Of course they talked about him all over the countryside. How could it be otherwise? I was blind and now I see: I have to share this extraordinary good news.
Enabling the blind to see is the work of the Messiah most frequently mentioned in the texts that look forward to his coming. The passage from Isaiah 29 which is the first reading today is one such text: the deaf will hear, the blind will see, on the day that is coming, in a very short time. Erring spirits will learn wisdom, it says, another kind of seeing, and murmurers will accept instruction, another kind of hearing.
The most puzzling line in the readings today is the stern warning from Jesus to the blind men now cured, 'take care that no one learns about this'. Various explanations are offered. It seems to contradict what Isaiah promises, that wisdom and instruction will also be offered on that day.
The saying of Jesus is a kind of koan, a religious riddle. Is he saying that broadcasting this about him will not help people to see him accurately? Is it that the political situation advises caution about his mission and identity? Is it that the time is not right for a fuller revelation of who he is? Is it part of the drama of the gospel, as in a novel or a play, to let his identity be revealed slowly?
The scholars offer these possibilities but nobody really knows. So we can take his warning with us and let in simmer in our minds, see what it produces as the day goes on. You and I have come to see when we were blind before. We have emerged from shadow and darkness. But tell no one. Why not? Is it that we must also learn about the light in which Jesus and his works are to be seen, not just any light (hey, I can see!), but the light of the resurrection (my Lord and my God!). And for that we must wait.
Hence the advice about not telling now - healing physical blindness is a sign, but it is not even half the story!
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