The healing of two blind men occurs after they cry out to Jesus for mercy (cf. 9:13), recognizing him as “Son of David” (Messiah; see “Theological Themes” in the introduction). Jesus heals them “according to [their] faith” in his power to heal them (9:28–29). Matthew again highlights the faith of those coming for healing as well as Jesus’s authority to heal simply by a touch of his hand (9:29). As he has done earlier (cf. 8:4), Matthew also indicates a certain level of secrecy that Jesus attempts to maintain (unsuccessfully here: 9:31), which parallels the notoriety th…