Matthew 9:32-38
Chapter 9
32
As they were leaving, some people brought to Jesus a man who was mute because he was possessed by a demon.
33
When the demon was cast out, the mute man started to speak. The crowd was amazed and said:
“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
34
But the Pharisees said:
“He drives away demons with the help of the prince of demons.”
35
Narrative Summary of Jesus’ Activity
Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues and announcing the good news of the kingdom; he also healed every sickness and disease.
36
Jesus’ Compassion
When he saw the crowds, he was filled with compassion, for they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37
Then he said to his disciples:
“The harvest is abundant, but the workers are only a few.
38
Ask the master of the harvest to send workers to gather his harvest.”
Commentaries
He Heals Two Blind Men and Exorcises a Mute.
Every healing carries a deeper meaning, and perhaps the healing of the blind man and the mute are the most symbolic within the biblical tradition. Through these miracles, Matthew sets the stage for the significant declaration Jesus will make to John’s disciples in 11:5. The evangelist emphasizes the importance of faith as a necessary condition for the signs that reveal the fulfillment of God’s kingdom. Faith is precisely the focus of Jesus’ dialogue with the blind men (28ff), the setting for the personal encounter that heals and restores the individual.
Narrative Summary of Jesus’ Activity – Jesus’ Compassion.
These four verses serve as an interlude, closing one section and opening another. Jesus, the Messiah, has announced the beginning of God’s reign with words and actions. His first sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, has been validated through signs and miracles. The success of his power to heal people from all kinds of diseases and ailments has drawn a large crowd of the poor and needy. This sets the stage for the next section: the missionary sending of the Twelve, close followers who will learn from Jesus the scope of the mission, how to carry it out, and God’s initiative, signaled by his call.