Mid-century illustration of a calm sea at dawn

Matthew 12:22 · World English Bible

Matthew 12:22 Meaning Then One Possessed by a Demon

Then one possessed by a demon, blind and mute, was brought to him and he healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.

What does Matthew 12:22 mean?

Possession is the mind given over to the thought of fear until it seems no longer its own, and blindness and silence follow, for a mind ruled by guilt cannot see innocence and cannot speak the word of love. These are not three afflictions but one, the single darkness of a mind that has forgotten its Source.

From the Christian Psychology reading below.

Matthew 12:22 through 1 lens

The same verse, read by one tradition.

CHRISTIAN PSYCHOLOGY

Christian Psychology

Possession is the mind given over to the thought of fear until it seems no longer its own, and blindness and silence follow, for a mind ruled by guilt cannot see innocence and cannot speak the word of love. These are not three afflictions but one, the single darkness of a mind that has forgotten its Source.

Healing is the change of teacher, and it comes as one motion. The moment fear is released its whole effect falls away together: sight returns because there is now something true to see, and speech returns because there is something true to say. A mind restored to love finds that seeing and speaking were never lost, only buried under the belief that it was separate and alone.

Devil: the thought of fear the mind takes in as though it were another's power, the belief in separation that seems to seize and rule from outside.

Christian Psychology lensGo deeper in the app

Christian Psychology lens

Live Matthew 12:22 today

  1. When something fearful grabs you while you are scrolling alone, put the phone face down and ask where the fear actually lives. Not in the screen, not in the news, but in the sentence you just told yourself about it.
  2. In your next conversation, catch the moment you stop seeing the other person and start seeing a threat. Let the picture go and look at their face again, and you will usually find words come easily after that.
  3. Under pressure at work, when you feel yourself going silent or blind to any way forward, name it as fear rather than fact. One honest sentence out loud, even just "I am scared about this," tends to give your eyes and your voice back together.

What have I been treating as a power over me, when it was only a thought I kept agreeing with?

Mid-century illustration of Jesus teaching the crowd on a hillside above the sea

Free · No account needed

Read all of Matthew 12 through 17 lenses

Lensightful opens every verse of the Bible through the traditions you choose. Save readings, ask a follow-up question, and get one verse a day.

Get Lensightful on the App Store