News spreads, but no-one hears
by Rev Dr Noel Due
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But they went away and spread his fame through all that district (Matthews 9:31).
Read Matthew 9:27–34
Today’s reading continues the theme in Matthew’s Gospel, showing Jesus in his role as God’s healer and deliverer. The blind see! The demonised are set free! And news spreads!
Little wonder. No-one had done the things Jesus did, and no-one had said the things Jesus said. His deeds and his words went before him. News travelled fast and wide. Multitudes followed.
So, we might be tempted to think that ‘nothing succeeds like success’, and that Jesus’ path would be paved with adoration and love. Yet, we know only too well that this was not the case.
What is happening here?
The first part of Matthew’s Gospel builds to a turning point, found in Matthew 16:13 where Jesus asks, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’
When the disciples report the confused responses of the crowds (Moses, Elijah), Jesus then asks the twelve directly, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ That leads to Peter’s great declaration, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!’ (Matthew 16:16).
Immediately after that declaration was uttered, Jesus began teaching them about the cross.
In other words, the deeds and words of Jesus are all designed to provoke the disciples and crowds to ask themselves: ‘Who is this man?’ Even Peter, when he is shown the answer to that question from heaven itself, does not understand the implications of who Jesus is. And he certainly didn’t want a Messiah who would suffer and die.
The opening of the blind man’s eyes is a physical sign of a much-needed spiritual miracle: the eyes of our hearts must be opened by the Spirit to see Jesus for who he really is. The casting out of the demons is a visible sign of a spiritual deliverance: we must be delivered from the powers of darkness to hear the words of Jesus and follow him.
Thank you, dear Lord, for seeing our needy state. We needed you to come to us, and you came before we called. Thank you for meeting us with love, mercy and grace … to heal our spiritual blindness, deafness and captivity. We thank you for doing what we could never do for ourselves. Amen.
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