The Restoring Of Sight To Two Blind Men.
The raising of the Ruler's daughter from the dead is now followed by a further Messianic sign, the opening of the eyes of the blind (see Matthew 11:5). In this incident there are two blind men who are healed. Rather than dismissing Matthew's tendency to notice what others do not we should recognise from this that Matthew appears especially to have noticed examples of companionship (even in the case of the asses later). Perhaps it was because as an ex-public servant he had known what it was to long for genuine companionship.
These two men began by calling on Jesus as ‘the Son of David'. While this was not a Messianic title in wide use it is clear from the Psalms of Solomon that it was used by some as a Messianic title. And as we have seen in the introduction, there may be good cause for seeing it as especially connected with Solomon, the son of David. For in most of its uses in Matthew it is connected either with the healing of the blind or the exorcising of evil spirits. And Solomon, the son of David, was especially connected with the latter in Jewish tradition. Thus it indicated here that present among them was one who was recognised as being in the line of David and Solomon, the Messianic king and the Wise One who could cast out evil spirits and heal even the blind. But actual examples of the healing of the blind are never mentioned in either the Old Testament or Jewish literature. It was to be a Messianic function (Isaiah 35:5).
Note too the emphasis on their faith. This is the fourth mention of faith in this section (compare Matthew 8:10; Matthew 9:2; Matthew 9:22). It is being made clear that Jesus responds to faith.
The suggestion that Matthew is simply repeating, with alterations, the story in Matthew 20:29-34 is laughable when we consider how Matthew condenses his material to save space. The stories are clearly referring to different incidents, and in view of the fact that Jesus must have healed hundreds of blind people (e.g. Matthew 15:30) for they were common in Palestine), it simply indicates that even scholars can sometimes be ‘blind'. The superficial similarities are easily explicable. The truth is that men do tend to go around in pairs, as in fact the Apostles did, especially men who live in a world of their own like blind men do, and who beg in the same places. The title ‘Son of David' is regularly connected with the blind. Indeed there would appear to have been an expectation that the Son of David would open the eyes of the blind, possibly based on Isaiah 35:5 (see Matthew 12:22; Matthew 20:30; Matthew 21:14 with 9). But anyway the differences between the accounts are too significant to ignore.
Analysis.
a And as Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him, crying out, and saying, “Have mercy on us, you son of David” (Matthew 9:27).
b And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him (Matthew 9:28 a).
c And Jesus says to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28 b).
d They say to him, “Yes, Lord” (Matthew 9:28 c).
c Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you” (Matthew 9:29).
b And their eyes were opened. And Jesus strictly charged them, saying, “See that no man know it” (Matthew 9:30).
a But they went forth, and spread abroad his fame in all that land (Matthew 9:31).
Note that in ‘a' they followed Him and called out loudly for mercy, and in the parallel they spread abroad His fame. In ‘b' the blind men came to Him,and in the parallel their eyes were opened. In ‘c' He asked whether they believed and in the parallel He responded to their belief. Central in ‘d' was their bold statement of faith in Him, ‘Yes, Lord'.