Matthew 9:28

9:28 Jesus intended his question to elicit confessions of faith from the two men.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Mat 9:28. Ἐλθόντι, when he was come) They persevered in praying.—δύναμαι, I am able) The object of faith.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mat 9:28 . ἐλθόντι εἰς τ . ο . προσῆλθον : they follow, and Jesus at last takes notice of them, asking if they have faith in His power. His previous conduct might throw doubt on His willingness, but that is dispelled by speaking to them. ναί : a prompt glad “yes” is their answer.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And when he was come into the house--To try their faith and patience, He seems to have made them no answer. But

the blind men came to Him--which, no doubt, was what He desired.

and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? they said unto him, Yea, Lord--Doubtless our Lord's design was not only to put their faith to the test by this question, but to deepen it, to raise their expectation of a cure, and so prepare them to receive it; and the cordial acknowledgment, so touchingly simple, which they immediately made to Him of His power to heal them, shows how entirely that object was gained.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 28. When he was come unto the house] That is, the house of Peter at Capernaum, where he ordinarily lodged.

Believe ye that I am able to do this?] Without faith Jesus does nothing to men's souls now, no more than he did to their bodies in the days of his flesh.

They said unto him, Yea, Lord.] Under a sense of our spiritual blindness we should have,

1st. A lively faith in the almighty grace of Christ.

2dly. A fervent, incessant cry for the communication of this grace.

3dly. A proper view of his incarnation, because it is through his union with our nature, and by his sufferings and death, we are to expect salvation.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(28) Into the house.—The article indicates the house in which He sojourned at Capernaum, probably that of St. Peter.

Believe ye that I am able to do this?—The cry, “Have mercy on us,” had implied the request that He would restore their sight. In this case, as in others, faith was the antecedent condition of the miracle.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And their eyes were opened,.... Some copies read, "immediately"; and so do the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions: and this was certainly the true and real matter of fact, that as soon as Christ had touched their eyes, and said the above words, their sight was perfectly restored to them; and they had a clear, full, and true sight of objects, as men have, whose vision faculty is in its full strength and rigour, and their eyes open:

and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, see that no man know it. This was a very strict charge, and according to the signification of the word here used, it was given with great austerity of countenance, and severity of expression, in a very rough and threatening manner; which Christ might be the rather induced to, because he had given such like orders already, and they had not been observed: the reasons for concealing the miracle are not very obvious; it seems likely, that with the same view he took no notice of these blind men in the street, but went into an house, and cured them; which seems to be, to shun all appearance of vain glory, or seeking popular applause, that he gave these orders; or it may be, he did not choose to be made more known by this miracle, or at this time, or by these men; he might foresee that it would be attended with ill consequences; either the more to irritate the resentments of some persons against him; or to put others on doing things which were disagreeable to him; as setting him up for a temporal prince among them, being David's son.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.

Ver. 28. And when he was come into the house] For till then he seemed to slight them, that they might the more earnestly importune him. He knows how to commend his benefits to us. Cito data cito vilescunt. Things lightly come by are lightly set by.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And when he was come into the house - That is, either into the house which he usually occupied in Capernaum, or the house of some friend. They had followed him, but thus far he had not seemed to heed their cries, and he entered the house as if he did not intend to regard them - probably for the trial of their faith.

The blind men came to him - That is, they followed him into the house. They showed a determination to persevere until they obtained what they asked.

Believe ye that I am able to do this? - To work such a miracle. Though they had followed him and cried after him, yet he required of them an open profession of their faith in regard to his power.

They said unto him, Yea, Lord - We have no doubt of this. We came with that assurance: we have followed thee with that belief. It was on this simple profession of their faith that the miracle was performed, as it is on the simple profession of our faith that our souls will be saved.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

28. Into the house — Where he dwelt at Capernaum. The blind men found him on the way, and followed him in, with supplication. Believe ye… I am able — They had shown faith both by calling him Son of David and following him into the house. But the Lord proceeds still farther to draw out their faith. Confession confirms faith. They must confess, and they will doubly profit by the miracle.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And when he was come into the house. Where he would be undisturbed. (cf. Mat_13:36) On the later occasion (Mat_20:32) Jesus stood still in the road. The blind men came to him. Close (proshlyan autw). And Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They had professed faith in him, yet their after-conduct (ver. 31) shows that it was none too perfect. They said unto him, Yea, Lord . Said; say (Revised Version); legousin . The evangelist uses the more vivid present whenever he can. So in Mat_20:33 (though not in the parallel passages).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The healing and its effect:

v. 28. And when He was come into the house, the blind men came to Him; and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They say unto Him, Yea, Lord.

v. 29, Then touched He their eyes, saying. According unto your faith, be it unto you.

v. 30. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straightly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.

v. 31. But they, when they were departed, spread abroad His fame in all that country.

Jesus had taken no notice of the cries of the men on the street, either for fear of awakening false expectations, or in order to test their faith. But they were persistent with that importunity which usually conquered Jesus. When He reached His house, His lodgings, they went directly to Him. The Lord has only one question to address to them, whether they have faith in His power to help, to which they assented with a glad Yes, Lord, thus both confessing faith in His ability and giving Him the honor due Him as the Lord of heaven. Then, without further hesitation, overcome by the force of their pleading in faith, He touched their eyes and thus opened and gave sight to them. As was their faith, so was their reward. Faith is the hand which takes what God offers, the spiritual organ of appropriation, the connecting link between our emptiness and God’s fullness. It is faith which opens the heart of Jesus and storms the very gates of heaven. But this trusting faith is always an outgrowth of redeeming faith, of the firm reliance in the blood and merits of Jesus the Redeemer. The Lord, in dismissing the men that had thus received His bounty, sternly enjoined them, very emphatically charged them, on pain of His displeasure, not to spread the news abroad, to let no one know of the healing. The danger of a carnal movement, by which the people of Galilee would be roused into rebellion against the Romans, made it necessary for Him to impose silence upon them. But they, believing, probably, that it was only humility that prompted the Lord to make such a demand, and full of joy over the help which they had experienced, were most active in relating their glad news in that entire country, far beyond the boundaries of Capernaum.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

28. The blind men came to him. Not until he was come into the house he was seeking. Believe ye that I am able to do this? He demands, as condition of the blessing, that there should be an expression of faith.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

28. For ναὶ see Bp. Ellicott on Php 4:3. Here of assent to a question, as ch. Mat 17:25, and as always in John. Sometimes of assent to a statement, as ch. Mat 15:27, or strongly asseverative as always in Luke and ch. Mat 11:9; Mat 11:26.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

28. τὴν οἰκίαν] εἰκός, πιστοῦ τινος εἶναι τὴν οἰκίαν, εἰς ἣν κατήχθη. Euthym. Or, the house which our Lord inhabited at Capernaum (De Wette and others); but I conceive that ἡ οἰκία need not mean any particular house, merely, as we sometimes use the expression, the house, as opposed to the open air: see note on ver. 1.

τοῦτο ποιῆσαι] i.e. the healing, implied in ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς.

υἱὸς Δ … κύριε] See Psa 110:1, and ch. 22:45; also ch. 12:23; 20:30, 31.

Touching, or anointing the eyes, was the ordinary method which our Lord took of impressing on the blind the action of the divine power which healed them. Ch. 20:34: Mar 8:25: Joh 9:6.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(E) 28. And when He came into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus saith to them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They say to Him, Yes, Lord.]—εἰς τὴν οἰκίον] presumably the house to which Christ lived at Capharnaum.—προσῆλθον] Mt.’s favourite word. See on 4:3.—πιστεύετε] See on 8:10.—κύριε] See on 8:2.—ἐλθόντι δέ] D a b c g1 h k have καὶ ἔρχεται.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.