Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 9:27

"And as Jesus passed by from thence, two blind men followed him, crying out, and saying, Have mercy on us, thou son of David." — Matthew 9:27 (ASV)

Apparently Jesus was returning from the ruler’s house (v.23) either to his own house (4:13) or to that of Matthew (vv.10, 28). We should probably envisage a large crowd after the dramatic raising of the ruler’s daughter. Attached to the crowd were two blind men who had faith enough to follow him indoors.

This is the first time Jesus is called “Son of David” (v.27), and there can be no doubt that the blind men were confessing Jesus as Messiah . They may have been physically blind, but they really “saw” better than many others—further evidence that Jesus came to those who needed a doctor (vv.12–13). If Jesus were really the Messiah, they could expect to receive their sight . So their need drove them to faith.

Jesus did not deal with the blind men until they were indoors. This may have been to dampen messianic expectations (see next comment) on a day marked by two highly public and dramatic miracles (v.26). It may also have been a device to increase their faith. The latter is suggested by his question (v.28), which accomplished two other things: (1) it revealed that their cries were not merely those of desperation but of faith; and (2) it showed that their faith was directed not to God alone but to Jesus’ person and to his power and authority. Their title for Jesus was therefore right; he is truly the messianic Son of David.