It was never seen like this in Israel!

 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 a ruler of the synagogue came and worshiped Jesus, 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.  When we read Matthew's Gospel, we must understand its orientation toward Jews; that is, it is written as if intended for a Jewish audience.  In this light, we look to Isaiah.  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).  My study bible tells us that these healings are a sign that Jesus is the awaited Messiah, as is the use of the title Son of David by the blind men, who express their faith in this truth.  That they go into the house shows us that Jesus, at this point in His ministry, does not want this revealed but nevertheless heals based on the faith of the blind.

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."   This charge will be repeated in Matthew's Gospel, and Jesus will refute it (see Matthew 12:24-30).  To cast out demons by the ruler of demons is not possible.  The aim of the devil, as Jesus will later express in chapter 12,  is to consolidate power, not destroy it.  Furthermore, Jesus has cleansed lepers, raised the dead, and remitted sins.  These are works that demons could not perform.

Today's verses tell us a story about the Messiah, in the fulfillment of prophesy.  Jesus fulfills the prophesy of Isaiah who explicitly gives conditions which will mark the time of the Messiah.  But there is a lot more here to take note of.  To give sight to the blind is a great metaphor for "light" in all its meanings -- the spiritual light of showing what is what, of exposing what's false, and giving people the freedom to truly see.  It's important that, like all the other healing stories we've read so far in Matthew's Gospel,  this comes with faith.  Jesus' one question to these blind men is, ""Do you believe that I am able to do this?"  They respond to Him affirmatively, and call Him "Lord," another reference to the Messiah and the Davidic lineage of the Messiah.  Jesus heals by touch once again, and tells them, "According to your faith let it be to you."  Then the text tells us that "their eyes were opened," another metaphor for true sight, spiritual perception, the understanding of truth and the lifting of lies.  Jesus' next healing is that of a mute, whose lack of speech is due to demonic possession.  We can infer clearly what the demonic does here, which is always destructive.  In this case, this man is unable to express himself, He's fettered and muzzled, kept a kind of prisoner in his inability to speak.  The restoration of his speech is a parallel to Jesus' identity as redeemer and liberator, who "sets the captives free," also as declared by Isaiah.  Finally come the charges from the Pharisees, that Jesus casts out demons by the power of the ruler of the demons.  Jesus makes no reply to them at this time.  His ministry is still revealing His identity through its signs and the things He does, but He does not openly declare Himself.  The introduction of accusations of sorcery brings us into a new territory, where people are going to have to make a choice, and where faith will play a decisive role.  Jesus has already warned His followers, in the Sermon on the Mount, to be aware of "wolves in sheep's clothing," "false prophets."  But He has said that it is by their fruits that they will know them.  (See Matthew 7:15-20).  Jesus lives up to His own standard, producing fruits that teach us about Him and His identity.  The question becomes, therefore, who is able to discern, to read the fruits of the tree?  We come to a moment where the conflict between the religious leadership and Jesus is ready to split wide open, and where competing claims will assert themselves.  Jesus will elaborate in later passages on such accusations, saying that blasphemy against the Spirit is the one claim that will stand to be answered for.  In that context, He will repeat what He's said about the fruits of the tree (see Matthew 12:31-33).  But Jesus' ministry teaches us that the ways the Spirit works is to unfold truth through signs, through "fruits" that are produced, and these "fruits" tell us something.  (See also Galatians 5:22-23.)  It is similar with our own lives.  The fruits that are produced by the choices we make, the things we do, the faith we follow and its internal work, teach us about what road we're on, good or bad.  Jesus allows His ministry to speak for Himself.  He does not wear His holiness on His sleeve, so to speak.  He has railed against the hypocrisy of some of the religious leadership, declaring morality that is for show is just that.  Instead, Jesus lives the truth.   At this point, He even tries to tell those whom He's healed not to speak of the stupendous signs that He is the Messiah.  He sets the example for our lives, practicing what He's preached in the Sermon on the Mount (see this reading).  Jesus' identity as Son and Savior is not proven by the opinions of others.  Rather, He simply lives as the One He is.  The fullness of His life and ministry is in the will of the Father, and the work of Father, Son, and Spirit.  The faith response of others is in the place of the heart of each.  So it should be with our lives.  Let us note that regardless of what we actually do, people can claim all kinds of opinions and accusations about motive and the hidden heart.  Who we are, and what we are, is judged by God, not determined by the opinions of others.  The real question is how we live our faith, and express identity as faithful in the choices we make to live God's will as best we can, most firmly rooted in the depth of "secret" prayer.  Let us endeavor to find the integrity He teaches us, and the strength of grace whereby we may live such a life.