Matthew 12: 22-24 ESV Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to Him, and He healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. And the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”
Of all our senses, losing the ability to see seems the most debilitating to me. Deafness would be bad, but blindness seems even worse. As bad as physical blindness may be, spiritual blindness would have even worse implications for eternity.
In this account God heals two types of blindness but a third type of blindness kept its hold on those afflicted. A man is brought to Jesus who is physically blind. The Bible states clearly that the man was oppressed by a demon but it is somewhat vague as to whether the demon was causing the blindness. It doesn’t matter because Jesus is Lord over both the physical and spiritual realms so whatever caused the man to be blind, Jesus had authority over it and healed him.
It is worth noting that physical maladies may have a spiritual cause. The Bible shows in several places that the devil and his demons are capable of causing physical, mental, and emotional issues in addition to spiritual ones (1 Samuel 18:10, Job 2:7, Mark 5:2-5). Something to keep in mind if one has chronic issues that medicine or natural remedies cannot resolve.
When Jesus healed the man’s blindness, many in the crowd realized that this was something that was prophesied that the Messiah would do. The veil began to lift from their spiritual eyes and they began to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. That is the beauty of knowing the scriptures. When we know what God’s promises are, our faith is built when we see Him keep His promises.
While many in the crowd did begin to believe in Jesus, the Pharisees stubbornly held on to their blindness. They knew the words of the prophets better than anyone. They should have recognized that Jesus was fulfilling the prophecies about the Messiah. Some of them did realize this and later became Christians (Acts 15:5). However, these specific Pharisees refused to see the evidence before them and therefore, their spiritual eyes remained closed to the truth of the Messiah that they were eagerly anticipating.
God does not heal those who do not wish to be healed. If we seek God and His truth sincerely He will reveal Himself to us. If we choose to believe a lie, then God will allow us to remain in our state of deception.
Almighty God, You have the power of eternal life. Let me see Your truth so that I might have light eternal. Let the world see Your truth in me and through me so that some will have their eyes opened.