And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed [him], crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!” 28 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 said to him. 29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” 30 And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” 31 But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.
In Matthew 8-9, the Gospel gathers several examples of Jesus’ power to save: he heals the sick, calms the storm, casts out demons, and even raises a girl from the dead. Just before this passage, Jesus has brought the synagogue official’s daughter back to life and news about him is spreading through the region. It is in this setting that two blind men begin to follow him and call out for mercy.
Matthew tells us that as Jesus moves on from the house of the official, “two blind men followed [him], crying out, ‘Son of David, have pity on us!’” (v. 27). Blindness in the ancient world meant not only physical suffering but also dependence on others for daily needs. These men cannot see Jesus with their eyes, yet they follow him and cry out with a clear statement of faith. By calling him “Son of David,” they use a title that points to the promised king from David’s line, the one through whom God would bring lasting salvation to his people (cf. 2 Sam. 7). They approach Jesus not just as a healer but as the long-awaited Messiah, and they ask simply for mercy.
“When he entered the house, the blind men approached him” (v. 28). Jesus lets them come close in a more private setting rather than working the miracle out in the street. He then speaks directly to them: “Do you believe that I can do this?” (v. 28). His question does not mean he lacks knowledge. It draws out the faith that is already present in their hearts and brings it to speech. They answer with faith and reverence, “Yes, Lord” (v. 28). They acknowledge both his power and his authority over them.
Jesus “touched their eyes and said, ‘Let it be done for you according to your faith.’ And their eyes were opened” (vv. 29-30). The physical touch and the spoken word go together. Their faith is not a force that heals them by itself. It is trust in the person of Jesus, who truly has the power to heal. “According to your faith” means that the healing matches their confidence in him. They believed he was able to do this and entrusted themselves to him as Lord, and he responded with the gift of restored sight. In the light of the Old Testament, this fits the hope that when God’s saving reign draws near, “the eyes of the blind shall see” (cf. Is. 35:5).
After the healing, Matthew adds another detail. “Jesus warned them sternly, ‘See that no one knows about this’” (v. 30). In Matthew’s Gospel, commands to silence appear at several key moments and show that Jesus wants his identity as Messiah to become known in the right way and at the right time, not only through reports about miracles. Catholic commentaries explain that Jesus does not wish to be known simply as a wonder-worker or to stir up a false, earthly image of the “Son of David” as a political liberator. His works of power are real signs of God’s kingdom, but they must be understood in the light of his whole mission, especially his suffering, death, and resurrection.
Their response is immediate. “They went out and spread word of him through all that land” (v. 31). The two men who had been blind now see, both physically and in faith. They do not remain silent about their healing, even though Jesus had told them not to speak of it. Matthew shows a pattern we often see in the Gospels: when people are healed by Jesus and trust him, they praise God and tell others what he has done. The passage ends with many people in that region hearing about Jesus, the Son of David, who gave sight to two blind men.
Lord Jesus, Son of David, you opened the eyes of the blind and brought light into their darkness. Help us to trust in you, to see your work more clearly, and to receive your mercy with thankful hearts. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- Bernard Orchard et al., A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture (Westminster, MD: The Newman Press, 1953).
- Faculty of the University of Navarre, The Navarre Bible: St Matthew (Dublin: Four Courts Press / Princeton, NJ: Scepter Publishers).
- José Enrique Aguilar Chiu et al., eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary (New York/Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2018).
- Raymond E. Brown et al., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990).
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