Matthew 12:23
Sunday, 10 August 2025
And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” Matthew 12:23
“And they were astounded, all the crowds. And they said, ‘Not any, this, He is the Son of David?’” (CG).
In the previous verse, Jesus healed a mute and blind man so that he could speak and see. Now, the reaction to that by the crowds is provided by Matthew, saying, “And they were astounded, all the crowds.”
A new word, existémi, to be amazed or astounded, is used. It is from ek, out, and histémi, to stand. The idea is that of being knocked off one’s feet or beside oneself. The people saw this and were truly amazed at what they beheld.
So incredible was the miracle that, despite not understanding how Jesus could be the Messiah, they still couldn’t dismiss it. This is seen in their seemingly oddly constructed words, “And they said, ‘Not any, this, He is the Son of David?’”
The word méti, only seen so far in Matthew 7:16, is used. It comes from me, not, and tis, any (something, certain, some, etc.). A single word that might reflect their thinking would be the word whether. Combining that with “this” to identify Him specifically adds emphasis.
They are essentially saying something like, “It can’t be that He is the Son of David, but maybe He is!” They are conflicted and trying to reason between what they presuppose about a Messiah and what their eyes actually see.
This is the second time that anyone has specifically addressed Jesus as the Son of David. The first time was an adamant assertion –
“When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, ‘Son of David, have mercy on us!’” Matthew 9:27
These two blind men were able to discern that Jesus is, in fact, the Son of David, meaning the promised Messiah. However, the crowds who could see could not fully come to such a resolution in their minds. Such is the power of presupposition.
Life application: We as humans quite often form presuppositions about a matter or a person based on a limited, imperfect, or tainted understanding of the person or thing. Once that thought is settled in our minds, it is very hard to get it out.
For example, a person may sit in a church when he is young, listening to a biblically inept pastor who doesn’t know eschatology very well. The pastor may deny that there is something called the rapture, and without any biblical support, he dismisses it as nonsense.
For that young person, he is sitting under an authority figure whom he likes and respects. He trusts that what he has heard is correct. As he grows, he learns that there are not only those who believe in a rapture, but that there is a wide range of views as to its timing.
However, his mind is already made up that there is no such thing. And so, when he discusses the matter with others, he already has a wall up to defend against the doctrine, even though it is clearly presented in the word. When presented with the clear and obvious instruction, his mind finds it hard to resolve what he already believed and what Paul precisely states.
In this state, he is conflicted, just like the people who saw Jesus’ healing of the deaf and blind man. Two blind people, who couldn’t see what Jesus looked like, knew from their other senses that He must be the Son of David. But these people, allowing for their preconceived notions about Him, were unable to fully perceive what was plain and obvious.
What do you believe about King James Only-ism? How do you perceive the state of the nation of Israel today? What do you believe happens to believers when they die? Is the coming temple and its sacrifices a good thing or a bad thing in God’s eyes? Is Jesus both God and Man? Is Jesus the only way to heaven? If you are saved, can you lose your salvation?
If you have been around the faith long enough, you have already been presented with views on these matters, whether they were responsibly taught from Scripture or not. What you were originally taught, or what your mind conceived was correct, is what you will believe going forward, unless you are to stop and say, “I will go where the word leads, even if it conflicts with what I currently believe.”
This is not an easy path to follow. We usually put a lot of our time and mental thought into what we think we believe. To say, “I was wrong,” is like throwing away a part of who we have become. It can also be embarrassing. And yet, are we going to put God, His word, and proper doctrine first?
The people saw Jesus and they beheld His miracles, and yet, they struggled to say, “Surely, this is the Messiah.” Their Scriptures already told them what He would do, but they held stubbornly to presuppositions, conflicted and tossed about in their thinking.
“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer,
And the tongue of the dumb sing.” Isaiah 35:5, 6
Lord God, help us in our thinking. We come to the table with piles of theological baggage heaped up in our minds. Sometimes it is from honest but misguided teachers. Sometimes, it is from people who don’t want us to see the truth. And sometimes, we just made things up in our heads. Help us to clear this out, to see what is correct, and to be pleasing to You in our doctrine. Amen.
