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When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you." And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See that no one knows it." But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.
As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never seen like this in Israel!" But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons."
- Matthew 9:27-34
Yesterday, we read that a ruler came to Jesus and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live." So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples. And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well." But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour. When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping." And they ridiculed Him. But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went out into all that land.
When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you." And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See that no one knows it." But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country. As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never seen like this in Israel!" But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons." Of today's entire reading, my study bible has an extensive note: "According to the prophecy of Isaiah, the messianic age is signified when 'the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped' (Is. 35:5; see also Is. 29:18; 42:7). These healings are a sign that Christ is the Messiah. Jesus' statement, let it be to you, somewhat echoes the command of God at creation (Gen. 1:3). The Pharisees, full of malice and irritated by His healings, accuse Him of casting out demons by the ruler of demons -- which is impossible, for the aim of the devil is to consolidate the power of demons, not destroy it. Further, Jesus cleansed lepers, raised the dead, and remitted sins -- works which demons could not perform."
In today's reading, as my study bible points out, Jesus clearly demonstrates His Messianic qualities. But even so, we see from the reading, His power is something taken to make an accusation of being in league with evil, with demons. One thing we could perhaps take away from this reading is the ease with which we can point a finger, where even the best things we may receive as gifts can be destroyed through envy. Certainly the role that these particular finger-pointers play in the Gospels is one that illustrates the power of envy, which can work to make malice a tool, and lies a method. It is a kind of archetypal sin that has at its root a great deal of destructive power. In effect, the One who is casting out demons, and healing in the name of God -- the One who displays signs of Messianic presence -- is being attacked. This attack on the good, we could say, is truly work in service of evil, or the "evil one." What we learn from the Gospels is to hold up a mirror to ourselves and think about what it teaches us about our own human nature. These events aren't merely a historical retelling of a particular story about a particular man. Jesus comes into the world as Messiah precisely so that we may learn lessons for the rest of our lives, and for all of our lives, each of our lives -- especially those of us who seek to "Follow Him." We are the ones who are called upon for self-awareness, and to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves." We are the ones who are told that the greatest among us must be the servant of all. We are the ones who are told to watch among ourselves for those who are wolves in sheep's clothing. So, the vile accusations made against Jesus for the sake of position, for envy, are warnings to each of us about what we must not be like if we are to be His followers. They also tell us what we might risk if we are His followers, and that in taking up our own crosses to follow Him, we may experience something of the same treatment. In that context, the teaching to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves takes on yet another powerful meaning regarding our own lives in the world, and how our image of ourselves must reflect God's perspective on us -- not necessarily the world's opinion. The story in today's reading teaches us about discernment: that the signs of God's grace may be everywhere, but we can easily be too blind to see them -- perhaps even so caught up in our own perspective as to call them bad. Jesus' response to this treatment (in the next verse, which will appear in tomorrow's reading) is to continue His ministry, to move on, to teach and to preach the message of the kingdom in all the cities and villages, to heal every disease and illness. Let us remember His focus, that it is to serve God first, and endeavor to do likewise.
