Two blind men healed (Notes)

Saint Matthew - Chapter 9

And their eyes were opened. J-J Tissot

[27] Et transeunte inde Jesu, secuti sunt eum duo caeci, clamantes, et dicentes : Miserere nostri, fili David.
And as Jesus passed from thence, there followed him two blind men crying out and saying, Have mercy on us, O Son of David.

And passing on from thence, i.e., from Jairus’ house, two blind men, &c. These blind men had conceived the hope of recovering their sight from Christ from the many and great miracles which they had heard were done by Him. Therefore they said, Have mercy upon us, pity our blindness, which is the greatest misery, and restore to us the light of the sun. We believe that Thou art the Son of David, that is, the Messiah, to whom this healing of blindness and other diseases has been promised by the Prophets. (Is. 35:5; 61:1.) For Messiah had been promised to David as his Son, that He should be sprung from his posterity. Wherefore Messiah was always called by the Jews, the Son of David. Therefore these men, whose bodily eyes were blind, had sharp-sighted minds, as a certain writer exclaims, “O that darkness brighter than any light: O those most piercing eyes of blindness!”

[28] Cum autem venisset domum, accesserunt ad eum caeci. Et dicit eis Jesus : Creditis quia hoc possum facere vobis? Dicunt ei : Utique, Domine.
And when he was come to the house, the blind men came to him. And Jesus saith to them, Do you believe, that I can do this unto you? They say to him, Yea, Lord.

And when he was come into the house, &c. The house, that is to say, His own, which Christ had hired at Capernaum, as I have said on chap. 4:13. Christ did not answer the blind men as they cried unto Him in the way, and asked their sight. He put them off until He came into the house, 

1. That He might prove them, and kindle their faith and desire of healing. 2. That He might teach the necessity of persevering in prayer. 

Believe ye, He says, that I am able to do this? He does not say, that I am about to do it? but, that I am able to do it? For faith is properly in the Omnipotence of God. This is why we say in the Creed, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.” This faith then gave rise to hope, insomuch that these blind men conceived the hope that what Christ was able to do, that He would do. Away then with the faith of the Innovators, by which they believe, that their sins have been forgiven to themselves in particular, for the merits of Christ, and that they are justified, and sons of God. They believe, I say, in their own false imagination, by which they say that they most firmly believe it by Divine faith, when they only imagine it, and dream of it. For nothing can be believed, except what has been revealed by God. But it has not been revealed to thee, O Luther, that thou art justified (justum), therefore thou canst not believe it.

[29] Tunc tetigit oculos eorum, dicens : Secundum fidem vestram, fiat vobis.
Then he touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith, be it done unto you.

Then he touched their eyes, &c. Christ heals them by the touch of His hands, to manifest their saving power. “The confession of their mouth is requited by the touch of kindness,” says the Gloss.

[30] Et aperti sunt oculi eorum : et comminatus est illis Jesus, dicens : Videte ne quis sciat.
And their eyes were opened, and Jesus strictly charged them, saying, See that no man know this.

And Jesus straitly charged them. The Greek is, ἐνεβριμήσατο, the Vulgate comminatus est: which means literally, He sharply and sternly threatened them. He did this to show His strong dislike of ostentation in His miracles, and of vain glory, and to teach us to dislike it.

[31] Illi autem exeuntes, diffamaverunt eum in tota terra illa.
But they going out, spread his fame abroad in all that country.


But they spread abroad his fame in all that country. These blind men did not offend against the strict charge of Christ by publishing His miracle, as Calvin would have it, for they persuaded themselves that Christ had done so, not by an absolute precept, but only out of modesty, for the reason I have given. And no wonder that the blind men thought so, for the Fathers are persuaded that Christ spoke in this sense. Hear S. Chrysostom: “To another He says, Declare the glory of God; surely He teaches that they are to be rebuked, who wish to praise us for our own sakes, but not if they do so for the glory of God.” And S. Jerome says, “The Lord, because of humility, avoiding the glory of boasting, gave this command; but they, in remembrance of His grace, were not able to keep silent about His kindness.”

Totus tuus ego sum 

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam