So that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.
Read Chapter 15
Cyril of Alexandria
AD 444
They had not yet thoroughly understood the Lord’s dignity as God but supposed him to be a mere man. For this reason they offered up glory to the God of Israel.
Ord.: The dumb are they that do not praise God; the blind, they who do not understand the paths of life; the deaf, they that obey not; the lame, they that walk not firmly through the difficult ways of good works; the maimed, they thatare crippled in their good works.
Remember that the context is the plea of the Canaanite woman. Remember that the Lord’s silence with her had proceeded from a consideration of the gradual timing of revelation and not from any problem of her volition. So when he said, “O woman, great is your faith,” she is now certain of being saved. Indeed, he also comes to the whole Gentile community, when those who accordingly believe will at once be freed like the girl from any power of the unclean spirits. And faith in the deed therefore follows. What follows immediately after the Gentile people are prefigured in the daughter of the Canaanite woman? Those afflicted with different kinds of diseases are offered by the crowd to the Lord on the mountain. That is, the faithless and the sick are instructed by the believers to fall down and adore. They are made well again, and all the functions of mind and body are being restored for hearing, contemplating, praising and following the Lord.
Having healed the daughter of this Chananaean, the Lord returns into Judaea, as it follows, “And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee.”.
What the Latin translator calls ‘debiles’ (maimed), is in the Greek κυλλους,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, κυλλος.
He said nothing concerning the maimed, because there was no one word which wasthe opposite of this.” .
He goes up into the mountain, that as a bird He may entice the tender nestlings to fly.
Great was the marvel and strange, to see them that were carried walking, the blind having no need for any to lead them by the hand. Yes, both the multitude of the healed and their rapid cure amazed them. Remember how long Jesus had delayed healing the Canaanite woman. But now he heals these immediately. This is not because these are better than she; indeed, she was more faithful than they. In her case he defers and delays in order to manifest her constancy. In the case of these, he bestows the gift immediately to shut the mouths of unbelievers and cut away from them every excuse. For the greater the favors one has received, so much the more is one held accountable and liable if unresponsive. This is why we see the rich turning more wicked and being more severely punished than the poor. Why? They have not been softened, even by their prosperity. The Gospel of Matthew, Homily
Do you see, how the woman indeed He healed with so much delay, but these immediately? Not because these are better than she is, but because she is more faithful than they. Therefore, while in her case He defers and delays, to manifest her constancy; on these He bestows the gift immediately, stopping the mouths of the unbelieving Jews, and cutting away from them every plea. For the greater favors one has received, so much the more is he liable to punishment, if he be insensible, and the very honor make him no better. Therefore you see the rich also proving wicked, are more punished than the poor, for not being softened even by their prosperity. For tell me not that they gave alms. Since if they gave not in proportion to their substance, not even so shall they escape; our alms being judged not by the measure of our gifts, but by the largeness of our mind. But if these suffer punishment, much more they that are eager about unnecessary things; who build houses of two and three stories, but...
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.”.
These showed their faith in two points especially, in that they went up the mountain, and in that they believed that they had need of nothing beyond but tocast themselves at Jesus’ feet; for they do not now touch the hem even of His garment, but have attained to a loftier faith; “And cast them down at Jesus’feet.”The woman’s daughter He healed with great slackness, that He might shewher virtue; but to these He administers healing immediately, not because they were better than that woman, but that He might stop the mouths of the unbelieving Jews; as it follows, “and he healed them all. "But the multitude of those that were healed, and the ease with which it was done, struck them with astonishment. Insomuch that t...
Mystically; Having in the daughter of this Chananaean prefigured the salvation of the Gentiles, Ho came into Judaea; because, “when the fulness of the Gentiles shall have entered in, then shall all Israel be saved.” .
Thus raising his hearers to meditate on heavenly things. He sat down there toshew 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 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 at 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.”
He does not visit Judea frequently, as He does Galilee, because the unbelief of the Judeans was so great. For the Galileans had more faith than they. Behold their faith, how they even ascend a mountain although they are lame and blind. And they do not move sluggishly but throw themselves at the feet of Jesus as if believing that He is more than a man and then, indeed, they obtain healing. So you also, O reader, must ascend the mountain of the commandments where the Lord is seated. And though you are blind and unable to see the good for yourself; and though lame, seeing the good but unable to go towards it; and though deaf and dumb, unable to hear another exhorting you and unable to exhort another; and though maimed, that is, unable to stretch out your hand to give alms; and though diseased in any other way, if you fall at Jesus’ feet and touch the foot prints of His life, you will be healed.
