they were yet not permitted even to see Him.—V. g.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 27-31. - Two blind men restored to sight. Matthew only. (For the connexion, vide ver. 18, note.) Weiss (see Rushbrooke, p. 75, A; and 'Life,' 3:221) compares the incident at Jericho, ch. 20:29-34 (parallel passages: Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43). The points of similarity are:

(1) The number, two, but in the parallel passages only one;

(2) the expression that Jesus was passing by (ver. 27; Matthew 20:30);

(3) they cry out and say, "Have mercy on us, O Son of David;"

(4) our Lord, in his question, asks about what he should do;

(5) lays stress on their faith (Mark and Luke);

(6) and touches their eyes (Matthew 20:34).

The points of difference:

(1) The place, here in Galilee, there by Jericho;

(2) here in the house, there in the road, but even here they begin to address him in the road;

(3) no mention here that he stopped when addressed, as there (ch. 20:32);

(4) our Lord here asks about their faith, there about their wish.

(5) Observe also that both his charge, "See that no man know it" (ver. 30), and the statement that they spread abroad the fame of him, would be quite inconsistent with the late date of the miracle recorded in ch. 20. From a consideration of these details, the conclusion seems inevitable that we have, in fact, narratives of two distinct occurrences, but it is quite consistent with tiffs conclusion to suppose that during the oral transmission of the narratives a certain amount of assimilation took place. Upon this supposition, it further appears probable that, as the narrative in ch. 20. was the better known, for it was in the Petrine cycle, our narrative became assimilated to it rather than the reverse. On the other hand, the number recorded in ch. 20. (not Mark or Luke) looks much like an assimilation to that of our incident (cf. the notes on the section Matthew 8:28-34, ver. 31, and the section vers. 32-34). Verse 27.- And when Jesus departed thence. As he was passing along on his way thence, i.e. from the house of Jairus, if the context be pressed. It should be noticed that "thence" (ἐκεῖθεν) is found also in Mark 6:1, immediately after the healing of Jairus' daughter. There it refers to the neighbourhood generally. Possibly its presence in Matthew is ultimately due to his remembering it in the next succeeding section of the oral framework. Two blind men followed him, crying (out, Revised Version; κράζοντες, so also Matthew 20:30), and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. The Revised Version rightly reverses the order of the two last clauses; the stress is on their own needs, not on their faith in giving him such a title. The words are identical in Matthew 20:30. Thou Son of David. The thought has been brought out in the genealogy (Matthew 1:17), and our Lord lays stress upon it in Matthew 22:42, sqq. Observe that although the excited multitudes at Jerusalem shout out the title at the triumphal entry (Matthew 21:9; cf. also 15), yet the multitudes in Galilee only suggest the possibility of his having a right to it (Matthew 12:23), and the only persons who use it when directly addressing him are a heathen woman (Matthew 15:22), and three, or perhaps four, blind men (here and Matthew 20:30, 31). With the remembrance of what was promised to take place in Messianic days (Isaiah 35:5), the blind would be especially likely to accord him a Messianic title (cf. also Matthew 11:5, note). Have mercy (Matthew 5:9, note). Matthew 9:27