According to your faith, let it be to you

 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 demons."

- Matthew 9:27-34

Yesterday, we read that while Jesus spoke to the disciples of John, behold, a ruler came 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 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.   My study bible tells us that according to Isaiah, the messianic age is signified when "the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall hear (Isaiah 35:5).  This healing, and the one in the following verses of today's reading, are a sign that Jesus is the awaited Messiah.   The title used by the blind men, Son of David, is also a messianic title - and expresses their faith that Jesus is Messiah.  Perhaps it clearly shows their faith, even as they call to Him.

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 demons."  Marvels happen, as they will.  And there will be those who deny goodness, and call it evil.

I can't help but think that this story tells us so much about ourselves and about our lives.  It is an extraordinary story.  It is, in fact, the story.  It's the story about the Messiah and it is the tale of messianic signs being made in the midst of the people who await the Messiah.  The signs of Isaiah are here:  "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped."  So why are the Pharisees having trouble with this?  This is objectively a good thing, is it not?  People are being healed, cured of such implacable difficulties as blindness, and the inability to speak, to be cured of the terrible oppression of a dark force that prevents expression.  But of course, the Pharisees claim that Jesus works only through a more powerful evil force, by the ruler of the demons.  I don't think we can take this story as just an example of Jesus' life as Messiah.  The Gospels always tell us something about ourselves and our nature.  Christ's healing of the blind and the mute isn't only a story about miracles and messianic signs or experiences.  It's always a story about us, and about our encounter with Christ.  He heals in so many ways.  He helps us to see via our faith, and via prayer, and here is the consummate prayer repeated throughout worship services everywhere:  Lord have mercy.  We don't know what our faith can lead us to, how it can open up our eyes and have us see things we'd never have noticed nor found otherwise.  We can't really know all the mercy of Christ when we begin on a faith journey, but I believe that this becomes something greater with "faith" eyes opened wide to receive the goodness of Christ and the things we're to learn on His way.  Once again, we encounter a "doubling" in Matthew's gospel.  Perhaps it's to teach us that this is for the whole world, both Jew and Gentile.  Isaiah predicts this time of the Messiah, but the Messiah is for the whole world.  And it's not lost on us that this isn't a single individual, but two -- a community.  That's where things get stirred, and Jesus is stirring everything in the midst of this community.  When the demons are gone, even the mute are able to speak, an oppression lifted, a type of freedom has come.  Psalm 51, the greatest psalm of repentance and contrition we have, says, "Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare Your praise."  These acts in the community are like the mute speaking about the Lord, the Messiah, and there are those whose houses are crumbling, who don't like this change that has come to their places.  They can't welcome the good news, and the change it will mean for them.  For Christ has definitely come to change things; He's the fulfillment of the Old Covenant and is bringing in something new, initiating another time.   This is what faith will do in our own lives.  It will open our eyes and open our mouths.  Will we respond with praise?  Will we think of these things -- bringing change -- as good?  Can we receive them?  The Pharisees aren't really so far away from contemporary ways we respond to what our faith will do in our lives, what it might help us to see and how it might change the ways we express ourselves and "unstop our mouths."  That will always be a part of the struggle, a part of the acceptance of Christ in our midst.