David W Palmer
(Matthew 9:26 NKJV) “And the report of this went out into all that land.”
Jesus’s apprentices and followers must have been amazed at the widely varying responses to Jesus. First, laughing ridicule at the dead girl’s funeral, then—after raising her from the dead—suddenly he was hugely famous; news about him was spreading everywhere.
(Matthew 9:27 NKJV) When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us.”
Another two desperate people hotly pursued Jesus. Their plea was successful, so what can we learn from them? We first note that they were “crying out.” Faith that receives is not quiet; see also:
They all cried out to God in faith and received a miracle.
(Matthew 9:28 NKJV) And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him …
The two hopeful blind men “came to” Jesus. Coming to Jesus, crying out, and asking for mercy is a good way to start. We are never in the place of deserving a miracle, and we certainly cannot earn one either. Yet we can receive one—but only by faith and faith alone, through grace:
(Romans 4:16 NKJV) Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, … to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
(Matthew 9:28 NKJV) … And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
Faith in the heart is good—it’s like having cash in your pocket when you are hungry, the power to procure food; we cannot receive from God without faith in our hearts. Yet in Mark 11:23, Jesus emphasized three times that it is not only faith in our hearts that seals the receiving of a miracle, any more than cash in our pockets can satisfy our hunger; it doesn’t supply food if it merely stays in our pocket. It’s our words that release our faith into action.
Jesus wanted the blind men to receive their miracle, so he had to draw the mountain-moving words up from the faith in their hearts and out of their mouths. He put them on the spot with his probing, coaching question: “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” From the overflow of faith in their hearts came the immediate response: “Yes, Lord!”
I love the fact that they called Jesus, “Lord!” This is the fundamental Christian confession, and one that implied that they too were ready to hear and obey his commands—as that is the only way to guarantee ongoing salvation (See: Rom. 10:9–10, Heb. 5:9).
(Matthew 9:29–30 NKJV) Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” {30} And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows it.” {31} But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.
Their faith touched Jesus’s heart, so he touched their eyes, and spoke life-giving authoritative words; they were healed. Again, we see the anointed living word in operation. Receiving his miracle touch, and hearing him speak is an unstoppable combination—if it is mixed with faith in the heart of those who hear it. With him, nothing is impossible … absolutely nothing. But what he said to the two men contains a key that can completely unlock our future too.
Jesus didn’t say, “According to my power be it unto you,” or even, “According to my will, my initiative, my sovereign choice, or my love be it unto you.” He said, “According to your faith, be it unto you.” His sovereign love, power, initiative, mercy, and grace have set up the parameters for us to operate in his kingdom, and have made his intervention into our lives possible. But it’s our own faith that determines what and how much we receive. This is life changing. If we can grasp it, our future can be fulfilling, enjoyable, destiny reaching, and completely
