Scripture: Matthew 9:33 – “And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed and said, ‘Never has anything like this been seen in Israel.’” (NRSVue)
Last Sunday in church, my congregation heard about Jesus healing the man blind from birth from the Gospel according to John. In that lengthy story, the healed man is turned out from his community for witnessing to Jesus after his healing. There is a pattern here: Jesus cures our blindness and then we speak out in witness to what he has done for us.
Jesus heals several blind people over the course of the Gospels, but one that sticks with me this morning comes from the Gospel according to Matthew. Matthew chapter 9 is full of healings: a paralytic on a stretcher, a hemorrhaging woman, a girl considered dead. Then two blind men approach Jesus. He heals their eyes and tells them not to tell anyone, but they do anyway. Finally, a man who is mute due to demonic possession is brought to Jesus. Jesus casts out the demon and the man can speak. The people are amazed.
What does this story of the blind and mute have to say to us and our faith journeys? We are like the blind men in the stories. We stumble around in darkness either not knowing Christ’s love or failing to take full advantage of that fact by dwelling in the darkness of our own concerns and pleasures. When we do see the truth, when the light of God is made known to us, we are expected to tell it to others. Like the two blind men in Matthew, it becomes something we cannot avoid doing, even if we are told to keep the secret.
In Jesus’ time, any type of mental ailment was blamed on demons. So when we read the Gospels, it is sometimes difficult to determine when Jesus is driving out a demon or just healing the mind. Probably both. Many of us do not believe in demons, or at least not in demonic possession. And yet, there are demons in our lives. Not malicious spirits, but those things that hold us back. In this case, we are like that mute person. Something is preventing us from speaking. We do not speak out. We do not share our love of Jesus. Why do we do this? Is it because we are ashamed of our faith in a faithless world? Is it because we worry about being rejected or about people thinking we are foolish?
Remember the story, though. Jesus does more than open our eyes, he opens our mouths. Think about all that Jesus does for you. Think of all the blessings you have and all the things you have to be thankful for. If you do not already, make sure to pray in thanksgiving every day. This kind of prayer drives those “demons” away, and helps you open your mouth.
Witnessing to Jesus does not mean interrupting people to talk about how they should accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It means being kind and generous. It means showing enthusiasm for the time you spend in church. It is showing that your faith has an impact on your life in the world, and not just for your soul in the world to come. Open your mouths, speak out, and live the life Jesus wants you to live.
Prayer: Jesus, drive away my fears and help me to speak out your love to the world. Amen.
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