Matthew 12:22
Saturday, 9 August 2025
Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. Matthew 12:22
“Then he was brought to Him ‘being demon possessed,’ blind and mute, and He cured him, so the blind and mute speak and see” (CG).
In the previous verse, the quote from Isaiah 42 concerning the coming of the Messiah was finished. Now, the narrative concerning Jesus continues, saying, “Then he was brought to Him ‘being demon possessed,’ blind and mute.”
The record of this account with the accompanying charges that will be seen in the next verse is recorded as occurring at different times in Mark and Luke. A couple of possibilities exist concerning this. The first is that Matthew uses the word “then,” meaning it is chronological, whereas the others are merely recorded as fact at a certain point.
Another possibility is that in this account, it says, “blind and mute.” However, Luke only says “mute.” Mark doesn’t specifically refer to the state of a person being healed in Mark 3. And so, it could be at different times that the surrounding narratives are repeated. Why can it not be that the same charges were stated against Jesus at various times? Rather, it would be expected, just as such charges are brought against people at various times even today.
As it stands, there is no reason to assume the three accounts contradict. Understanding this, a person is blind and mute, something attributed to him being demon possessed. He is brought to Jesus in that state. Next, it says, “and He cured him, so the blind and mute speak and see.”
It is a miracle that exceeds the account in Matthew 9, where Jesus cured a man who was mute and demon possessed. Adding in the blindness is an elevation of the matter, demonstrating that Jesus’ healing capabilities were well beyond anything the people could have imagined.
Remembering that this is recorded directly after the words of Isaiah, it demonstrates the coldness of the hearts of the religious leaders who will challenge Jesus on this. Isaiah proclaimed that the Gentiles would hear of Jesus and trust in Him. Those who are recorded as coming against Jesus in the next verses didn’t have to hear. They were right there to see with their own eyes.
The contrast is purposeful. The words are given to show the immense void that stands between unbelieving Israel, who had sight to complement their own oracles, and believing Gentiles who heard the word in distant lands about the coming of the Christ. The Gentiles accepted its veracity without having seen.
Life application: A constant theme found in Scripture is the answer to the question, “What do you believe?” The majority of the people of Israel had Scripture read to them each week in the synagogues of Israel. They had the stories of the coming Messiah so well memorized that they would have been talked about openly on any given day and in any particular setting.
When Jesus came, He didn’t sell tickets and go into closed halls to cure for a profit for a few select people. Rather, He did it in the open for anyone near to see. At times, He did take people aside and heal them or raise them in a private setting, but there were reasons this was so.
However, He spoke openly, and He cured for the masses to see. All of this was done in perfect accord with the prophecies the people had in their Scriptures. And yet, the nation rejected Him, and many continue to use His name in a derogatory way to this day.
On the other hand, and just as Scripture prophesied, the life and events of Jesus were presented to the nations of the world. People of a seemingly infinite number of backgrounds, cultural preferences, differing languages, and from innumerable pagan influences were told the good news. And yet, in only hearing about Jesus, they walked away from their false spiritual beliefs while maintaining their unique cultural and linguistic states, converting to a full acceptance of Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
By merely hearing the word, belief set in. This is what pleases God. In Christ, He doesn’t care diddly about the cultural choices of the Jewish people. Nor does He care about their Jewishness without their accompanied belief. What He desires is faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Hear the word, accept it for what it says, and have faith in the God who loved you enough to send His Son to restore you to Himself. This is pleasing in God’s sight –
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:26-29
Lord God, help us not to get fixated on things that are not relevant to our salvation in Christ. It doesn’t matter if we are Jews or Gentiles, white or black, intelligent or dummies, or any other such thing. In Your eyes, Your word tells us that You desire us to be people of faith. Help us to be such people, to Your glory. Amen.
