T
hey left the house of Jairus that day warmed with the pleasure and glow of what had taken place. Jesus had done something wondrous and we all felt, even though only Peter, James and John were the only ones of us who were there, that we had been a part of it. It is a marvelously satisfying thing to be so close to God’s power, to see it so physically, so concretely at work. I wish you could have been there, dear reader. I wish with all my heart you could have seen it, smelled it, tasted it. How I pray these pages will help you do just that.
Once we were united as a group again, we departed for the home of Peter which was something of a central meeting point for us while we were in and about Capharnaum. As we walked, we came upon two men holding on to each other and staring into space. A diminutive girl who was attempting to guide them toward us led them. “There he is,” she said in a child’s voice. “Come!” tugging on them to follow her.
Suddenly the older of the two cried out, “Jesus! Son of David, have mercy on us!” They were thin and gaunt. It was plain that these men — and the girl as well — did not eat very often. They were draped more than dressed in torn blankets. Their beards were matted and gray. They were a pathetic sight and one not too uncommon in the streets of Galilee and elsewhere. The presence of the child, however, arrested our attention. We wondered who she was and what bearing she had with these men. “Shout, Abiud, shout!” said the one who had cried out to other, “We must make him stop!”
“Jesus! Lord!” shouted the younger, “Have mercy on us!”
We had arrived at Peter’s home when, on hearing the cries, Jesus stopped. He looked weary. “Bring them inside,” he said and entered the door. When the two men were brought to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to make you see?”
The child nodded her head affirmatively, tears in her eyes. The men replied without hesitation, “Yes, Lord, we do believe that.” The odor of their unwashed bodies filled the room.
Jesus placed a hand on each of them, covering their eyes. “According to your faith then, be it done to you.” He removed his hands to reveal beautiful eyes with clear pupils, their sight restored. The child’s hands went to her mouth in awe. “Daddy!” she exclaimed, “You can see!” “Moshe!” she pronounced the two syllables with a musical lilt, “You can see!” It became clear that these two men were father and brother.
Then Jesus spoke with what I thought was surprising severity, “See that no one knows about this.” His warning was not heard, or if heard, ignored. They went out and told everyone and anyone who would listen of what Jesus had done for them. All of Galilee heard about it. How is it that such a man as Jesus, who did the things he did and said the things he said, could wish to suppress knowledge of his doings? Why did he want to keep these things hidden? He knew that his warning would go unheeded, yet he healed anyway. For someone who did not seek notoriety, he certainly did things that brought it.
Those in the house of Peter standing about while Jesus did all of this began to murmur, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in the whole of Israel.”
But there were a few Pharisees with their attendant scribes, insufferable legalists, standing about who whispered among themselves, “This man is controlled by the prince of demons. That is how he has the power to do tricks like this.”
