03/04/2015 SIGHT & INSIGHT
Matt 9:27-21 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And, their eyes were opened.... [King James translation] And Jesus sternly charged them, “See that no one knows it.” [Revised Standard translation.] But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country. [King James translation]
Summary:
Two men who are blind make their way to JESUS. The men ask JESUS to have mercy on us (each man asking for himself and his companion). When Jesus asks them if they believe that HE is able to heal them, they say: “Yes Lord.” According to their faith, they are healed. Then JESUS then sternly instructs them, not to tell anyone. When the men leave Jesus, they spread the fame of JESUS abroad.
Seeing and Not Seeing
This story is both simple and complex. One the one hand, it seems like a very simple story. Two men who were once blind are healed by JESUS. We can easily imagine the hardship these men must have suffered. We can image their desperation as they sought out JESUS. We imagine what it must have felt like to finally encounter JESUS. We even rejoice with them, when their faith seemed to be tested and they are asked “if they believe,” and the men answer “Yes Lord,” and seemed to pass the test and are healed. We can even imagine and understand these men leaving JESUS excited, physically healed, happy and ready to start a new life. It just seems like the perfect Hollywood Bible story ending.