So that the multitudes marvelled seeing the dumb speak, the lame walk, the blind see: and they glorified the God of Israel.
ωστε τους οχλους θαυμασαι βλεποντας κωφους λαλουντας κυλλους υγιεις χωλους περιπατουντας και τυφλους βλεποντας και εδοξασαν τον θεον ισραηλ
13 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 17 commentaries
It should be considered that sometimes the Lord goes about to heal the sick, sometimes He sits and waits for them to come; and accordingly here it is added, And there came great multitudes unto him, having with them those that were dumb, lame, blind, maimed, and many others.
They had not yet acknowledged the Lord's majesty, failing to realize that He was Divine, and instead viewed Him merely as a human being. Consequently, they offered praise to the God of Israel.
What the Latin translator calls ‘debiles’ (maimed), is in the Greek χυλλοὺς which is not a general term for a maimed person, but a peculiar species, as he that is lame in one foot is called ‘claudus,’ so he that is crippled in one hand is called χυλλός.
Having healed the daughter of this Chananæan, the Lord returns into Judæa, as it follows, And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee.
He said nothing concerning the maimed, because there was no one word which was the opposite of thisa.
He goes up into the mountain, that as a bird He may entice the tender nestlings to fly.
They were astonished by the large number of individuals being restored to health and the rapidity of their healing. They praised the God of Israel, which refers to the God revered by the Israelites.
In order to help us comprehend the Lord's silence as a necessary period of endurance rather than a reflection of any issue related to her yearning, He declared, ‘O woman, great is your faith’ (Matthew 15:28), thereby providing her with the assurance of her salvation. Similarly, within the Gentile community, those who believe, reminiscent of this girl, will swiftly be liberated from the grip of unclean spirits. Thus, faith will be accompanied by deeds. Following this, what occurs when the daughter of the Canaanite woman symbolizes the Gentiles? Crowds are brought to the Lord, afflicted by various ailments. Those lacking belief and suffering are encouraged by the faithful to bow before the Lord to receive healing, resulting in the restoration of their entire being—mind and body—to hear, meditate, praise, and follow the Lord.
Mystically; Having in the daughter of this Chauanæan prefigured the salvation of the Gentiles, He came into Judæa; because, when the fulness of the Gentiles shall have entered in, then shall all Israel be saved. (Rom. 11:25.)
Thus raising his hearers to meditate on heavenly things. He sat down there to shew that rest is not to be sought but in heavenly things. And as He sits on the mountain, that is, in the heavenly height, there come unto Him multitudes of the faithful, drawing near to Him with devoted mind, and bringing to Him the dumb, and the blind, & c. and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; because they that confess their sins are brought to be healed by Him alone. These He so heals, that the multitudes marvel and magnify the God of Israel; because the faithful when they see those that have been spiritually sick richly endued with all manner of works of virtuousness, sing praise to God.
This sea is called by various names; the sea of Galilee, because of its neighbourhood to Galilee; the sea of Tiberias, from the town of Tiberias. And going up into a mountain, he sat down there.
The crowd was amazed by the large number of those who were restored to health and the ease with which their healing occurred, leading them to praise the God of Israel. Among them were many Gentiles who lived in these regions and were drawn in by the news of the Miracle Worker. Upon witnessing the miraculous events, they recognized the might of the God of Israel and extolled His greatness. As the blessed Theophylact instructs, "Climb the heights of the virtues and commandments of Christ," where the Lord resides.
If you find yourself blind and unable to see goodness on your own, if you are lame and cannot approach Him, if you are deaf and mute, or if you struggle with a withered hand and cannot reach out for charity, or if you suffer from any other ailment, humbly come to Jesus, touch the traces of His life, and you shall be restored.
Alongside the man who was deaf, mute, and had a speech impediment, the Lord restored health to numerous other individuals in the city of Tithegrad, including those who were paralyzed, sightless, speechless, and disabled. The onlookers were astonished by these miracles and glorified the God of Israel. However, the Lord instructed those who had received healing not to disclose their experiences to others. Despite His admonitions, they went on to share their testimonies even more widely.
Witnesses to the miraculous healings offered praise to the God of Israel, attributing glory to Him. The Jewish people referred to God as the God of Israel because they viewed themselves as a nation chosen by Him from among all peoples on earth, making Him exclusively their God.
The duration of the Saviour's stay in those regions and the specific locations where He paused remain uncertain. The attention surrounding the miracle accelerated His departure, disrupting the tranquility He sought. Consequently, He chose to retreat into solitude across the Sea of Galilee. During His journey, He performed two significant miracles, one of which involved healing a man who was both deaf and mute. His hearing was "immediately opened, the bonds of the tongue were loosed, and he began to speak plainly," as the Saviour declared: "ephphatha, i.e., open," which was accompanied by actions such as placing His fingers in the man's ears, spitting, and touching his tongue. "And everyone marvelled exceedingly and said: he does everything well: he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak."
Concerning the ailments referenced and their restoration, refer to the commentary on Matthew 4:24. The crowd was filled with wonder; see the commentary on Matthew 9:33.
Jesus Christ departed from Tyre and Sidon and journeyed to the Sea of Galilee, passing through the region of the Tithegrad. There, a deaf and mute man afflicted by an ailment that eluded human healing was brought to Him. Those who presented the afflicted individual asked the Lord to lay His hand upon him, confident that this single gesture would suffice to restore his health. They were likely aware of how often Jesus had healed the sick by His touch. However, in this instance, He undertook a unique approach to bring about healing. First, to avoid attracting unnecessary curiosity, He led the man away from the crowd. Then, aiming to prepare him for the forthcoming miracle and to kindle his faith, He placed His fingers in the man's ears and, after spitting, touched his tongue.
The blessed Theophylact notes that in the Lord, every action is miraculous and divine; even His spittle had the power to free the tongue, as all aspects of His sacred being were holy. Afterward, Jesus gazed up toward heaven, implying that divine assistance was the source of help, and He sighed, evidencing His compassion and sorrow for the man's plight, indicating that a heartfelt sigh could replace verbal prayer. Finally, He commanded, "Ephphatha," and at once, the man's hearing was restored, his speech impediment was lifted, and he began to speak clearly and fluently. Jesus instructed that this miracle not be shared, as it might be misunderstood by the unbelieving Gentiles and could potentially incite further plots and defamation from the adversarial Pharisees among the Jews. Yet, just as before, despite His instruction, word of the miracle spread, and many were astonished, exclaiming, "He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak." Following these events, the Lord ascended a mountain and sat down. Great crowds approached Him, bringing the lame, the blind, the impoverished, the maimed, and many others, and laid them at His feet. He healed each one, prompting amazement among the people as they glorified God, witnessing the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 20 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS