But in Capernaum there were two beggars who had been completely blind from birth and have never seen the light of day or the radiance of the stars at night. These two also heard of Me and what I have done. When I went home again from Capernaum towards Nazareth, and the colonel with his wife and all his children, together with many of his friends, accompanied Me, we passed quite slowly by the place where several roads crossed. The two blind men usually sat at this place and begged there. When the two heard that there were many people there, even the foremost rulers over Galilee among them, and that in the midst of the rulers was Jesus the Healer of Nazareth, of whom, as of his father, the story goes that they descend in the most direct line from David (Matt. 9:27)—then, after the two had heard this from the passersby, they rose quickly from the ground, began to run after Me as well as they could, and cried out, saying: ‘Jesus! Ah, you Son of David, have mercy on us!’ But they gave Me this title because they thought I valued it and, thus flattered, would have mercy on them all the sooner.
But precisely for that reason I let them follow Me as far as Nazareth, to show them how utterly I disregard such worldly titles and emptiest flatteries.
But when I reached home after a few hours, which the two have soon learned, they asked those nearest them whom they perceived to have them brought to Me!
When the two (Matt. 9:28) were with Me—that is, near Me—they came right up to Me and wanted to begin asking Me to make them see! But I forestalled them and, knowing well what they wanted, said (Matt. 9:29): ‘Would you believe that I can do this for you?’ Then they said quite briefly: ‘Yes, Lord!’ Then I touched their eyes with My fingers and said: ‘Then let it happen to you according to your faith!’ (Matt. 9:30)
And their eyes were opened so that they saw everything as well as any person with completely healthy eyes. But when they now felt the benefit of eyesight and began to contemplate creation in great astonishment, they also reflected in their hearts that they owed Me the highest thanks, never to end, and wanted to give Me everything they had ever acquired through begging! For in future they would no longer beg, but earn their living through the strength of their healthy hands!?
But I said to them: ‘That you now wish to serve your brothers and earn your living with the strength of your hands is right and good; for whoever sees and can work should not go about with idle hands and burden his brothers, but serve them and help them in this and that, so that love may grow among people.
‘This intention of yours is thus entirely right and good; but that you wish to give Me your savings out of pure gratitude is indeed praiseworthy and beautiful of you, yet neither I nor My true disciples have need of it, and so you may well keep it for yourselves!
‘But what I ask in return for opening your eyes to the light shall consist in this: first, that you keep God’s commandments, love God above everything and your neighbors as yourselves, and gladly and tirelessly help them in everything in which you can serve; but second, for My own sake I command you to tell no one this, and instead see to it that no one further afield learns of it!’
But they said: ‘Lord! That will scarcely be possible! For everyone in the whole surrounding area knows only too well that we were blind. Then if someone asks us how we, who were blind, became able to see, what answer should we give such a questioner?’ I say: ‘One whose ground bears the name silence.’ (Matt. 9:31) They did promise to observe this, but they did not keep their promise; instead they soon went out into all the nearby places and made (Matt. 9:32) Me known everywhere.