In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
What will it take for me to believe? To really believe? Because if the Resurrection is real—not mere wishful thinking, not a hopeful dream, not a trap to ensnare gullible people—if the Resurrection is real I need to lead a new life, a changed life, a transformed life, if the Resurrection is real I cannot remain as I am.
Two blind men come to the Lord and they receive their sight, a dumb demoniac comes and when the demon is cast out the Pharisees claim, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.” We can always come up with excuses, with reasons, with explanations. And when the disciples had gathered on the appointed mountain, the Evangelist records,
When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.
Matthew 28:17
It is easy to come up with excuses, with reasons, with explanations. Because the doubts are real: no one rises from the dead, death is the end, is permanent, and while the dead may persist in the underworld, they cannot return to this life.
And yet. Yet the Resurrection persists and is foundational to our reality. It was attested to by eye-witnesses who gave their lives for this Truth, it was preached by the Church even when it brought no social status, it has been faithfully followed for two millennia. And my problem is not a lack of evidence, my problem is that I like life in this age: it is pleasant, it is nice—a short few decades of pleasures followed by the certainty of escape through death; I have no responsibilities, I do not have to worry about eternity when an end is in sight.
But the Truth of the Resurrection does not depend on my opinion, the Truth of the Resurrection is an objective Truth. And having come to Truth, having come to Reality, having come to Christ, I cannot ignore Him. The Resurrection means that I must change, that I must have an urgency to change, that I must repent and turn to the living God because my life is not a meaningless few decades of existence on this earth but of eternal meaning and value.
Two blind men come to Christ. And while in their position I would have cried out, “Lord, restore my sight,” they cry out to Him, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” They entrusted that He would do for them what was necessary for their union with God—and if that meant they remain in their blindness they would have endured.
Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘According to your faith be it done to you.’ And their eyes were opened.
And we too have had our eyes touched, we too have had our eyes opened, and the Lord sternly charges each of us, “See that no one knows it.” And I take this to heart, “I must keep Christ and the Resurrection secret.” But this is not the meaning, elsewhere we read,
Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying,
Luke 8:38–39
‘Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.’ And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.
What then are we to make of today’s injunction, “See that no one knows it.” Our father among the saints, John Chrysostom, explains this to us.
The blind men did not follow his instruction but immediately became preachers and evangelists. Though asked to hide what had been done, they revealed it. Remember that elsewhere he had said to a different hearer, ‘Return to your home and declare how much God has done for you.’ This does not run contrary to what he says here but complementary to it. For it teaches us that we should say nothing about ourselves. In fact, it even teaches that we should prevent those who want to praise us from doing so. But it also teaches that if the glory would be offered up to God, not only should we not prevent this but we should even command that it be done.
St John Chrysostom, On Matthew, Homily XXXII.
What will it take for me to believe? I can come up with excuses, with reasons, with explanations, but the Resurrection is squarely before me. I have heard the proclamation, I have witnessed the miracles, and the ball is in my court. Am I willing to live a new life because of Christ and the Resurrection or not? My former life is tempting, my former life has its enticement, yet I cannot go back, I cannot unlearn, I cannot unwitness. And so I must repent, I must work for the Kingdom, I must “spread His fame through all that district.” And the Lord is calling all of us for this purpose.
Let us, therefore, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, repent together, undoing the sin which has decayed our world, let us work together for the sake of His Kingdom, offering our time, our talents, our money and our energy that He may be glorified, let us spread His fame through all this district together that others may learn of the Truth of the Resurrection and that they are freed from the tyranny of sin and the captivity of death.
Let us believe, let us be faithful, let us be the Church of the living God.
That we may offer true glory, honour and worship to our risen Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, together with His unoriginate Father and the All-holy, Good and Life-giving Spirit. Amen.
Timothy, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will grant you understanding in everything. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached in my gospel, the gospel for which I am suffering and wearing fetters like a criminal. But the word of God is not fettered. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus with its eternal glory.
— Second Timothy 2:1–10
At that time, as Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly charged them, “See that no one knows it.” But they went away and spread his fame through all that district. As they were going away, behold, a dumb demoniac was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the dumb man spoke; and the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons. And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.
— Matthew 9:27–35