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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Matthew chapter 9. Matthew chapter 9, we find ourselves 
in the last triad, the last series of three miracles. We're going 
to take up the last two this morning and finish this larger 
section that began at chapter 8 verse 1 and continues all the 
way to chapter 9 verse 34. We see in that section from 8 
to 9, three areas or three groupings 
of miracles together. And along the way there are doctrines 
or teachings on discipleship. So as I said, we're going to 
finish up the section this morning. We'll look at verses 27 to 34, 
but I do want to begin reading in Matthew chapter nine at verse 
18. While he spoke these things to 
them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped him saying, My daughter 
has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will 
live. So Jesus arose and followed him and so did his disciples. And suddenly a woman who had 
a flow of blood for 12 years came from behind and touched 
the hem of his garment. For she said to herself, if only 
I may touch his garment, I shall be made well. But Jesus turned 
around, and when he saw her, he said, Be of good cheer, daughter. Your faith has made you well. 
And the woman was made well from that hour. When Jesus came into 
the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd 
wailing, he said to them, Make room, for the girl is not dead, 
but sleeping. And they ridiculed him. But when 
the crowd was put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, 
and the girl arose. And the report of this went out 
into all that land. When Jesus departed from there, 
two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, Son of David, 
have mercy on us. And when He had come into the 
house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, 
Do you believe that I am able to do this? They said to Him, 
Yes, Lord. Then He touched their eyes, saying, 
According to your faith, let it be to you. And their eyes 
were opened, and Jesus sternly warned them, saying, See that 
no one knows it. But when they had departed, they 
spread the news about him in all that country. As they went 
out, behold, they brought to him a man, mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon was cast out, 
the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, 
saying, It was never seen like this in Israel. But the Pharisees 
said, he casts out demons by the ruler of the demons. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your Holy Word. We pray now that the 
Spirit of God would be given to us freely, that we would understand 
the glory of Christ as set forth in the Gospel of Matthew, that 
we would believe Him if we have not, that we would be strengthened 
in our faith if we have, and that Father for all of us who 
would bring glory and honor and praise unto you. For certainly 
you are worthy, you are holy and righteous and good. You are 
the God who made all things by the word of his power in the 
space of six days and all very good. You are the God as well 
who sent his son into this world to live and to die and to rise 
again so that sinners might have everlasting life. How we thank 
you for the gospel, how we thank you for the power of our Lord, 
how we thank you for this one who is full of pity, joined with 
power. Even now we pray, forgive us 
and cleanse us so that we may indeed receive your word. And 
we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, as I said, the second 
miracle here with reference to this mute man speaking, this 
demon-possessed man, is quite brief. So we are going to take 
up both of these men this morning, or both of these groups, or miracles 
this morning. Just a couple of observations 
before we jump into the passage. If you compare specifically verses 
27 to 31 with chapter 20 verses 29 to 34, you will see another 
instance of two other men that are being healed from their blindness. Now some speculate that Matthew 
needed filler, so he just threw this story in at this particular 
point. I don't believe that at all. 
What takes place in Matthew 20 parallels the Bartimaeus account 
in Mark's Gospel and in Luke's Gospel. That took place in Jericho, 
which is in Judea. Remember that Jesus is still 
in Galilee. He's ministering in the region 
or in the area of Capernaum. Now blindness was common then 
and is still common in the Middle East. It is not out of the ordinary 
for foreman in Palestine to call upon Jesus as the son of David, 
and receive healing from him. Additionally, what we find with 
this mute man, this man that is demon-possessed, some suggest 
that verse 34 really shouldn't even be in our Bibles. But it 
is, specifically, or I will argue that it is there, and that what 
we find later in Matthew 12 is a different demon-possessed man. That man is described as being 
both mute and blind. This particular man is simply 
mute. both obviously had demons, but some take this and say that 
Matthew was just trying to finish off these triads, he was just 
trying to round off the section, and so it really doesn't matter 
if it happened or not, he's putting it here just to sort of teach 
us something about Jesus. No, just so you know, I accept 
the historicity of every word in this narrative, And Jesus 
did, in fact, on this particular day, in Capernaum, heal these 
two men of their blindness. Later on in Matthew 20, according 
to the Scripture, He heals two men in Jericho. So what we find 
in this section is Christ's power over the blind, over the possessed, 
and subsequent to that, division over who He is and what His mission 
is. That's where we're going this 
morning. Four observations on our passage. First, we'll note 
the request of the two men. Secondly, the response of the 
Lord Jesus. Thirdly, the case of the demon-possessed 
man. And fourthly, the division among 
the people. A division which will become 
increasingly more so as we continue through Matthew's Gospel. But 
note first the request of these two men. I want to look at their 
need, their request proper, and their faith. Their need. They're 
blind. They got problems. They're hindered. They're restricted. They've got 
issues they cannot see. I suppose that most of us who 
wake up every morning and open our eyes and gaze at the alarm 
clock or find the coffee maker Take for granted what a blessing 
and what a gift it is to be able to see. These men were blind. They lived in darkness. This 
is the first instance in Matthew's Gospel where he actually gives 
sight to the blind. I suppose and I suspect that 
the prophet Isaiah lie behind this particular section in the 
presentation of who Jesus Christ is. In Isaiah the prophet, chapter 
35, verses 5 and 6, we find a description of the messianic age. We find 
a description of what's going to be the case when the Lord 
of Glory comes. And what we read there is, then 
the eyes of the blind shall be open, and the ears of the deaf 
shall be unstopped. When we get to that demon-possessed 
man, describes him as being mute, But the same word covers muteness 
and deafness. More than likely what we have 
in the account is a deaf mute. And why we are told that immediately 
he spoke is that is a quicker evidence of the fact that the 
demon was cast out. In Matthew 11 verses 2 to 6, 
John the Baptist sends a couple of his disciples to ascertain 
and determine whether or not Jesus is the Messiah. And Jesus 
describes all of the healing acts that he engages in. And 
there he says that the death Here, more than likely it's a 
reference to this particular man that we'll study in a few 
moments. But as I said, Isaiah the prophet 
35, 5 and 6 is probably the backdrop. Then the eyes of the blind shall 
be opened, the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped, then the 
lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall 
sing. For water shall burst forth in 
the wilderness and streams in the desert. That is a glorious 
and a wondrous and a blessed description of the time of Messiah 
when He comes to heal, when He comes to save, when He comes 
to restore, when He comes to do that task that the Lord God 
Almighty had entrusted to Him. Notice with reference to their 
need, their persistence. Their persistence. Verse 27, 
when Jesus departed from there, Jairus' house, that's where we 
last found him, when he raised Jairus' daughter from the dead. When he departs from there, two 
blind men followed him, crying out and saying, The tense of 
the verb indicate that they didn't stop. This was constant, this 
was continuous, this was earnestness, this was importunate. And what 
I think we ought to derive from this is great distress ought 
to promote great cries for mercy. When our situation is desperate, 
when we find ourselves in great need, it is legit, it is righteous, 
it is proper for us to cry continuously, to call upon the one alone who 
can save us. I guarantee you that if you were 
pinned in a burning car on the way home today, you would cry 
for that fire department to come with the jaws of life and open 
up that door. Well, what we find is the desperate 
condition of two blind men. And they cry out to the Lord 
Jesus. They're not content with this 
darkness. They're not content with the blackness. They're not 
content with the reality that they don't know what they look 
like. They don't know what each other looks like. They don't 
know what their parents look like. They haven't seen a sunset. 
They haven't seen a sunrise. They haven't seen the beauty 
that the fields contain. They haven't seen the sumptuous 
food that they've tasted. These men have a desperate condition 
and these men cry out. Again, if we corollary, or take 
a sideline note, if you're in your sin this morning, cry out! Pastor Kim alluded to our study 
in the confession this morning. As Christians, as justified sinners, 
sometimes brethren, We engage in sin in a manner wherein we 
incur God's fatherly displeasure. The confession is very clear 
and concise on what believers ought to do. They ought to humble 
themselves. They ought to confess their sins. 
They ought to gain His pardon and renew faith and repentance. 
Cry out! Do not be satisfied with the 
discontentedness that our sin brings upon our soul. Do not 
be settled with the fatherly displeasure of God. If you have 
a child in your home, I used this illustration this morning. 
When my child sins in my home or he breaks my rules, I don't 
dispossess him, I don't disown him, I don't move him out, I 
don't throw all of his stuff on the front lawn. I don't call 
foster care and get him set up for the night. He still remains 
my son, but if he has sinned or he has incurred my displeasure, 
I don't take him for ice cream. I don't take him for a nice steak. 
I don't take him to the hockey game because my displeasure is 
there. But when that son comes and he 
humbles himself and he begs pardon and forgiveness and he confesses 
and he humbles himself under my hand, what do I do? I say, 
let's go get some ice cream, son. Let's go watch the game, 
son. Let's go enjoy some pleasurable 
times together. If you are in your sin this morning, 
cry out to this one who forgives. Like, why? Why do we settle it 
in our hearts that it's just the way it's going to be? No! 
Brothers in the 17th century were a lot smarter than we are. 
Humble yourself. Confess your sin. Seek pardon 
and mercy from a gracious God and renew faith and repentance. 
And if you are not a child of God this morning, you're not 
a believer, you've got a problem worse than blindness. As bad 
as it would be to wake up tomorrow morning and not be able to see 
your clock, and not be able to find the coffee maker unaided, 
and not be able to find your way to school or work unaided, 
far worse than that is the reality that presently, currently, right 
now, you're in your sin. That's far more distressing. That is far more grieving. That 
currently, right now, while God's mercy and His grace is felt, 
known, and experienced by several in this congregation, the wrath 
of God abides on you. Great distress ought to promote 
great earnestness. And that's what we learn with 
these two men. They follow him. They're crying 
out and saying, and notice specifically their request. How do they address 
Jesus? It's an amazing reality that 
these two men who couldn't see the alarm clock, who couldn't 
find the coffee maker unaided, who couldn't find their way to 
work, knew spiritually something far more than a lot of people 
in Israel of their day. Physically, in darkness. Spiritually, 
they recognize Jesus as, thou son of David. This is the first 
time Christ has been called this in the Gospel accounts. Now, 
this is the framework in which the Gospel opens. Remember in 
chapter 1, verse 1, we find a covenantal context for the entirety of the 
Gospel account. In chapter 1, verse 1, we read, 
the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son, David, 
the son of Abraham. You see, Matthew links Jesus 
to the promise made to David and to Abraham. And here when 
Jesus is walking in Capernaum, these men see him and they address 
him as son of David. They were physically blind, but 
spiritually they understood far more than their contemporaries. 
Now it's interesting because this title, Son of David, is 
used by Matthew six times in his Gospel as compared to Mark 
and Luke who only use it once in the Bartimaeus account. And 
some have suggested that he's called Son of David because there 
was this teaching or this idea that Solomon, the son of David, 
had healing abilities. That Solomon not only was gifted 
in wisdom, and he was not only gifted in, you know, earth science 
and all those sorts of things, but he had a penchant for being 
able to heal people. France debunks that whole thing 
and shows, rather, that when this term or title is employed 
in Matthew's Gospel, it's by the down-and-out crowd. It's 
by the destitute. It's by the downtrodden and poor. It's by the blind. It's by the 
lame. It's by that Canaanite woman 
who seeks healing for her daughter. It is spoken when Jesus enters 
triumphantly into Jerusalem, and it's spoken on the mouths 
of babes in Matthew 21. So some speculate that the Son 
of David, as a messianic title, set forth that aid, that assistance, 
that tangible help, that physical healing and spiritual healing 
that would come through God's chosen servant. These men cry 
out, Son of David. And then notice what they want 
the Son of David to do. Have mercy on us. Isn't that 
beautiful? Lord, you owe us. We were born 
blind and that's a tough hand to be dealt. Now have mercy on 
us. It's interesting because Jesus 
just taught in Matthew's house the application of Hosea 6. Go 
and learn what this means. I desire mercy rather than sacrifice. No accident that these men come 
then seeking mercy from the son of David. The desire to see was 
seen as a demonstration of mercy on the part of the son of David. These men have a need, they're 
crying out, they address him properly, and they call upon 
him saying, have mercy on us. Now notice their faith. Their 
faith is seen in three particulars. First of all, they enter the 
house. It's amazing to me. I study over 
here, and I got a peephole on the door. And it's amazing how 
many times people come to the back here to either smoke or 
drink or have relations or do whatever it is they're going 
to do. I think you would never do that with one of the houses, 
right? You wouldn't go in somebody's 
backyard, and yet you'll do that here. It's quite intriguing to 
me. Takes a lot of chutzpah. Takes 
a lot of gall. These two men walk right into 
the house. We don't see any indication that they were invited. Notice 
Jesus doesn't heal them in transit, by the way. Jesus takes them 
to a private place. Which house? It's a house in 
Capernaum. Could be Matthew's. Could be 
Peter's, could even be Jesus. Jesus lived in Capernaum according 
to Matthew 4.13. Peter had a home in Capernaum 
according to Matthew 8.14. Matthew obviously had a home 
because he just entertained Jesus in this great feast. Whichever 
of the three houses doesn't really matter. Jesus went in there and 
these two men followed. You see, faith goes where healing 
is. Faith goes where answers are. Faith does not care about 
what others might think. Do I end the Bartimaeus account? 
It's quite interesting. Jesus, thou son of David, have 
mercy on me. What does the crowd do? They 
rebuke him. They say, be quiet. He doesn't 
have time for somebody like you. What does Bartimaeus do? He cries 
all the louder. Jesus, thou son of David, have 
mercy on me. Faith doesn't care one whit about 
respectability. Faith has issues. Faith sees 
the Savior. Faith holds on. That's it. That's what faith is about. Jesus 
wants to engage them in private, probably to dampen messianic 
expectation. And what I mean by that is that 
when Jesus heals and Jesus does great things, there is a desire 
on the part of the people to take him by force and make him 
a king, an earthly king, an earthly regent, as we see in John 6.15. 
Probably the explanation as to why he says, don't go and tell 
anybody what happened here. He wants to keep a lid on things, 
at least currently, because he cannot be sidetracked from the 
mission that is his. His primary mission is to go 
to Jerusalem, to die, and to rise again. But it's probably 
not only to dampen those messianic expectations, it's probably to 
check their faith, isn't it? Let's see what you guys are made 
of. Let's see what really is motivating 
you here. Is it faith in Christ or is it 
desperation? Now, desperate faith is the best 
of both worlds. But just desperation with no 
faith in his person, no faith in his ability, no faith in his 
power, desperation isn't the same. So he wants to examine 
them. He wants to determine if the 
faith they possess is faith and not merely desperation. He questions 
them. Do you believe that I am able 
to do this? And he wants to determine if 
their faith is specifically directed to him. Remember Matthew 8.1 
to 9.34, what are some of the major themes? Yes, the power 
and the authority and the glory of Jesus Christ, and faith and 
discipleship and rightly relating to him. Jesus and Matthew want 
us to conspicuously see that healing power, both physically 
and spiritually, are located in Christ. Do you believe that 
I am able to do this?" They said, or they respond, notice, 
verse 28, Yes, Lord. Now, maybe they're speaking better 
than they knew. But to address Him as Son of David and then 
to call Him Lord bodes well for their faith. I think we learn 
at least four things from these men up to this point with reference 
to their faith. They identify Him as the Son 
of David. In this, they're correct. Secondly, 
they cast themselves on His mercy. Remember those twin themes running 
through this section. He is willing, He is able. Thirdly, 
they recognize His power to give them sight. Jesus says to these 
men, do you believe that I am able to do this? They don't hymn 
and haw. They don't say, can we discuss 
this in the back room? Can we call someone? Can we check 
your references online? Can we make sure that what you're... 
They say, yes, Lord. These men have faith. And they 
also confess Him as Lord. Truly an amazing picture of what 
faith looks like. Faith played out. Faith fleshed 
out. See, it's one thing for us to 
read justification by faith in Romans 4 and in Romans 5. Of 
course, Paul does give us several illustrations vis-a-vis Abraham 
and David. You know, there is that abstract 
sort of treatment of the doctrine that we find in a book like Romans, 
and then we see the enfleshment of it, its incarnation, on the 
pages of Scripture in the Gospel accounts. Yes! Lord, they say. And that brings us, secondly, 
by way of a major consideration, to consider the response of the 
Lord Jesus. The first thing to notice is 
His agreement with them. His agreement with them. Now, 
it's not stated there. Matthew doesn't say, and Jesus 
agreed that he was the son of David. But Jesus did agree that 
he was the son of David. He doesn't say, oh, in this you've 
erred. In this you've been wrong. I'm not the son of David. I'm 
not David's Lord. I'm not the Christ. I'm not the 
Messiah sent from God. He most assuredly agrees with 
that. Never forget the context of this 
book. He is son of David, he is son 
of Abraham. He is the one in whom all the 
promises of God are yea and amen. He is the one of all that the 
prophets spoke and upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 
It is in Christ that we have the blessed promise made to Abraham. 
It is in Christ that we have the blessed promise in 2 Samuel 
7 made to David. of a regent, of a king that would 
sit upon his throne and would reign forever and ever, world 
without end. I mean, the fact that these men 
saw this spiritually, while physically blacked out, is an amazing testimony 
of God's grace at work in their hearts and lives. So Jesus agrees 
with them. He receives this title. He acknowledges 
it by not correcting them. He acknowledges it by not refuting 
them. Christ is, in fact, the Son of 
David. And Matthew is conspiring that 
his audience understand that. And then notice the healing itself. 
He touched their eyes. Now Jesus has touched others 
and healed them in this section in chapters 8 and 9. But Jesus 
doesn't have to touch someone to heal them, does he? Remember 
the centurion? Only speak a word and my servant 
shall be healed. But isn't it a special mercy? Isn't it a special kindness? 
Isn't it a special act of goodness on our Lord's part to touch blind 
men? They didn't see. They didn't 
know. He wasn't mocking them. He wasn't 
making fun of them. He wasn't making sport. He reaches 
out and he touches their eyes. He gives them that reassurance. Yes, his words mighty to save. 
Yes, his words powerful to heal. But yes, at times Christ takes 
his hand and he touches so that he can demonstrate to the people 
his great mercy, his great goodness, his great kindness. Imagine your 
doctor just putting a reassuring hand on your shoulder. Imagine 
the gravity of that if you were blind and you didn't understand 
what was going on. Christ touches them. He acknowledges 
their faith. Notice verse 29. According to your faith, let 
it be to you. Again, the cause of the healing 
is not faith. It is Christ. The condition of 
the healing is not faith. It is Christ. Faith is the empty, 
beggarly hand that reaches out by God's grace and receives the 
gift given in mercy and by grace and in kindness. Christ is the 
cause. Christ commends the reality and 
existence of their faith. And then we read very clearly, 
very concisely, and very simply in verse 30, and their eyes were 
opened. Spurgeon said comrades in the 
dark they are now companions in the light you imagine that 
They see now Let's just stop for a moment You've heard me 
refer to that book before read aloud Bible stories the case 
with Bartimaeus Paints the picture about Bartimaeus 
and how he couldn't see anything He couldn't see the hills. He 
couldn't see the trees. He couldn't see the mommies. 
He couldn't see the daddies. He couldn't see the people. He 
was blind. And then after Jesus heals him, 
says, Bartimaeus could see the hills. He could see the trees. He could see the mommies. He 
could see the daddies. He could see the people. But 
best of all, he could see Jesus. These men who were blind now 
see. We sing Newton's hymn, "'Twas 
grace that taught my heart to fear." We sing, I was blind, 
but now I see. And we all connect, and we should 
connect. We were blind in our sin. We 
were dead in our transgression. We were alienated from God. And 
the Lord has given us eyes to see his glory, his majesty, his 
excellence, and the fact that Christ alone can save us. We 
get that on the spiritual level, but these brethren got it doubly. They not only had it on the spiritual 
level, but now they got to see things. They got to see the sun. They got to see the moon. They 
got to see the stars. They got to see their families. 
They got to see one another. They got to see themselves. Maybe 
that wasn't so pleasant. Jesus healed them. You see what 
Matthew is doing. This is your God This is the 
son of David This is Abraham's son. This is Messiah promised 
in the prophet Isaiah 35 5 & 6 he gives eyes or he gives vision 
to the blind He gives talk or speech to the mute. He gives 
hearing to the deaf best of all he gives life eternal in and 
through his name Matthew is master at presenting Jesus to us. Notice 
Jesus' instruction to them. As Spurgeon says, he that opened 
their eyes closed their mouths. He sternly warns them, and the 
verb is sharp. The verb is severe. The verb 
is hardcore. What we read here when it says, 
and Jesus sternly warned them, He really did. This wasn't a 
gentle recommendation. You know, you probably ought 
not to say anything. A stern warning meant that. If 
you were to give a stern warning to your child, you'd say, I don't 
want you to touch that. Make sure you don't touch that. 
Please don't go near there. It's not a casual recommendation. Sonny, I don't want you to fall 
off the stairs. You know, that's kind of the 
way it is. No, you tell him, Sonny, don't go near the stairs. 
Stay away from the stairs. Respect that gate. Don't try 
to shimmy over it because you'll fall and you'll hurt yourself. 
That's what Jesus does. He sternly rebukes them or sternly 
warns them. not to do something. Again, I 
think the idea is he doesn't want to parade himself as simply 
a physical healer, and secondly, he doesn't want to impede the 
progress of his mission. He's got all these people coming 
to him constantly and all this time, he's not going to make 
it to Jerusalem, again, humanly speaking. He's not going to be 
able to set his face like a flint and carry out the task that the 
Lord God Most High had given him. Carson says this rather 
violent verb, in fact, I think one of the translations in Bagot 
is that it means to snort. To snort. He's not playing around. Carson says, this rather violent 
verb reveals Jesus' intense desire to avoid a falsely based and 
ill-conceived acclaim that would not only impede, but also endanger 
his true mission. You see, he can't be sidetracked. He can't be stopped. He must 
pursue the task which the Father had given him. He must obey and 
fulfill all righteousness. He must die and take the penalty 
due our sin. He must rise on the third day. 
He must ascend into heaven. These are all imperatives. These 
are all musts. This is all orchestrated before 
the foundation of the world. And so Jesus, the man, sternly 
warns these men, see that no one knows it. Kind of an interesting 
thing, too. See. Well, Matthew was just giving 
us a little play on words there. First thing you're supposed to 
see to is not telling people what I just did. They now can 
see. He doesn't say, look at the stars, 
look at the moon, see to it that nobody knows this. So what do 
they do? They go right out and disobey. 
They call them Lord, but they didn't know they am. It's amazing, 
isn't it? We are thick-headed. When the 
Son of God, the Lord of Glory, the Davidic Messiah tells you 
don't do something, may I just suggest, don't do it. Yes, Lord, stern rebuke or stern 
warning and they go out and they blab everywhere. Davies and Allison 
make the interesting observation. Their disobedience By the way, 
I don't refer this commentary in its totality. It's got some 
issues. But in this, I think they're quite perceptive. Their 
disobedience, like the frequent failure of the Twelve, shows 
that first-hand observation or experience of the supernatural 
scarcely guarantees faithful discipleship. In other words, 
just because you witness this or just because you see this, 
it does not secure and guarantee faithful discipleship. They go 
on to say, miracles of themselves eliminate neither little faith 
nor unbelief. This is very important that we 
get this. I've mentioned before the great 
debate by Dr. Greg Bonson and Dr. Gordon Stein 
proposition under debate was, does God exist? And the two men 
transfer their, they go through their argumentation, they swap 
blows, they do all of that, and it comes down to the very end, 
and there is a Q&A session. And somebody asks the question 
of the atheist, Dr. Stein, what would it require 
for you to believe in the existence of God? And Dr. Starling said, well, two things. One, if the deity put in a personal 
appearance, then I would believe. Secondly, if this lectern, or 
the pulpit, or whatever it was that they were using in this 
exchange, were to lift up into the air, and there was obviously 
no mechanism, no machine, no wires, nothing like that. Gordon 
Stein said, if those two things happened, then I would believe. 
When Dr. Bonson, the theist, was given 
opportunity to examine this particular response, he says, if Dr. Stein saw the deity, or if Dr. Stein saw that lectern rise, 
he wouldn't necessarily believe. He would try and explain. He 
would try to reason. He would try to rationalize how 
these interesting things happen in a naturalistic world. He said 
faith or miracles don't produce faith. You need to be born again. You need the power of God most 
high to open the eyes, to give you spiritual understanding. 
What does Jesus do in his particular context in Matthew 11? He chides 
the cities of his day because they saw his mighty deeds and 
they did not repent. So you see, just witnessing mighty 
deeds, mighty miracles doesn't secure obedience. We need grace. A brother suggested 
to me recently a song by Keith Green. And as a result, I listened 
to another of my favorite songs by Keith Green called Rushing 
Wind. And in that, he says, he prays, 
God, help me, help me to obey. We need God's grace. We need 
God's enablement. We need God's spirit to obey. That's what we ought to learn 
from these two men. I'm not suggesting that earth 
opened up and swallowed them into hell, but I am suggesting 
they disobeyed the Lord. He said, don't do this. And some 
of the commentators, well, you know, you can't help but go out 
and say great things. And surely people would notice 
that these two men that were formerly blind weren't anymore. 
Obviously, that's the case. But the principle and the point 
is simple. Jesus sternly warned them not 
to tell anyone about it, and they did. We need to obey the 
Lord. So that's the case of the two 
blind men. Let's come on to the case of the demon-possessed man. 
And the narrative here is so brief. It is so brief. Matthew is coming to a conclusion 
of a particular section. Matthew, it's almost as if he's 
treating this like, you know Jesus, you know his power, you 
know his glory, you, reader, can connect the dots. Notice 
the occasion, verse 32. And as they went out, I take 
this, the blind men that were now healed, as they were going 
out of whichever house it was that Jesus was in, then they 
brought him another man. Who's they? Well, from the paralytic, 
we learn it could have been friends who lowered that paralytic through. 
The friends of this demon-possessed man could have brought him to 
Jesus. Or what we learn in Jairus' case, it could have been family. 
Jairus goes to the Lord Jesus, and he says, my daughter is dead. 
Come and lay your hand upon her. The they really is irrelevant. 
The fact is that someone had the wherewithal to take this 
man who was demon-possessed to see Jesus. Again, you see their 
faith. If not in the demon possessed 
at this point, in the friends or the family, faith seeks the 
Savior. Desperation longs for the Lord. Distress promotes earnestness. Let's take him to Jesus. He used 
to be able to function. He used to be able to enjoy social 
interaction. But here he's mute and he's demon-possessed. That's the particular situation. Now, not all demon possession 
yielded muteness and deafness. You are not to surmise that everybody 
who couldn't hear or talk was necessarily demon-possessed. 
In fact, there's a case in Mark 7 of a man who's mute and deaf, 
but there's no trace of demon possession whatsoever. But oftentimes, 
in the Scripture, we see that these demons, when they possess 
a person, like to torture them. It's amazing, isn't it? Like 
we saw those two poor fellows in Matthew chapter 9, cutting 
themselves. crying out in agony, living amongst 
the tombs, having a supernatural strength, being violent and terrifying 
the townsfolk, being desperately, in a desperately horrid condition. That's what demons are all about. 
That's what demon possession gains and garners. That's what 
dealing with the occult ends in. It's not cool, it's not power, 
it's not the pathway to playing guitar. It is rather a wretched 
particular situation. And in this instance, these demons, 
or this demon that possessed this man, made him mute and probably 
deaf as well. Notice. Again, how brief it is. Verse 32, and as they went out, 
behold, they brought to him a man mute and demon-possessed. Verse 
33, and when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. You see 
how brief that is? He doesn't even say Jesus did 
it. He knows, because you've been paying attention since chapter 
8, verse 1, that of course Jesus did it. This is another way for 
him, I think, to underscore with a very simple methodology, behold 
your God. He doesn't need to spend pages 
to tell us this one. He doesn't need to spend hours 
to tell us this one. He doesn't need to give us all 
the details about this one. He just matter of factly says, 
and as the demon was cast What are we supposed to understand? 
The son of David cast it out. The son of David exercised his 
sovereignty. The son of David exercised his 
mercy. The son of David, with victor's 
strength, cast his demon out, and the end result was the mute 
spoke. What do you think his first words 
were? Probably, praise the son of David. I mean, what do you say after 
the demons been cast out and you're standing in the presence 
of the son of David? I hope you say something like Thomas, my 
Lord and my God. I doubt he spoke about his grocery 
list. I doubt he spoke about his desire 
to get back to work. He probably spoke the glories 
of God almighty. And then the narrative, the section 
beginning in chapter 8, verse 1, ends here in chapter 9, verses 
33 and 34. It shows us division among the 
people concerning Christ. Again, this is huge. We need 
to get this because as we proceed, even the very next discourse 
presupposes this animosity and this increasing tension. When 
Jesus comes into Jerusalem, much of what we'll see is his going 
head-to-head with the religious leadership of his day. Him combating 
heresy. Him combating false doctrine. 
I think we forget at times that Jesus was a rabbi. Jesus was 
a theologian. Jesus was a teacher. Jesus knew 
the scriptures and Jesus saw when men distorted the truth 
and they taught heresy and lies and he stopped their mouths. 
So we need to get this division that is building here. Not that 
it hasn't been present already. We see the scribes grumbling 
when the paralytic is lowered into the house. We see even the 
disciples of John the Baptist saying, how come your disciples 
don't fast? We see the Pharisees in Matthew 
9 at the feast or outside the feast at Matthew's house, grumbling, 
murmuring, complaining. Who does he think he is? Why 
does he eat with sinners? So you see traces of the tensions 
already been there. We've heard the Beatitudes in 
Matthew 5, 10 to 12. Blessed are you when you are 
reviled. when you are persecuted for my 
sake. You see, that's been running 
sort of behind the scenes in the background. Here it's coming 
out more into the open. And if you don't get that tension, 
and you don't understand that contrast, and you don't see the 
differences, when you get to some of the latter teaching, 
especially beginning in chapter 20, when Jesus triumphantly enters 
into Jerusalem, you're gonna miss a lot of the significance 
of what's going on there. When Jesus tells the parable 
of the man who owns the vineyard, And he sends his servants, and 
the people reject the servants, and then the vineyard owner says, 
well, I'll send my son. Certainly they'll respect him. 
Jesus says they didn't respect him, they killed him. We need 
to understand this is a new and redemptive history. Isaiah the 
prophet in chapter 5 uses the same parable against the same 
people in condemnation. You see, Matthew occurs in the 
context of the Bible. Matthew is a theologian par excellence. Matthew is portraying for us 
the son of David, the son of Abraham, in the larger scheme 
of redemptive history. And it is in that context that 
we are to behold our God and we are to stand amazed. Yes, 
be amazed that he heals the blind. Yes, be amazed that he casts 
out demons. Yes, be amazed that he raised Jairus' daughter. Be 
amazed, brethren, that he's the one spoken of from Genesis to 
Revelation. That's your God! That's what 
he wants us to get. Notice, two responses in the 
text. Verses 33b and 34. There was, first, the multitude 
who marveled. And when the demon was cast out, 
the mute spoke in. The multitudes marveled, saying, 
it was never seen like this in Israel. Now, this could refer 
specifically to this mute man who is now talking. I think it's 
best to understand it going all the way back to chapter 8, verse 
1. I think verse 33b parallels verse 29 in chapter 7. Remember, after giving the Sermon 
on the Mount, the people were amazed. Why? Because he taught 
them, not like one of their scribes, but he taught them as one having 
authority. That then unleashes Jesus' works 
and the authoritative and powerful nature of them, and 933b serves 
the same sort of function. There was nothing like this ever 
done in Israel. We have never beheld a man like 
this. Yes, there was an Elijah. Yes, 
there was an Elisha. Yes, there was a Moses. But those 
men were not like this man. This is the Messiah. This is 
the son of David. This is the son of Abraham. This 
is the one to whom the prophets looked. I think the response 
of the multitude is appropriate, it is fitting, it is legitimate, 
and it is a commentary by Matthew on the way that his readers are 
to understand Jesus. You're supposed to gape. You're 
supposed to marvel. You're supposed to say, wow, 
it was never like this in Israel. We have never seen this before. 
We have never witnessed this power. We have never witnessed 
this display. We have never seen this glory. 
We have never seen this majesty. You see the crowd marveling. 
The multitude standing in amazement. It's legit. It is right. It is good. It is that sort of 
a manner or is that sort of a response that I hope that all of us this 
morning adopt. Notice the Pharisees. You know who Jesus' biggest enemy 
is in the Gospel accounts? It's the religious leadership. 
Again, we will see similarity in Matthew 12, 22 and following. Another demon-possessed man is 
cured of his blindness, of his muteness. And it's on the heels 
of that that then the Pharisees make this statement, he casts 
out demons by Beelzebub. So some say people have taken 
that, or Matthew took that and just inserted it here because 
he needed to round off the section. No, they probably said this among 
themselves. They probably said it to the 
crowd. And in Matthew 12, Jesus gets wind of it, and Jesus confronts 
it directly. This statement, verse 34, is 
presupposed in Matthew 10. Verse 25. You see, even before 
we get to that second demon-possessed man and that charge that he casts 
out demons by Beelzebub, in Matthew 10.25, when he's encouraging 
his disciples on their particular role and mission, He presupposes 
this statement by the Pharisees, that they would accredit or they 
would testify that he does these mighty deeds by Beelzebub, by 
the ruler of demons. And it is very interesting, brethren, 
they can't deny his power. They can't deny his ability. 
They can't deny that he cast out demons. They can't deny that 
he healed blind men. They can't deny that he raised 
Jairus' daughter. They can't deny that he healed 
this afflicted woman. They can't deny that he raised 
this paralytic. They can't deny that, so what 
do they do? They attribute the source of 
his power to the devil. That's their crime. That's their 
blasphemy. That's their wickedness. And 
I think that is what the unpardonable sin of Matthew 12 is all about. When you witness the glory of 
Christ, when you stand in the presence of God, when you see 
the power displayed, and then you give the credit to the devil. Terrible! These are blasphemous, 
wretched, vile men! They reject that He's the Son 
of David, they reject that He's the Son of Abraham, they reject 
that He is Israel's Messiah, and it is them that will go toe-to-toe 
with Him in the latter chapters in the Gospel of Matthew. Calvin 
says, when wickedness has reached the height of blindness, there 
is no work of God, however evident, which it will not pervert. Who's 
the blind man in the passage? It's not these two poor guys 
that cried out after Jesus, it's these Pharisees, it's these religious 
leaders. Here's a little background of 
Matthew 11, when Jesus says, I thank you, Father, Lord of 
heaven and earth, that you didst hide these things from the wise 
and the prudent. But thou didst reveal them unto 
babes. You see, when we look at the 
passage, the problem in the section isn't the blind men, isn't the 
demon-possessed men, it's the religious men. And by religious, 
that's a good word, if it's good religion. This is bad religion. There's a big... Everything religious 
is bad. Oh, religion, religion, Jesus 
is greater than religion. Christianity is a religion. We 
have places to meet for worship. We have hymn books. We have structure. We have order. There's good religion. 
There's bad religion. The religion of Jesus is good. 
You see, Ryle and Spurgeon and those men could speak of religion 
and people then say, wait a minute, we hate religion. It's become 
hip and it's become cool to hate on religion. Hate on bad religion, 
by all means, but don't hate on Christianity. It is a religion. There was a video that went viral, 
why I love Jesus and hate religion. If you love Jesus, you're going 
to love his religion! Why the dichotomy? Why the problem? Why say religion is bad? Well, 
there's bad religion. It's bad. Pharisees? Bad. Christians? Good. Unbelief? Bad. Belief? Good. You see? Somebody says, what 
religion are you? And you say Christian. That's okay. You know, we hear 
this, it's not about a religion, it's about a relationship. Our 
religion includes a relationship. Isn't that beautiful? Why do we have to pit the two 
against each other? Because we don't think. I'm sorry, but that's why. Carson 
says the tide of opposition, which later brought Jesus to 
the cross, now becomes an essential part of the background to the 
next discourse. Matthew 10. Do you know what 
we're going to see when we continue in our study? Matthews 5 to 7, 
the authority of Jesus in his words. Matthew 8 and 9, the authority 
of Jesus in his actions. Matthew 10, Jesus giving authority 
to his disciples so that by word and action they can go and expand 
the mission. He tells them, go heal the sick, 
raise the dead, cast out demons, preach the gospel of the kingdom. There is flow, there is pattern, 
there is connection. Matthew is weaving together for 
us the story of Christ and how all these things came to pass. 
And he's got theological emphases. He's got emphases on faith in 
Christ. He's got emphases on the power 
of Christ. All these things are weaved together 
beautifully so that we might indeed behold our God. In conclusion, we learn, as we 
have learned with every other one of the miracles in every 
other one of the triads that we have been discussing and considering, 
those two concepts that are joined in Christ, mercy and power. Mercy 
and power. Mercy and power. He is able. He is able. He is able. He is 
willing. Doubt no more. Power joined with 
pity. We see a merciful Christ. These 
blind men want to be healed. They ask him, Lord, have mercy 
on us. So what does he do? He has mercy 
on them. And he makes them see. demon-possessed 
man. We don't even know what he wants. 
People brought him. They certainly wanted the demon 
gone. They certainly wanted to converse with their buddy or 
their family member. He's merciful. He's kind, He's 
gracious. Matthew wants you to learn that. 
Maybe you've thought, maybe you've heard, maybe you've understood 
in your minds, maybe you're a little guy or you're a little girl and 
you've heard about sovereignty and about predestination and 
about election and about Calvinism and about reform and you have 
this idea that somehow God is up there and He can't be entreated. 
Matthew says God is right here and He must be entreated. He 
is full of mercy. He is full of power. He not only has pity, He not 
only has compassion, but He has the ability to give sight to 
the blind and to cast out demons. Secondly, we ought not to leave 
this section without further reflecting upon that blessed 
title, Son of David. Maybe this afternoon, just to 
refresh your mind, Matthew wants you to learn that Jesus is the 
Son of David. Go to 2 Samuel 7. It's a bit 
of a tongue twister there. 2 Samuel 7 and read concerning 
the Davidic covenant. Read concerning the one who would 
come, that would sit upon David's throne, and whose rule would 
have no end. You might look at Luke's gospel 
and the birth narratives in Luke chapter 1. You might look at 
Acts chapter 2 and see what Peter says concerning the resurrection 
of Christ. All of these show us that there 
is a King in Israel, there is a King and a Messiah, there is 
a Sovereign Lord. As Peter says on the day of Pentecost, 
God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and 
Christ. Behold your God. Thirdly, the 
division among the people not only consisted in Matthew's day, 
or existed rather in Matthew's day, it exists today. There are 
those who marvel at the glorious works of our Lord Jesus, and 
there are those who reject the works of our Lord Jesus. Notice 
that there's only two camps. Notice that there's only two 
groups. Now I'm not supposing everyone in the multitude had 
saving faith. I'm speaking generically here. They marveled, they looked, 
they were in awe at what Christ had done. That describes or typifies 
or at least should illustrate what a Christian looks like today. 
And there are those who blaspheme, there are those who deny, there 
are those who attribute his works to the ruler of the demons, or 
they just don't care. They don't think twice. You see, 
later in Matthew's Gospel, in that parallel account, in Matthew 
12.30, Jesus underscores this reality. There is no neutrality. What I mean by that is that you're 
either with Him or you're against Him. Some in this room may think, 
well, I'm not really a Christian because I don't really like going 
to church and I haven't really believed the Gospel. I really 
could care less about Bible study, but I'm not one of those heathen 
either. I'm not a Muslim, not a Buddhist, not a Hindu, not 
a wretched atheist. Boy, you sound like that man 
who prayed thus with himself. Thank you, Lord, that I'm not 
like those atheists. Thank you, Lord, that I'm not 
like those Buddhists. Thank you, Lord, that I'm not 
like those Muslims. What's he trusting in? Himself. You see, in this room, this morning, 
right now, right here, you are in one or the other camp. You are either with Him, by grace, 
through faith, or you are against Him. There is no third alternative. There's no third place. There's 
no, I'm either a Canucks fan, or an Oilers fan, or I'm gonna 
be any other fan. No! You're either with Christ, 
or you're against Him. You're either with the multitude 
who marveled on that day, and again I'm speaking generically, 
you're with the multitude who marvels and believes, who trusts 
in his blood, or you're with those who reject. You may not 
accredit his works to be Elzebub, you may not reject wholesale 
his task or his duty or his mission, but by not siding with him, by 
not believing on him, by not following him, you give evidence 
that you're in the camp of the Pharisees. It always amazes me 
when people say, I'm not going to go to the church because it's 
full of hypocrites. OK, so you're going to take your chances with 
the hypocrites outside the church rather than with the hypocrites 
inside the church who at least hear the gospel. I'd rather be 
with the hypocrites inside the church who at least hear the 
gospel. And just so you know, you're with one of the hypocrites 
who hears the gospel. Hypocrisy is inevitable. You've 
met those people before. I don't want to go to church. 
All the hypocrites are there. What better place for hypocrites to be? I 
don't want to go to the hospital. Sick people are there. What better 
place than at the hospital? Hypocrites should flock to the 
church. Hypocrites belong in the church. 
Imagine that name for a church, the hypocrite's church. I'd hope it'd be busting at the 
seam and they'd get gospel preaching all the time. You see, people 
saying, I don't want to go and be with those hypocrites, plant 
themselves firmly in the camp of the Pharisees. It's terrible. It's sad, really. You say, no. It's not about our works. It's not about our righteousness. 
It's not about our deeds. It's not about our perfection. 
It's not about our goodness. It's about It's about His perfection. It's 
about His goodness. It's about His merit. It's about 
His law keeping. It's about His bearing the penalty 
of God on the cross in our stead. You see, it's all about Jesus. 
That's what we need to tell people. You will either marvel and believe 
or you will blaspheme and reject. There is no neutrality. J.C. Ryle said this concerning 
these two blind men. The eyes of their understanding 
were enlightened. If their bodily eyes were dark, 
they saw the truth which scribes and Pharisees could not see. 
They saw that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. They believed 
that he was able to heal them. By the grace of God, look to 
this Christ today. Believe. It's what Matthew wants. It's what God employed him to 
do. Weave your narrative together 
in such a way that they will behold my son. They will behold 
my beloved and they will believe. That's it. Look to Christ. Trust Him. Rest on Him. Receive Him by faith. Let us 
pray. Father, thank you for this, your 
Word, and thank you for this powerful Savior, who's not only 
omnipotent, but who's merciful, and who's kind, and who pities 
blind men, demon-possessed men, sinful men and women like us. We praise you, God Almighty, 
that Christ came, sinners to save, and we just pray now that 
you would cause us to stand in wonder, cause us to stand in 
awe, to truly marvel, and increase our faith that we may behold 
the Son of David. And for those who have not faith, 
we pray that you would grant them grace this day, that you'd 
open their eyes, that you'd open their hearts, that you would 
give them faith to lay hold of Jesus Christ the Lord. How we 
thank you, God Almighty, for doing what we could never do. 
How we thank you, God Almighty, for satisfying all of your righteousness, 
your holiness, your majesty, and displaying grace and mercy 
and kindness and love at the cross. I pray that you would 
go with us now, cause us to reflect upon these things. May they not 
be short-lived. May we indeed take Matthew's 
gospel to heart. And we ask in Jesus' name, amen.