Messiah in Yom HaBikkurim Chapter 91
Miracle #20. Healing two blind men.
- The Twentieth Miracle of Messiah
- Opening-up questions and clues
- “Ben David be merciful to us!”
- “When he came to the house…”
- Messiah’s two commands
The Twentieth Miracle of Messiah:
Mattai 9:27-31
{Classical & Mishnaic Hebrew}
וַיַּעֲבֹר יֵשׁוּעַ מִשָׁם וַיֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרָיו שְׁנֵי אֲנָשִׁים עִוְרִים וְהֵמָּה צֹעֲקִים וְאֹמְרִים חָנֵּנוּ בֶּן־דָּוִד׃ וּכְבוֹאוֹ הַבַּיְתָה נִגְּשׁוּ אֵלָיו הַעִוְרִים וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם יֵשׁוּעַ הֲמַאֲמִינִים אַתֶּם כִּי יֵשׁ־לְאֵל יָדִי לַעֲשׂוֹת זֹאת וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו הֵן אֲדֹנֵינוּ׃ וַיִּגַּע בְּעֵינֵיהֶם וַיֹּאמַר יְהִי לָכֶם כֶּאֱמוּנַתְכֶם׃ וַתִּפָּקַחְנָה עֵינֵיהֶם וַיִּגְעַר־בָּם יֵשׁוּעַ וַיֹּאמַר רְאוּ פֶּן־יִוָּדַע לְאִישׁ׃ וְהֵמָּה בְּצֵאתָם הִשְׁמִיעוּ אֶת־שָׁמְעוֹ בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ הַהִיא׃
{Modern Hebrew}
כַּאֲשֶׁר יָצָא מִשָּׁם יֵשׁוּעַ הָלְכוּ אַחֲרָיו שְׁנֵי אֲנָשִׁים עִוְרִים כְּשֶׁהֵם צוֹעֲקִים: בֶּן־דָּוִד, רַחֵם עָלֵינוּ! בְּהִכָּנְסוֹ הַבַּיְתָה נִגְּשׁוּ אֵלָיו הָעִוְרִים. אָמַר לָהֶם יֵשׁוּעַ: הַאִם מַאֲמִינִים אַתֶּם שֶׁאֲנִי יָכוֹל לַעֲשׂוֹת זֹאת? כֵּן, אֲדוֹנֵנוּ! הֵשִׁיבוּ. נָגַע בְּעֵינֵיהֶם וְאָמַר: יְהֵא לָכֶם כֶּאֱמוּנַתְכֶם! אָז נִפְקְחוּ עֵינֵיהֶם וְיֵשׁוּעַ הִזְהִיר אוֹתָם בְּאָמְרוֹ: שִׂימוּ לֵב שֶׁלֹּא יִוָּדַע לְאִישׁ! אַךְ הֵם יָצְאוּ וְהִשְׁמִיעוּ אֶת שִׁמְעוֹ בְּכָל הָאֵזוֹר הַהוּא. פ
כאשר יצא משם ישוע הלכו אחריו שני אנשים עיוורים כשהם צועקים: בן-דוד, רחם עלינו! בהכנסו הביתה נגשו אליו העיוורים. אמר להם ישוע: האם מאמינים אתם שאני יכול לעשות זאת? כן, אדוננו! השיבו. נגע בעיניהם ואמר: יהא לכם כאמונתכם! אז נפקחו עיניהם וישוע הזהיר אותם באמרו: שימו לב שלא יודע לאיש! אך הם יצאו והשמיעו את שמעו בכל האזור ההוא. פ
Yeshua (the Salvation of God) passed on from there [the house of the ruler of the synagogue at Kefar Nachum] and two blind blind men followed him, and they were shouting, saying, “ben David (son of David), be gracious (merciful) to us!” And when he came to the house, the blind men approached him, and Yeshua said to them, “Do you believe that it is in my hand to do this?” Yes, our Master!” He touched their eyes and said, “May it be to you according to your faith!” Their eyes were opened, and Yeshua (the Salvation of God) warned them, saying, “See to it (in your heart), let no one know it!” But when they left, they proclaimed the news throughout the whole region.
Opening-up questions and clues:
The following opening-up questions and clues are provided as an introduction to this study on the 20th Miracle of Messiah:
1. Look at the symbolism of the above miracle narrative: At what location does the miracle occur?
2. What miracle just occurred in the house of Ya’ir, the ruler of the synagogue at Kefar Nachum?
3. The two blind men met Rabbeinu Yeshua just as he exited the house of Ya’ir. What is the scriptural meaning of the number “two”? What does the Hebrew name Ya’ir mean? How do these two insights apply to today’s miracle of “Healing two blind men”?
4. What were the two blind men testifying to when they addressed Rabbi Yeshua as being the “Son of David”?
5. After the two men were healed what did the Messiah warn them not to do? Did the two men obey?
6. Why did the Messiah Yeshua not want the two men to tell anyone about their being healed of their blindness?
7. What happened as a result of the two men not doing what they were told?
8. What news was it that was being proclaimed throughout the whole region? How was this news not according to the will of God?
“Ben David be merciful to us!”
Today’s miracle of “Healing two blind men,” is the ninth miracle of twelve recorded miracle events (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12) that occur in the Messiah’s hometown of Kefar Nachum (כפר נחום); and overall it is the twentieth miracle of the Seven Signs and Fifty Miracles of Messiah.
On this day two blind men had heard of the miracle that had just been performed at the home of the ruler of the synagogue at Kefar Nachum. No doubt the two men had concluded that Rabbi Yeshua was able to restore to them their sight. Fully convinced that he was the Messiah the two blind men cried out, “ben David (son of David), be gracious (be merciful) to us!” Repeatedly they kept saying, “Son of David be merciful to us!” This plea they loudly and fervently continued to shout out, for all the village to hear, until the Messiah had reached his destination.
Though the physical eyes of the two men could not see, the eyes of their hearts could see and understand that Yeshua was the Messiah. It was back at the house of Ya’ir (the “Enlightener”) that both men were “enlightened” to believe that Yeshua was the true Messiah, David’s greater son, and his Ha-Adon (master, lord). They also believed that as the Messiah Yeshua could heal them of their blindness. For the prophet Isaiah had said (1, 2):
אָ֥ז תִּפָּקַ֖חְנָה עֵינֵ֣י עִוְרִ֑ים וְאָזְנֵ֥י חֵרְשִׁ֖ים תִּפָּתַֽחְנָה׃
אז תפקחנה עיני עורים ואזני חרשים תפתחנה׃
“Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.”
לִפְקֹ֖חַ עֵינַ֣יִם עִוְרֹ֑ות לְהֹוצִ֤יא מִמַּסְגֵּר֙ אַסִּ֔יר מִבֵּ֥ית כֶּ֖לֶא יֹ֥שְׁבֵי חֹֽשֶׁךְ׃
לפקח עינים עורות להוציא ממסגר אסיר מבית כלא ישבי חשך׃
“To open the eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”
“When he came to the house…”
It is when the Messiah arrived at “the house” that the eyes of the blind were opened. After the blind men entered the house with Yeshua he said to them, “do you believe that I am able to do this?” That is to say: Do you believe I am the Messiah and that I am able to cure you of your blindness? Both men firmly believed that Yeshua was the Messiah, so they replied, “Yes, our Master” (Adoneinu).
He then touched their eyes, saying, “May it be to you according to your faith!” and immediately the eyes of the two blind men were opened. They had clear, full, and true vision. Their sight was instantly restored!
Messiah’s two commands:
ישוע הזהיר אותם באמרו: שימו לב שלא יודע לאיש!פ
Yeshua warned them by saying: “See to it, let know one know!”
The two Jewish men whose sight was perfectly restored left Rabbi Yeshua knowing a secret in their heart (לב). They knew that he was the Messiah. They also departed from the Messiah knowing of at least two of the three miracles that the Messiah had performed thus far that day: the miracle of raising Ya’ir’s daughter from the dead; and the miracle of restoring the sight of the two blind men. The Messiah Yeshua was sternly warning his fellow Jews (יהודים אחרים) that for the time being he did not want them to tell anyone what they knew. He especially did not want it known (*yet) that he was the Messiah of Israel (1, 2, 3, 4).
*Rabbeinu Yeshua had to suffer and endure many things before he would allow his Jewish talmidin (disciples) to bear witness to the truth that he was the Messiah (1, 2).
From what we can tell the two men did keep (for a time) the secret that Yeshua was the Messiah. However, they did disobey his command to not tell anyone about the miracles. For Mattai (Matthew, Levi) reports in his eyewitness account that “as soon as the men left the house” where they were healed, they “proclaimed the news” of the miracles they had witnessed “throughout the whole region.”