Author: Gary Witcher

Miracles Three

"Have mercy on us, Son of David," two blind men cry out to Jesus in Matthew 9:27.
"Do you believe that I am able to do this?" Jesus asks the men in the next verse.
"Yes, Lord," the two answer.
"Be it done to you according to your faith," Jesus replies.
After healing the men, Jesus warns them to let no one know about it. The Master makes this request various times during His ministry, and some have speculated that He is using reverse psychology to cause the people to tell others about Him.
But it would be totally out of character for the Lord to use this kind of deception.  It is more likely that He means exactly what He says. We have mentioned that He heals people out of compassion.   But His real goal is spiritual healing, and sometimes the two are not compatible. Spiritual healing involves teaching.  And it is difficult to teach with huge multitudes of people wanting to be healed who are pressing from every direction.
Getting back to the miracle itself, Jesus heals two blind men.
We can gain a better understanding of the spiritual teaching behind the blind receiving their sight if we look at John chapter nine and the account of a man blind from birth.
"While I am in the world, I am the light of the world,” Jesus comments after a discussion of the reason for the man’s condition.   This may sound like something out of the clear blue sky unless we remember that Jesus is more concerned about spiritual darkness than He is about the physical darkness suffered by this man.
Jesus mixes saliva with clay and applies this to the man's eyes.   He is able to see after washing in the pool of Siloam.
As a result of the miracle, the man is practically disowned by his parents and is eventually put out of the synagogue following his discussion with the Jewish leaders.  He is not sorry, however, and he is glad to follow Jesus.
How much are we willing to give up in order to be healed of our spiritual blindness.  What if it costs us the fellowship of our present religious associates?  What if it costs us our relationship with someone in our family?  How many of us would choose to remain spiritually blind?
"For judgment I came into this world," Jesus observes in John 9:39, "that those who do not see may see; and those who see may become blind."
Is the Lord referring to physical or spiritual blindness?
"We are not blind too, are we?" the Pharisees retort.
"If you were blind, you would have no sin;" Jesus notes, but now you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.
Oh, these people are spiritually blind.  Jesus says so in Matthew 15:14 and Matthew 23:16, 24 and 26.  Their problem is that they refuse to recognize their condition.  No one is blinder than he who will not see. And no one can be healed who refuses to admit his illness.
In Matthew 20:29-34 Jesus is on the way from Jericho when He is confronted by two more blind men.
"Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David," they cry out.
"What do you wish Me to do for you?" Jesus asks.
"Lord, we want our eyes to be opened," they respond.
So Jesus touches their eyes and they regain their sight.  This story is similar to the one in Luke 16:35-43 where only one man is mentioned and another in Mark 10:46-52 where the single man is identified as Bartimaeus. It is not unheard of in the Gospels for one account to mention a group of people while another account in another Gospel focuses on just one individual in the group.  Neither is it contradictory, although enemies of the Bible would like to label it as such.
Before going on to one more instance of blindness being cured by the Master Physician, we can’t help but wonder about something.  What reply is Jesus waiting for when He asks, "What do you want Me to do for you?"   The answer is almost too obvious when the question is asked of someone who is blind, but what if someone is able to look beyond the obvious and on to the important?
Fortunately, the men we have mentioned so far go on to follow Jesus. But what would have happened if they would have gone on their way after being healed? Do we ever expend so much time and energy on the obvious that we neglect to be concerned about the important?
There is a thief on a cross.  His obvious need is to get down off that cross.  But he looks beyond the obvious to the important.   His request of the Master, as we learn in Luke 23:42, is to be remembered by Jesus in His kingdom.
When Jesus is in Bethsaida in Mark 8:22, the people bring a blind man to Him.  The Lord places saliva on the man's eyes, lays His hands on him and asks whether he sees anything.
Before getting too upset about Jesus placing saliva on the man's eyes, we need to remember that Jesus is also trying to do some teaching through His miracles.  Is gaining our spiritual eyesight always pleasant? Was having people spit on Him and dying on the cross pleasant for Jesus? Are we willing to allow Jesus to place saliva on our eyes if it is required for our healing?
When the man tries to see what is around him, his vision is blurred. This is the only time we know of when the healing is not instantaneous.
The man is able to see clearly, though, after Jesus touches him a second time.
Is our spiritual blindness always healed instantly? Are we able to see some things before we are able to see everything clearly?  Does it sometimes take more than one touch of the Master's hand?

In Mark 7:31 Jesus leaves the region of Tyre and passes to the area around Decapolis.  Here He is met by a group bringing a man who is deaf and speaks with difficulty.
Jesus takes the man aside from the crowd and puts His fingers into the man's ears.  After spitting, Jesus touches the man's tongue with the saliva.
It's remarkable, isn't it, how many times the saliva of Jesus is involved in healing?  It is not so amazing, though, when we remember that the mouth of Jesus is the source of both condemnation and salvation.
"He who rejects Me, and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him;" Jesus instructs in John 12:48, "the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day."
"So faith comes from hearing," Paul writes in Romans l0:17,  "and hearing by the word of Christ."
After touching the man's tongue with the saliva, Jesus looks up to heaven with a deep sigh and says, "Be opened!"  The man is able to hear and to speak plainly.
But is the deep sigh of Jesus as He looks up to heaven for those who are physically deaf or for those who are spiritually deaf?
In the very next chapter of Mark the Master warns His followers, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."
They begin to discuss the fact they have no bread to eat.
"Having eyes, do you not see?"  Jesus demands in verse 18.   "And having ears, do you not hear?
The Lord reminds them about two of the miracles He has performed.  We will look at these miracles another time, but the point that Jesus tries to make is that His followers should have gained some spiritual insight as a result of these events.
"Do you not yet understand?" He asks in verse 21.
What is Jesus saying to us?  Are we spiritually blind?  Are we spiritually deaf?
Or are we willing to open our eyes and our ears to the truth that will set us free?

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission."