Tell No One

Gospel: Matthew 9: 27-31

In today's Gospel portion Jesus heals two blind men, then he sternly orders them to tell no one, as he does so often with people he has healed.  And in every case the person or people healed do not follow the Lord's instruction.  They go all about telling people about the miracle Jesus performed for them.  What happens, of course, is that great crowds follow Jesus, and he comes under scrutiny from the religious and political powers of the day, ultimately leading to his execution.

We moderns, of course, take the side of the folks healed.  We think they should go tell everyone and ignore what the Lord has instructed them to do.  In fact, we have monetized this disregard, turning it into massive media empires, creating entire cottage industries of "testimonials" and "witnessing", claiming it's all for the Lord, of course, but in reality it's all about us.  It's all about branding, making money for ourselves and our "ministry" pyramid scheme.  

Someone may object: what do you expect them to do after being healed?  An answer exists in the very first healing Jesus performs on Peter's mother-in-law.  Like her, we are to rise from our bed and serve others, uttering not a single word.  The one who has received healing and mercy is simply to extend healing and mercy to others in the world.  That is authentic discipleship.  That is what the Lord came to bring to humanity.  That is our reflection this Advent: how will we bring healing and mercy to others?