Do You Believe?
“After Jesus left the girl’s home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, ‘Son of David, have mercy on us!’ They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, ‘Do you believe I can make you see?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ they told him, ‘we do.’ Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘Because of your faith, it will happen.’ Then their eyes were opened, and they could see! Jesus sternly warned them, ‘Don’t tell anyone about this.’”
Matthew 9:27-30 NLT
“You need to DTR!” my close friend and pastor, Chris Huffman, would often say when talking about difficult conversations with friends, family, peers, or employers. If you don’t know, DTR stands for “Define The Relationship.” It’s the process of figuring out where you stand in any relationship—typically with people.
For those who have dated, there was a moment when you had to define that you were no longer just friends but in a committed relationship. For those who are married, you made that same decision—but instead of just dating, you committed yourselves solely to each other for life. My wife’s expectations of me are different as a husband than they were when I was just her boyfriend. When the relationship changed, so did the expectations.
Jesus asks a DTR question to the blind men in this passage. Let’s catch up on what’s been happening: Jesus had just finished preaching His first sermon (the Sermon on the Mount), calmed a storm after waking from a nap, cast demons out of a man named Legion—setting him free—healed a woman with a 12-year issue of blood, and raised a 12-year-old girl from the dead. (Matthew 5-9)
And now, after all of that, two blind men are seeking healing too. Jesus asks them a simple but powerful question:
“Do you believe I can make you see?”
Did you notice? Jesus didn’t ask if their family believed, if their rabbi believed, or if the people leading them around believed. He didn’t ask if His disciples believed He could heal them, or if the people He had just healed had enough faith for them.
The question was direct: “Do you believe?”
That’s the question we all have to face today. We have to define the relationship. What is your life with Jesus like? What do your beliefs say about what you think of Him? More importantly, what do your actions show?
Do you believe He can? Maybe you’re not facing physical blindness like these men, but we all have struggles. Do you believe Jesus can heal what is broken? Mend what is torn? Restore what is lost? Replace depression with joy?
Do you believe?
What’s interesting is Jesus’ response after they said, “Yes!” He told them, “Because of your faith, it will happen.”
Faith, according to Hebrews 11:1, is “the confidence of things hoped for and the assurance of things unseen.”
Our confidence, our hope, and ultimately our faith can be placed in Jesus. We serve a God who is greater than any challenge we face, and in Him, the victory is already won! Even when today seems dark… joy comes in the morning. After all, if God is for you, who can be against you?
Maybe today, it feels like everything is stacked against you. But friend, let me remind you—the same God who calmed the storm and seas, set the tormented free, healed the broken, raised the dead, and opened blind eyes is the same God who sees you, chooses you, and loves you.
He is for you!
Let’s pray together:
Jesus, we recognize You for who You are—an almighty God who makes the impossible possible. Right now, we are praying, believing, and standing in faith for You to meet every need. We trust You. Your ways are higher than our ways, and Your thoughts are higher than our thoughts… so even when we can’t see, know, or understand, we trust that You do. Today, we declare that we believe! We give it all to You. In Your mighty name, we pray, Amen.
